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Articles - Mother's Mental Illness
OAK LEAVES FAMILY SERVICE
COLUMN - DECEMBER, 1999
"My mother suffers from bipolar disease — what
we used to call manic-depressive illness — and it's especially difficult
for the family to cope at the holiday season. Mother's depression is in
such a contrast to everyone else's happy mood that it makes me feel really
guilty. I need someone to talk to. What can you tell me about mental illness,
and where can I go for help?"
The first thing to remember is you're not alone. Several million people
in this country suffer from serious long-term mental illness, but many still
manage to lead very productive lives. For example, Beethoven and Michelangelo
both suffered from mental illness, as did Abraham Lincoln, Isaac Newton,
and a surprising number of other well-known people. So although the situation
is difficult for patients and their families, it is not hopeless by any
means.
Mental illness is a broad term used to describe a group of neurobiological
brain disorders that cause severe disturbances in thinking, feeling, and
relating. Mental illness can affect people of any age, and it can happen
in any family. Schizophrenia, bipolar disease, and severe depression are
the principal types of mental illness.
Without treatment, schizophrenia is a very disabling illness, whose onset
usually occurs in the late teens or early twenties. Contrary to popular
belief, persons with schizophrenia do not have "split" personalities, nor
are they prone to deviant behavior if they receive therapy. Their illness
is due to a biochemical disturbance, and their symptoms can be controlled
with medication.
Affective disorders — sometimes called mood disorders — are more common
and usually less disabling. Your mother's bipolar disorder is one of these.
People who have this problem have very pronounced mood swings, going from
extreme highs to extreme lows. Nancy L. Fidler, LCPC, Coordinator of Transitional
Learning Center (an adult psychosocial treatment program for persons with
serious and persistent mental illness), says it's not at all uncommon for
the added stress of the holidays to bring on the depressive phase in people
with bipolar disease.
Some people have only persistent severe depression without mood swings.
This is called unipolar disease. Between them, these affective disorders
occur in about six percent of the population. As yet, researchers don't
fully understand the causes of mental illness, but their studies do not
support the once-popular theory that family interaction or early childhood
training has an effect. So you shouldn't feel guilty that you are part of
the problem. You aren't.
The National Association of Mental Illness has an affiliate in Oak Park,
NAMI-Metro-Suburban, that serves western Cook County. NAMI-Metro-Suburban
offers support to persons with mental illness and their families, advocates
fair treatment of persons with mental illness, and promotes knowledge, understanding,
and research into mental illness. Here would be a good place for you to
look for help and support.
NAMI-Metro-Suburban offers a range of programs including monthly meetings
the second Saturday of every month at 10 a.m. (call for location; it changes
each month) and a Drop-In Center that's open from 4-8 p.m. M-F, 2-8 p.m.
on Saturday, and 1-5 p.m. on Sunday. Meetings and activities at the Drop-In
Center are open to all interested individuals.
There is also a support group for family members called the Journey of Hope,
in which facilitators guide group discussions in ways that are constructive
and hopeful. Through practical problem solving and focus on principles of
self-care, Journey of Hope encourages family members to develop proactive
skills and attitudes both to help the person who is ill and to attend to
their own needs. The group family education curriculum includes comprehensive
educational and clinical information, but it also deals with the emotional
issues that people who are mentally ill and their families face as they
struggle to regain their balance. Journey of Hope meets the first Thursday
of each month at 7 p.m. at 815 S. Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park.
For further details on these programs or for more information on mental
illness, call 708-386-7556.
Located at 120 S. Marion, Oak Park, Family Service & Mental Health Center
of Oak Park & River Forest is a not-for-profit social service and mental
health agency that provides counseling, psychiatric and prevention/education
programs to men, women, youth and families. To learn more about our programs
or to make an appointment, contact us at (708) 383-7500.
  
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