Are you caring for someone with a mental illness?
The reason why I asked that question is because my son has a mental illness. If anyone a mother, a father or extended family even a good friend, knows of someone that has a mental illness, then this is something you will want to read & bookmark. When this first happened to my son he was about 21 it was the most dire time for me and probably the most crippling time of his life. My blog "A little info for you" is an outlet for me, and a way I can give you information first hand on an illness that effects one in four adults. Approximately 61.5 million Americans experience mental illness in a given year.
This wasn't something I had planned on writing about on my blog, my own son & his mental illness. Just to let everyone know the definition of a mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life. It can affect anyone of any age, race, religion or income. It does not discriminate!
I do not see my son everyday, but writing about it on my blog will also help me keep track for what is happening with his progress, good or not so good. There has to be awareness for people that have a friend or family member with a mental illness and if I can give you some knowledge with "hands on experience" into daily actions or weekly updates on the life of someone with a mental illness and how society and others treat them and how a person with this illness treats others. I can't tell you the number of books, brochures & pod casts I have listened to or read upon what a mental illness is and how to cope. Sometimes I still get shocked to read about a situation that someone is going through and I really want to enlighten others that are willing to read this blog into what is happening for someone , then I guess the purpose of my blog is doing it's job.
My son has had his share of disappointments in his life, as many others have. He is twenty eight years old. And when this chemical imbalance happened he was about 21 years of age. I can remember myself begging him to take his medication, at one point crying on my knees to him. Sometimes it doesn't matter how much you plead and beg someone, they still have doubts about you or a medication when they are ill.
I have always been on his release forms until recently I found out he removed me. I just found out that he went to the Psychiatrist and signed paperwork last week and that released him from all the help he was getting as well as the medication clinic he went to so he can no longer get his medication. We have worked (him & I mostly) so hard to get where he is today, now I feel we just lost 7-8 years of hard work. But he has since removed me from his contact information list. I know longer am able to meet with his psychiatrist or his counselor. At this point spending time with him I can see right off that he stopped taking his medication. I mentioned to him the other day about his medication and he said "I stopped taking it in April of this year." I was shocked! He has been taking medication for a few years now. It did cause him to gain quite a bit of weight and caused him to have anxiety. Since he stopping the medication he has lost close to 100 pounds. He know longer gets anxiety. The anxiety was crippling to him, he couldn't go anywhere or ride in a car. He has done this before, gone off his medication, but he has never gone as far as leaving his apartment, throwing away all personal belongings and all his furniture. The last time he went off his medication he ended up hospitalized. And come to think of it, it's that time of year again, so it seems that every year around autumn he gets ill.
Tensions are rising and nothing can be done. I called his Psychiatrist today and left a message for him and I called a second time to hear them tell me again, "you are no longer on his release and we are sorry we can not give his Dr. a message for you." I said "seriously, you've got to be mistaken," I just went to a meeting with the three of us a few weeks ago. We are sorry, but those are the rules and I am quickly trying to explain when the mental illness that my son has gets to the peak, he gets angry, very angry, he doesn't remember and gets into trouble. Well, they said "that is what has to happen for him to get the help he needs because when the Police get involved and there is a mental health issue they usually take them to the local hospital. In so many ways, I want to just turn the other cheek, but how can I, after all I am his mother. The best advice I could give at this moment if you are just beginning a journey with someone you know that has a mental illness or showing signs of a mental illness, call your local NAMI. NAMI stands for The National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI is the nations largest nonprofit, grassroots mental health education, advocacy and support organization. They are located all over the County. If you need help, call them, they will be there for you!
