M i s s i o n P e a k U n i t a r i a n U n i v e r s a l i s t C o n g r e g a t i o n
"A Spiritual Community of Caring Hearts and Open Minds"
What Can Family and Friends Do? *
Here are some suggestions collected from people who have loved ones with a mental illness:
Professional / Peer Help
If someone is suicidal, get immediate attention for him or her. Call 911 if there's an immediate danger.
Make sure that the person gets the help needed, for example, a therapist or a hospital stay. You may have to help make the appointment and go with him or her.
Get professional help for yourself to learn what your own responsibilities and capabilities are.
Join your own support group, formal or informal.
Learn about Mental Health and Mental Illness
Read and learn all you can about the mental disorder that your loved one has.
Be flexible and patient. Cures are rarely instantaneous.
Learn to recognize the signs of the mental disorder.
Communicate with your loved one
Tell the person that you love and care about him or her.
Visit him or her, especially if hospitalized. A smile, a flower, a picture or a short hug can make all the difference.
Avoid doing things that trigger the person's disorder, ex: if the person become anxious or depressed when he or she is pressured to hurry, don't try and rush things.
Help your loved one live with the illness
Help the person to keep his or her days structured.
Support efforts to find the medicines and therapies that work best.
Monitor medicine intake.
Encourage physical exercise, good diet, plenty of sleep, creative activities, and sunlight.
Learn to recognize the warning signs that an episode is going to happen, and help your loved one to take action to head it off or minimize it.
Plan future activities for both of you to look forward to.
Maintain some kind of social activity with your loved one, such as going to the movies.
Make the best of the person's good days. Drop the housework to enjoy time with your loved one.
Keep guns out of the house.
Have a life of your own.
If the depressed person needs monitoring or assistance, get help.
Plan future activities for yourself alone.
Live one day at a time.
* Disclaimer: These suggestions are not professional medical advice, just things that have worked for real people living with depression and their families.
