Find out the things you can do to support and love the person better when s/he is ill. Find out what causes the illness or what triggers it to be worse for your loved one. Talk to your loved one's doctors and therapists alone and with your loved one. Discover what are realistic expectations for your loved one when s/he is ill. Learn what annoying habits you may have that may irritate the person more when s/he is ill. Discover encouraging and inspiring things to say and do to help your loved one stay healthy or get back to healthy.
In addition to talking with professionals about your loved one's illness, there are great books out there that offer support and guidance to those of us who are going through life affected by a loved one's illness.
I can highly recommend Talking to Depression by Claudia J. Strauss. You can find it on Amazon.com here. There are many, many other books available in your public library to give you anything from the basics of the disease to real advice from people who have gone through what you are experiencing now.
(Some) Questions to ask:
- What are the warning signs of my loved one's lower mood?
- What do I do when I see these warning signs?
- How can I encourage my loved one when s/he is depressed?
- What is best for my loved one right now?
- How do I talk to my loved one about suicide?
- How do I get my loved one to be honest about suicidal thoughts?
- How do I cope with the reality of suicide?
- What should our plan look like when my loved one tells me s/he is thinking of hurting her/himself?
- How do I take care of myself, my children, household, life when my loved one is depressed?
No comments:
Post a Comment