{"id":6310,"date":"2019-05-09T15:30:36","date_gmt":"2019-05-09T22:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/?p=6310"},"modified":"2023-05-19T09:33:38","modified_gmt":"2023-05-19T16:33:38","slug":"supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/","title":{"rendered":"Supporting A Loved One With Mental Illness"},"content":{"rendered":"

A <\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

Mental Health Month is coming up, and while we’ve come a long way in how we view mental illness, there is still much work to be done. <\/p>\n

Having a friend or family member with a mental illness like
\nanxiety, depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, or PTSD can be challenging. <\/p>\n

Separating the person from the illness and trying to understand
\nthem and what they\u2019re going through is crucial in providing the best support
\npossible. With your encouragement and compassion, it\u2019s easier for them to cope
\nwith their illness and seek ongoing treatment.<\/p>\n

End the Stigma<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many people experiencing mental illness are hesitant to seek help
\nbecause they\u2019re either ashamed or in denial. Some people don\u2019t believe mental
\nillness is even real, while others think they can “snap themselves out of
\nit.” <\/p>\n

We cannot allow the stigma to continue because of the devastating consequences
\nof untreated mental illness, which can include hospitalizations, increased risk
\nof other chronic conditions, job loss, and suicide. <\/p>\n

Know the Signs<\/strong><\/p>\n

A mental illness impacts not only the person who has it but also those around them. For many people, the onset of mental illness will be slow and occur over time. Signs and symptoms of mental illness include:<\/p>\n

\u2022    Changes in
\nsleep or appetite <\/p>\n

\u2022    Apathy <\/p>\n

\u2022    Lack of
\npersonal care, such as bathing or changing clothing <\/p>\n

\u2022    Loss of
\ninterest in activities or hobbies <\/p>\n

\u2022    A decline
\nin functioning at work or school <\/p>\n

\u2022    Difficulty
\nconcentrating <\/p>\n

\u2022    Mood
\nchanges <\/p>\n

\u2022    Odd or
\notherwise uncharacteristic behavior <\/p>\n

Keep in mind, these are general symptoms and they can\u2019t tell you much about your loved one\u2019s individual nuances. <\/p>\n

Provide Support<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mental illnesses are real and treatable. If someone you love is showing signs of mental illness, your support is critical. <\/p>\n

Start by acknowledging the person’s feelings, even if they don’t make sense or are difficult for you to understand. It won’t help to minimize or downplay what the person is experiencing.<\/p>\n

It can be easy to take your loved one’s behavior personally but
\ndon’t. Just as someone with asthma can’t “breathe harder” during an
\nattack, someone with depression can’t just “cheer up.”<\/p>\n

When you show unconditional love and support, your loved one will begin to trust you and together you can talk about seeking treatment. Today, there are many options for treating mental illness, including medication, individual therapy and<\/g> group therapy.<\/p>\n

Get Support<\/strong><\/p>\n

Having a loved one with a mental health issue can be hard and lonely especially when you’re the person at the receiving end of the symptoms. As a result, make sure you have the support you need and take good care of yourself. <\/p>\n

Also, consult with your doctor about your role as a caregiver so he or she can help you find the right kind of support, which might be in the form of individual or group therapy. <\/p>\n

Mental illness can take a toll on relationships, but your loved one is still the same person. With your love and support, they can have hope for a better future.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Mental Health Month is coming up, and while we’ve come a long way in how we view mental illness, there is still much work to be done. Having a friend or family member with a mental illness like anxiety, depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, or PTSD can be challenging. Separating the person from the illness and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3456,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[171,1134],"aware":[1755,1753],"class_list":["post-6310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","tag-mental-health","tag-mental-well-being","aware-relationships","aware-wellness"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSupporting A Loved One With Mental Illness - Lifestyle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Supporting A Loved One With Mental Illness - Lifestyle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A Mental Health Month is coming up, and while we’ve come a long way in how we view mental illness, there is still much work to be done. Having a friend or family member with a mental illness like anxiety, depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, or PTSD can be challenging. Separating the person from the illness and...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lifestyle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-05-09T22:30:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-05-19T16:33:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/tyler-nix-525388-unsplash-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lynell LaMountain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lynell LaMountain\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lynell LaMountain\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#\/schema\/person\/cfdae19a482b883c3b074ccd2f5e79c6\"},\"headline\":\"Supporting A Loved One With Mental Illness\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-05-09T22:30:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-05-19T16:33:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/\"},\"wordCount\":538,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/tyler-nix-525388-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"mental health\",\"mental well-being\"],\"articleSection\":[\"All\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/\",\"name\":\"Supporting A Loved One With Mental Illness - Lifestyle\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/tyler-nix-525388-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-05-09T22:30:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-05-19T16:33:38+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/tyler-nix-525388-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/tyler-nix-525388-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Supporting A Loved One With Mental Illness\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/\",\"name\":\"Lifestyle\",\"description\":\"Mind Body Soul\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Lifestyle.org\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/cropped-logo-mark.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/cropped-logo-mark.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Lifestyle.org\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#\/schema\/person\/cfdae19a482b883c3b074ccd2f5e79c6\",\"name\":\"Lynell LaMountain\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/42173dc931ff4191976669136813ca426dc46417af153c19585503016d313214?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/42173dc931ff4191976669136813ca426dc46417af153c19585503016d313214?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Lynell LaMountain\"},\"description\":\"Lynell LaMountain co-hosts Life Style Magazine, a weekly syndicated television show that averages three million viewers. Lynell is a published writer, professional speaker, coach. His areas of expertise are decision making, relationships and outlook.\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Supporting A Loved One With Mental Illness - Lifestyle","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Supporting A Loved One With Mental Illness - Lifestyle","og_description":"A Mental Health Month is coming up, and while we’ve come a long way in how we view mental illness, there is still much work to be done. Having a friend or family member with a mental illness like anxiety, depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, or PTSD can be challenging. Separating the person from the illness and...","og_url":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/","og_site_name":"Lifestyle","article_published_time":"2019-05-09T22:30:36+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-05-19T16:33:38+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/tyler-nix-525388-unsplash-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lynell LaMountain","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lynell LaMountain","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/"},"author":{"name":"Lynell LaMountain","@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#\/schema\/person\/cfdae19a482b883c3b074ccd2f5e79c6"},"headline":"Supporting A Loved One With Mental Illness","datePublished":"2019-05-09T22:30:36+00:00","dateModified":"2023-05-19T16:33:38+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/"},"wordCount":538,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/tyler-nix-525388-unsplash-scaled.jpg","keywords":["mental health","mental well-being"],"articleSection":["All"],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/","url":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/","name":"Supporting A Loved One With Mental Illness - Lifestyle","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/tyler-nix-525388-unsplash-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2019-05-09T22:30:36+00:00","dateModified":"2023-05-19T16:33:38+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/tyler-nix-525388-unsplash-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/tyler-nix-525388-unsplash-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/supporting-a-loved-one-with-mental-illness\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Supporting A Loved One With Mental Illness"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/","name":"Lifestyle","description":"Mind Body Soul","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#organization","name":"Lifestyle.org","url":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/cropped-logo-mark.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/cropped-logo-mark.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Lifestyle.org"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#\/schema\/person\/cfdae19a482b883c3b074ccd2f5e79c6","name":"Lynell LaMountain","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/42173dc931ff4191976669136813ca426dc46417af153c19585503016d313214?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/42173dc931ff4191976669136813ca426dc46417af153c19585503016d313214?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Lynell LaMountain"},"description":"Lynell LaMountain co-hosts Life Style Magazine, a weekly syndicated television show that averages three million viewers. Lynell is a published writer, professional speaker, coach. His areas of expertise are decision making, relationships and outlook."}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/tyler-nix-525388-unsplash-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6310"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6310\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6557,"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6310\/revisions\/6557"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6310"},{"taxonomy":"aware","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifestyle.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/aware?post=6310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}