Blog 12 Mental Illness

Have you ever known some one with a mental illness? How did/does the illness impact his/her life? What have you learned about mental illness just from knowing them?

Currently I know a few people with some type of mental illness. These people are in my family. It has been an adjustment since they are on my husband's side of the family. My husband and his dad have battled with depression. We have finally found a medicine that my husband will take daily and that has helped us in our relationship. One of his other family members has schizophrenia.
The way the depression has impacted my husband has been hard. Before we found a medicine he would take, he would just stay in bed some days or be very moody. We almost divorced over it. There had been changes in jobs for both of us and we were not making as much as before and the bills were piling up. We were behind on our house and close to foreclosure. He had called in sick to work and I told him that when I got home from work that he needed to be gone because I could not take it anymore. He told me that he called in so he could go to the doctor to get "happy pills." Since he has been on this medicine, things have got alot better between us.
The person with the schizophrenia has had a hard life. She is always thinking some one is after her children. She has been on medicines and was doing well. She had her own place and a job she loved. Last year she almost died because she had not been taking her medicines and had a dream some one was hurting her children. When she woke up she said she could see the guy and ran after him. She lives up north and it had snowed alot that night. It was in the middle of the night when she went after the guy. When she did not show up to work the next morning everyone went to look for her. A construction man found her unconscious. She had frostbite and was hypothermia. The doctors said if she would have been there 15 minutes longer she would not have survived. She has recovered physically but not mentally. She is living in a group home within the state hospital. She is back on her medicines and is slowly making progress. It has been a long hard road for all involved.
I have learned how different each illness is and how it effects all involved whether they have the illness or just family members trying to cope with a situation. It takes a lot of patience when dealing with some one when their illness has flared up. It has taught me how fragile life is, and not to take anything or anyone for granted.

Amy Morrow