A friend just asked me to write something about this. What if someone is showing symptoms of a mental illness, but is not getting the help he/she needs, either through their own refusal or for some other reason. That is so hard to watch, a loved one, whom you are certain is showing symptoms of bipolar d/o or schizophrenia, yet either has not realized that they are sick or is simply refusing to get treated. Well, my brother, my darling baby brother, refused to stick to his treatment and the results were catastrophic, not anything I would wish even on my worst enemy. That being said, hopefully there is a way to make someone realize that they are acting erratically, maybe not sleeping, maybe staying at home, crying all day, and that these are symptoms of a treatable diseases. No one wants to have a mental illness, because of the severe difficulty of living with one, as well as because of the stigma attached to it. Hell I don’t want to have it, but I do and I am making the best of it. What if you say to this person: If you were having trouble seeing, would you not go to an Ophthalmologist? If you broke your arm, would you not go to an Orthopedic surgeon? If your blood sugar was high, would you not see an Endocrinologist? So, if your mind/brain is playing tricks on you, then how about seeing a Psychiatrist?

Also, perhaps showing them blogs of this kind, I have many listed on the top left hand side of my page, as a way to show them that even with mental illness, people can be productive, creative, and lead fulfilling lives, this may help alleviate the fear of someone who is “becoming” bipolar or schizophrenic or manifesting some other mental illness.

Of course, when someone is starting to manifest any mental illness, it is a very frightening time for the person, as well as for their family. The pot of gold on the other side of the bipolar rainbow is that after you go through severe enough phases to have to be hospitalized, you totally come back to your self!! There is no permanent loss of self. In schizophrenia, this is not true, there is a decline in cognitive functioning and intelligence, and the patient changes… So if someone were choosing which disease to pick, bipolar would certainly be the better choice! Ha!

The best thing i can think of to do with someone you think is displaying signs of a mental illness is to make them aware of these signs. Offer them hope that with medication and therapy, they can live a good life. And finally get them to agree to see a good psychiatrist, who, if he is worth his salt, will treat, follow, and give this person the meds or therapy they need. Also show them that even with the disease, they can live a good life, if possible.

Besides that, there’s not much one can do. Everyone is the master of their own life and decides what to do with it, even mentally ill people, unless of course if, as in very rare cases, they are dangerous (the vast majority of mentally ill people are NOT violent or criminals) then they will be forcibly contained. Other people can help as much as they will let them. Mentally ill people, like everyone else, are responsible for their own choices.

So we will do all we can, for our loved ones, and ourselves and certainly hope for the best.

As I do for my friend who asked me to write this and I sincerely hope this offers you at least a little help.