Being there as a Caregiver
by Matthew McKenzie
A while back I wrote a bit about reducing stigma, which unfortunately many suffering mental ill health can experience.
Some may ask what is stigma anyway, which I feel is often a good question. Mental health stigma can come in many forms.
The most common is that when someone finds out a person has a chronic mental health label or symptom, that someone or a group of people will tend to keep their distance.
Stigma can arise when people feel mental health sufferers are weak, strange, unreliable and a drain on resources. All these forms of stigma is not only hurtful to those using the mental health services, but often their carers, friends or family.
With such stigma comes isolation as those who do not understand mental ill health will tend to keep their distance.
I feel it is such a shame for those to back off when those suffering mental ill health need support of the community more often than ever.
As a community it can be so simple to fail mental health sufferers but through education, awareness and training we can make a difference. I suggest readers take a look around the Defying Mental Illness site to educate themselves about mental ill health.
On this blog post, I want to raise the awareness of being there. As mentioned before stigma can lead to isolation.
However isolation can lead to lack of support and thus a spiral of mental health deterioration is not far behind. So being there for others can really make the difference between the quality of life our loved ones will receive.
As a mental health carer, I feel that being there has made such a difference to who I care for. Although do not get me wrong. there are also times that I need to back off and let my loved one have the space to recover.
I feel being there for others should be at the right balance. We need to show we care and aid in recovery, but we also need to be aware that we must give mental health sufferers the space to find strength in themselves.
Being there can be as simple as sitting with the mental health sufferer and not having to say much at all. A mental health carer or friend need not try to work out the solutions to such issues, being there is where we can be a part of someone’s life even when their life is falling apart.
We must also state that being there for those challenged with mental health issues is not often always easy or simple; there will be tasks and challenges where carers need to put their foot down or intervene.
There will be cases of confidentiality clashes or arguments arising when things are not done. Being there is not always laughs and smiles, as to watch someone suffering mental ill health can be upsetting.
Still, being there for someone suffering ill health is one of the most powerful tools any person can use in order to break the isolation.
How have you been there as a carer/caregiver to someone challenged with mental illness? Please share below or on any of our social media platforms. Thank you.
Matthew Mckenzie is a Carer Advocate, Carer’s Representative and Governor of South London & Maudsley Foundation Trust. His blog site is http://caringmindblog.com/
The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect all or some of our beliefs and policy. Any links on this page does not necessarily mean they have been endorsed by Defying Mental Illness.
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