Posted by mayajade on February 22, 2005, at 12:15:42
In reply to Re: Unable to relate to family members?, posted by Bill LL on February 22, 2005, at 9:47:24
It's difficult and hurtful when your family doesn't understand what you're going through with mental illness. Some families have more trouble than others being empathetic. In the past, especially, some parents worried that the way they raised their child contributed to the child's mental illness. So parents denied the child's problems out of guilt or fear of being blamed. NAMI has education and support for families if yours would be open to that. If your family is not open to being educated, I would not look to them for more than they can give. Sometimes we have to accept that we're not going to get it from our families and look elsewhere for support - therapist, friends, support group, etc.
Have you tried mood stabilizers? I have bipolar II and anti-depressants never worked for me, or made me hypomanic. I'm taking Gabitril (tiagabine), which is an anti-seizure drug that's also used for anxiety and as a mood stabilizer. There are others, as you may know - Depakote, Lamictal, etc. Talk with your doctor, and good luck.
poster:mayajade
thread:461664
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050222/msgs/461772.html