How Does Mental Illness Affect The Family?
Mental health disorders often have a ripple effect in families by creating tension, stress, and uncertainty. Each family member may be affected in a different way, but the effects are there.
To be clear, no one is to blame when a family member is affected by a mental health issue, but it is normal to feel emotions like guilt, anger, sadness, and fear.
Acknowledging these feelings and receiving support through individual or family therapy can be a first step toward helping the family heal as a whole.
Changes To Family Dynamics As A Result Of Mental Illness
The family environment can significantly contribute to mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression.
Mental illness can cause issues with family dynamics by creating stress, changing how family members interact, and making it harder to communicate in healthy ways.
Trouble communicating can lead to feelings of isolation and further tension within the family.
A family environment that lacks security, responsibility, and entertainment and that is ridden with conflict may aggravate existing mental health conditions.
Mental Illness And Emotional Drain
When stress accumulates from challenging circumstances and mental health symptoms, you may find yourself in a state of emotional drain.
Emotional drain from mental illness can affect your relationship with family members, especially children.
You may not feel connected with your family members, which can create emotional distance. This distance can impact a child’s development and lead to problems later in life.
The Isolation Of The Family
In situations where a family member is living with a serious mental health disorder, it isn’t uncommon for the family unit to self-isolate.
This practice often begins as a form of self-defense. The family is attempting to protect their loved one and themselves from scrutiny, especially if symptoms are visible or disruptive.
Unfortunately, this isolation often does more harm than good by negatively affecting the mental health of the entire family unit.
While some isolation may be initially helpful, it is most important to ensure that your loved one receives the treatment and medication they need to be able to interact with other people, fulfilling the social needs of the family unit.
Mental Health Treatment And Coping Strategies
There are a variety of available treatments for mental health conditions, including psychotherapy, medication, case management, support groups, etc.
Psychotherapies teach a variety of healthy coping strategies to deal with mental health issues, including exercise, mindfulness or meditation, social support, journaling, stress reduction techniques, etc.
The family is often included in treatment through psychoeducation and targeted therapy sessions to help the family cope with the effects of mental illness.
Begin Treatment And Family Therapy At Bedrock
If you or a family member are seeking mental health treatment and family therapy, we can help. Contact Bedrock Recovery Center to learn how we can help you begin treatment.
