People who live with family members with mental illness tend to have emotions such as anxiety, dissatisfaction, and anger. Emotional contact can exacerbate symptoms or trigger a relapse of the disease. Find out what you need to do to help family members with mental illness feel better and better manage their emotions.
Emotional family members make mental illness worse and more likely to relapse
When a loved one suffers from a mental illness, it can lead to feelings of worry and anxiety. As a result, they may be upset by asking, “What should I do now?!” You may be irritated with such things.
However, if you direct your emotions directly at a family member with a mental illness, it will be painful for the person being directed and they will be driven into a corner. In the 1960s, when Brown et al. of England studied the relationship between relapses of schizophrenia and family members’ emotional expression, they found that people who were in contact with family members with high levels of emotional expression had a higher relapse rate of schizophrenia. I understand. There are three types of emotional expression:
1. Criticizing the other person
Exposing critical words or attitudes about the medical condition or lifestyle during treatment (e.g., “Is it okay to sleep forever!?”, “Isn’t it a lazy disease?”)
2. Show hostility toward the other person Exposing feelings of hostility toward the
other person (e.g., “I don’t want to take care of you anymore!”, “I don’t want to be with you!”, etc.) 3. Emotionally
involved type Being emotionally involved in
the other person’s situation (e.g., “The person himself is the most painful, so his family should not enjoy it”, etc.) This kind of feeling
arises precisely because the family truly worries. However, for people with mental illness, these family concerns can be very pressureful and impede recovery.
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If you suppress your emotions too much, eventually you won’t be able to take it anymore
Closed-door relationships at home often drive families with mental illness into a corner.However, it’s hard to live with repressing your natural emotions. How can families manage their emotions?
First of all, it is thought that one of the major reasons why people tend to become emotional is that they are facing family problems only in the closed room of their homes. In other words, because they do not release their emotions to the outside, they may end up lashing out at home.
The inability to express one’s emotions outside the home may be due to the thought that “I want people to listen to me, but I don’t want others to know about my family situation.” Also, they may be suppressing their emotions because they think “I have to support them” and “I shouldn’t complain.” If you continue as it is, eventually you may not be able to endure it and you may hit your family with your emotions.
You can share your feelings and learn from each other at the “Family Association”
Only people with the same problems as a family can share their thoughts and sympathizeWhat you need is to have a safe place to talk about your honest feelings. One option I would like to recommend is a family self-help group called Kazokukai . Family gatherings are held at hospitals and at various locations in the community. You can get referrals from hospital social workers, public health centers, and health centers.
The greatest advantage of family associations is that families with similar problems can speak frankly and empathize with each other. By knowing the information necessary for treatment and recovery and learning appropriate ways to interact with each other, you can also reflect on your own interactions.
At first, many people attend family gatherings with the intention of “just listening to the opinions of the participants.” Eventually, you may be able to help someone by sharing your experiences and thoughts.
Use local welfare services such as the “Regional Activity Support Center”
Places that make people with mental illness and their families more comfortable are in the communityThe community also has many social resources available to people with mental illness and their families. For example, at the ” Community Activity Support Centers
” in municipalities, people with mental illnesses engage in social activities, cultural activities, and exercise, while connecting with society and working toward independence. During this time, families can attend family reunions or have time for themselves. In addition, the services available in the community to support the independence of persons with disabilities include consultation, daytime activities, housing support, employment support, and home-visit services. For information on how to use the service, ask at the social worker at the medical institution or at the counter of the welfare department for persons with disabilities in your community. By connecting with family associations and local social resources, feelings for family members become easier. If you feel at ease with yourself, you will also have a calmer attitude towards your family, which will benefit both of you.