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How to Help Your Family Member
Things you can do when a loved one has a mental health disorder
Educate yourself on the warning signs of mental illness. Turn to reputable sources for information such as NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) or NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health). While signs and symptoms of mental health changes can vary, a person may need support if they have the following severe symptoms that persist for more than 2 weeks:
● Losing interest in things they once enjoyed.
● Difficulty performing daily activities such as working, getting out of bed, caring for themselves, or caring for others.
● Pulling away from family and friends and communicating less with loved ones, such as not answering the phone or responding to text messages.
● Reduced ability to concentrate.
● Increased anxiety or irritability.
● Thoughts of death or self harm. (At the end of this article please find resources to help cope with a loved one who may need crisis intervention.)
Find the best ways to communicate with them. When people are feeling depressed or anxious, they may feel ashamed and not sure how to ask for support. Work on actively listening and avoid judging your loved one for the situation they find themselves in. Mental health issues are complex, and showing compassion can be extremely helpful.
Are there any barriers my loved one might encounter? How can I help them address them? Finding the energy to connect with resources can be hard when you don’t feel well. Helping your loved one research mental health options, provide childcare support, or assist with insurance issues are just some of the ways family can help.
Help them connect with mental health services. Explore available community mental health support. While some nonprofit mental health agencies provide an array of services, sometimes they may have limited availability or waiting lists to receive therapy services.
Private mental health practices can offer individual, couples, and family counseling with skilled, licensed psychotherapists. Therapists are trained to work with issues such as anxiety, depression, and grief. Some therapists also may specialize in areas such as trauma and addictions.
If you are trying to assist your loved one with finding a therapist, sites such as psychologytoday.com and zoc.doc are a couple referral sites to get started with. These sites offer important information such as a therapist’s background, approach, availability, and insurance they accept. Many therapists offer brief phone consultations to help clients ask questions about services and to see whether the therapist might be “a good fit.”
Advocate for their safety in times of crisis. If a loved one is having increased severity of suicidal thoughts or has a plan to harm themselves, take action. Call 911 or help get them to the nearest emergency room. Additional 24/7 guidance can be obtained by contacting the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Suicide is difficult to talk about. It can be very hard to see a loved one consider hurting themselves. Yet providing a safe space for them to talk to you about their fears is an important step in protecting them.
Get the emotional support you need. Trying to navigate mental health care for your family member can take a toll on you, the caregiver. Lean on close friends that you trust and are good listeners. Consider counseling for yourself with a therapist who can provide emotional support and work with you to develop individualized coping tools and strategies.
