I had the pleasure of presenting with Linda Appleman Shapiro, author of Four Rooms, Upstairs: A Psychotherapist's Journey Into and Beyond Her Mother's Mental Illness, last week at the library in Ridgefield, CT. Each time I tell Ben's (and our family's) story, I see at least one face in the audience that seems to open with relief: Can we really talk about these secrets? Is mental illness really not the source of shame I've been assuming it is?
Yes, let's talk. A mental illness is just that: an illness. It is no one's fault. It just is.
Great books for practical advice:
When Someone You Love Has a Mental Illness by Rebecca Woolis
I'm Not Sick, I Don't Need Help - Xavier Amador - great info, "system" doesn't alwayswork, but helps understandng greatly
and - believe it or not, for basics - there are "dummies" books for schizophrenia, bipolar, etc.
What familes need:
Support
Education
Acceptance (Letting Go)
Reality check, Respect
Comunication
Hope - and, yes, Humor
It spells SEARCH.
My son Ben is living a very worthwhile life, filled with love, even with paranoid schizophrnia. Even so, my expectations have changed. It is a new normal. R for reality...
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI attended the Author Talk at the Ridgefield Library. It was a spellbinding evening because of the wonderful author presentations and the Q&A session afterward. I've never seen an audience that engaged.
There's a great blog written by a woman with BiPolar disorder. It's called BiPolar Cocktail. It might be of interest to you.
Here's the address:
http://bipolarcocktail.blogspot.com/
She and I are both members of a group called Network for Wives.
Best,
Lauren
http://thinkspin.blogspot.com