I think that a lot depends on the kind of illness. It is a lot different dealing with someone with depression than someone with schizophrenia.
I have had depression and anxiety to the extent that I was hospitalised for a couple of weeks. I have not had serious depression for some time mainly because I find retirement relaxing and because I recognising the signs that it is starting and can fend it off. Anxiety is more difficult and I have to force myself to let things go.
I don't have anyone in the family with a psychotic illness but have learnt a lot from dealing with my neighbour who I initially tried to help but that just meant that she would try to get into my flat at 3 am when she had a problem so I have had to be harsh with her to enable the rest of us to have a livable life. Her sister is the most involved with her when she gets involved with the police or smashes up her flat and it must be very difficult for her although she seems to have a lot of the same characteristics (like thinking it is reasonable to press my buzzer continually from 6 am).
There are treatments for depression which help over time for many people but it is not easy to be around people with depression. I think that I am better on my own.
With regard to your question about the focus being on the person with mental illness, that is one of the things that I find difficult. My schizophrenic neighbours next door neighbours are a couple in their 90s and late 80s. The woman living above her is 87 and is recovering from a serious operation.
Last time I tried to get the Council to do something about us being woken up through the night I said in my email 'I know that their is only one person in this block that you think that matters but she is not the most vulnerable person here, her 90 year old neighbour is and although you don't care about him, a court will if we have to take the Council to court'. It did finally produce some sort of response from them (which was to put up a lock box so that she didn't buzz us through the night, but they didn't show her how to use it or put a key in it so that was a big help!).
I think that selfishness seems to be one of the symptoms of many forms of mental illness but it is understandable in a way. My neighbour finds the best way to drown out the voices is to scream or to shout at them. It is difficult because it is the only thing that works for her and personally I can cope with that as long as I can sleep but I am not next door to it. Her selfcentredness makes it impossible to reach any sort of accommodation with her so that she knows what we can and can't cope with. She just thinks that we are against her. I get fed up with thinking about it and having to deal with it. She thinks that she is the centre of everything but I don't want her to be the centre of my life. We can only cope with it because she is in hospital as often as she is here but we always know she is coming back. Her sister won't have her at her home because she has children but she has no sympathy for our situation.
You have to find a way to distance yourself. She knows that she cannot go to her mother's house unless she is invited and she will generally obey that. The fact that people have an illness does not mean that they cannot be given boundaries and that they will not understand them -although, again, depressive illnesses have to be handled very differently when something that seems like rejection could be dangerous.
Care in the community does not mean that the community is given any information or knowledge or support, but it will be blamed when things go wrong.
Good Morning Friday 25th April 2024
Have any of you got all electric cars? Pros and cons please.