Supporting Your Loved One's Mental Health Journeys

According to the National Association of Mental Illness, “Millions of people are affected by mental illness each year - 1 in 5 adults in the US experience mental illness.” In Massachusetts - “1,155,000 adults in Massachusetts have a mental health condition (2021).” For individuals who have people in their life with remarkable to serious mental illness, it can be hard to find support in caring for them. Keep on reading if you’re looking for resources that could help you help those you care about:

• Talk with a healthcare professional. Perhaps you, the reader, are supporting someone you care about with an identified mental illness. If so, and you’re seeing a social worker or mental health counselor, then share with that clinical support your experience and how it’s affecting you. Your therapist can offer you skills to manage the emotional impact and point you in the right direction in acquiring support or perspective for your person experiencing mental illness. If you do not have a therapist, consider this your invitation to access this support and join LGC via our client inquiry form.

• Read up and learn about mental illness. NAMI offers a specialized, online and free 8 week course that provides educational programming for family, significant others and friends of people with mental health conditions. It emphasizes that the more you know about mental illness and what your person is going through, the more approachable it can be to address challenges found in caring and supporting your person.

• Find a support group. Additionally, I have seen how people accessing group therapy support when it comes to navigating any topic, let alone supporting a loved one with mental illness that impacts their day-to-day, is helpful and rewarding. Whether in Massachusetts or out of state, NAMI also offers in-person and virtual support groups to talk about your person and the evolving needs in this relationship.

• Connect with your day-to-day community. Regardless of how big or small your community is, it can be a lonely experience caring for your person with mental illness alone. Reach out to your friends, immediate family, siblings, partner or community and talk about what is happening in your life. As the statistics are high regarding the number of people who experience mental illness, there is a high chance that you are not alone. When we find that we are not alone, being a support to those we care about can feel both easier and more manageable.

• Take care of yourself. This last piece of advice might be of surprise for some and no surprise for others. As all of the aforementioned ideas here are meant to serve your person, those who caretake in this circumstance are also endearingly finite. If caretakers do not take care of themselves in the midst of caring for their person, then the goal of this whole MMHM post will be for naught. Remember to slow down, tend to yourself and remember that caring for yourself is a way to care for those you love - mental illness and otherwise!

---

Lou Lim, LMHC, REAT is a licensed mental health counselor and registered expressive arts therapist (REAT) with a master's degree in Expressive Therapy and Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University. He is a member of the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association and on the committee for REAT credentialing. He has 13 years of experience in counseling and expressive therapy working with children, adolescents, teenagers, adults, and retirees.

Thank you for your interest in our Monday Mental Health Moments. Join our mailing list for a weekly newsletter on various mental health topics, and information about upcoming groups or workshops. No spam, we promise!