News Update

Help is Available for Families Facing the Impact of Mental Illness

DMHS Family Support Program Offers Assistance, Education, and Peer Support

WHITBY, ON (August 9, 2010) – A diagnosis of mental illness can have a shattering impact not only on the person diagnosed but on their family. Families are often overwhelmed by grief, isolation, and a sense of powerlessness. Disturbing and unpredictable symptoms can seem to tear away the person they once knew. The Family Support program at Durham Mental Health Services (DMHS) offers hope and assistance to families who are desperate for information, advocacy, and support.

DMHS’ Family Support program has three service components:

· Short-term case management provides direct individualized assistance meeting urgent needs and managing crises.

· Regular educational programming, offered in partnership with the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario, provides accurate and practical

information on illnesses, treatments, resources, coping strategies, and communication skills.

· Weekly peer support and education groups provide role models of hope and recovery and connect families to a community of acceptance, understanding, and mutual support.

DMHS Family Support Program Coordinator Krista Bull says that “families are most often the main support to individuals living with mental illness. Better support for families means better support for their loved one. When the family is informed, educated and supported, they are more likely to help their loved one do the same. Families are learning vital information and skills and they are modeling to their loved one that reaching out for support can make a difference.”

Linda and Jack Nelson* know the impact of mental illness first-hand. Their son Jason* was diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder [OCD], depression, and anxiety in his early twenties. Like many people who experience mental illness, Jason turned to alcohol to relieve his symptoms, a coping strategy that ultimately led to more problems.

“Looking back, we can see that some of Jason’s symptoms started very early,” says Linda. “But he mostly kept quiet about what he was going through and we didn’t want to face it. You want the best for your child. You don’t want to consider that there might be real problems. At the time, I didn’t know there even was such a thing as OCD, but also the behaviours didn’t seem to be hurting anyone. Even as problems grew, we wondered ‘Is this just a teenage phase?’

“When Jason moved out on his own, we didn’t realize how ill he was. We always had close contact, but he hid things from us, not wanting to burden us or cause us distress. There’s a part of us that didn’t want to believe that something is wrong.”

“His life was leading into a bad situation,” adds Jack. “We were at the end of our rope and didn’t know what more we could do. We were very fortunate that we got support and information that could help us all.

“DMHS helped us learn about what Jason was facing and about ways we could help. They also opened doors for us at a time when we felt helpless and alone. We also have a wonderful Family Physician who used all of her resources to refer him to CAMH in Toronto for assessment and treatment.

“Through this process,” Jack says, “we’ve learned more about Jason, and we’ve become closer and more open with each other. Jason has said to us, ‘I don’t have to lie anymore.’ The illness is out on the table, we aren’t all tiptoeing around things.”

Jason’s sister has also benefited. “At one time,” says Linda, “she thought Jason could change things if he wanted to or if he tried harder. Now she recognizes the illness for what it is.”

Jason’s family is very important to him and so those relationships are another incentive for him to stay on track with his recovery. “We are now all at a place where we have accepted the illness,” says Linda, “but we all know what Jason is capable. We encourage him to move forward one step at a time.”

Jason recently saved enough money for a trip to a favourite family holiday destination growing up. “He always enjoyed those carefree times on holidays,” Linda says, “and he was so proud of being able to pay his way there.” Linda added “Jason has been clean and sober for one year in September”.

Linda says that one of the most important things was the change in their perspective on the illness. “What we’ve gone through and what we’ve learned has really altered our attitude about mental illness. At one time, we might have been embarrassed by it. We are totally over that now. This is a disease like any other. If someone asks, ‘How is Jason doing?’ I tell them. I say we’ve come a long way, and that things are getting better. It’s way better than pretending. The situation is what it is and we now have the tools to deal it, to help our son be as happy as he can be, and to accept him just as he is.”

Jack hopes that many more families will benefit from the support they received. “To struggle with mental illness alone, without this type of support, it’s almost impossible,” he says. “Now that we know the benefit of support, we can be a resource to other people facing similar situations and help connect them to the service.”

Linda and Jack take heart from the connections they’ve made and the skills they learned. “By no means are we out of the woods – the mental illness is never going to go away – but things are hugely better because of this service and this organization, and we know that additional support is just a phone call away.”

*Names have been changed to protect anonymity.