What do I know about mental illness? In my opinion I know more than I would like to know about a few types of mental illness. Depression, anxiety, and others have been a part of my family for my entire life. I am not exactly sure what I would call what my mom has, maybe a mixture of a lot of things, but I can assure you that it is not a fun or easy thing to deal with, for nobody in my family. When I was younger I didn't understand that most parents don't act the way my mother did when she got upset or angry, but as I grew up I realized the way she treated my sister especially was not "normal" in a sense. I love my mother, of course, but growing up with her gave me a whole new view of the world and how I wanted to act as an adult, and especially when I would become a wife. My parents marriage fell apart because my mother refused to take control of her mental illness and only tried to use it as an excuse for the way she acted. There is only so much people around you can do if you refuse to seek help.
When I got old enough to realize how to deal with my mother and her illness, I began to sacrifice things so that I wouldn't set her off. This strategy made my home life more pleasant, but my social life suffered. I am almost 21 years old now, with a boyfriend that my mother refuses to accept because she sees parts of herself in him. I wouldn't trade my mother for anyone and I love her deeply, which makes it easy to love someone who may have a fraction of the problems that she struggles with. I have talked to counselors and doctors to try to figure out ways to deal with my mother and her "quirks," but reading about other mental illnesses and watching them on television and in the movies makes me realize that even though my mother may be stressful and hard to deal with sometimes, I am lucky to have a mother who is always my m other. She does not need constant care, and she has never physically hurt me because of her illness.
No matter what mental illness I encounter with my family or friends, I know that I will be blessed to have them in my life.
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