Supporting people you love who suffer mental illness
Yesterday was World Suicide Prevention Day:
http://www.iasp.info/wspd/pdf/2008_w...er_english.pdf
I have been really impressed by the level of support and care offered to people here on AMHD in relation to mental health issues, so when I came across this website this morning, I thought I would pass it on as it seems to contain some valuable insights and resources others might also appreciate. I also noticed it has been endorsed by people well respected in the mental health field. (apologies in advance if it isn't considered appropriate to include this, as it could be thought of as advertising the purchase of a book)
DepressionCarer.com
Also, for anyone who might find this helpful, here is a link to the MoodGYM online training program that has won a number of awards for making cognitive therapy more accessible to the public, especially for younger people. Access to MoodGYM is free.
MoodGYM: Welcome
Given the prevalence of mental illness and likelihood we will either suffer from depression ourselves at least at one stage in our lives or are likely know of someone close to us who does, I consider it to be something we could all benefit from knowing more about.
I might mention here that my 17 year old niece and my partner's 18 year old daughter have both been recently hospitalised for serious (suicidal) depression and are still receiving treatment. As my partner and I have supported people we have loved who suffered from serious mental illness (not just these two girls), talking comfortably about depression and suicidality as well as being reasonably well informed on mental health issues in general has been kind of essential. Still, I know there's a lot more to be learnt.
If anyone who supports a loved one who suffers mental illness would like to share their insights here, I would very much appreciate knowing what you have to say. I would especially like to have better insight as to how to recognise the early signs of depression and how to help prevent it escalating into something more serious.