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She cries easily, yells loudly, and makes confusing statements that leave you scratching your head. You know and others close to her know that your "special" daughter or in-law is just not wrapped too tight in her mind.
For a long time, excuses were made for a daughter's erratic mood swings, sudden shopping sprees, and promiscuity. As much as you and other kinfolk didn't want to believe that there was something indeed wrong with her, the exes, former coworkers, friends, and even law enforcement convinced you otherwise. Now you look at someone who seems like a stranger every now and again. You try to reason the unreasonable when she gets herself in trouble once again.
After all you or someone else has been with this person, you are still tempted to deny that your relative has an undiagnosed mental illness when someone stares oddly at her. Yet, truth is truth! No more covering up facts, no more lies, blaming or excusing off-the-wall behavior, your relative needs some help!
Sometimes help comes when a mental episode is so bad that once again law enforcement has to get involved. Other times help comes when an observant witness, who has a relative with similar behavior, provides you with resources that has helped his or her family. You might perform your own research and have an idea what the mental illness might be. However, that is not enough! Figuring out a way to get your relative to the mental hospital should be your plan.
Drugs and alcohol tend to play a part in aggravating a person who already has a severely troubled mind. Getting hooked up with an intimate partner who also has a mental illness will also add fuel to the fire. Living with people who don't understand mental challenges will cause even more problems for your daughter or in-law. It is very important to have the person removed from a toxic environment as soon as possible.
If you know someone who has repeatedly shown obvious signs that he or she is mentally disabled; yet the family sweeps everything under the rug, visit the MentalHealth.gov website. Not every mental crisis is treated the same way. You can anonymously make a call to support groups who provide resources if you feel the individual is being abused.
If the individual is abusing drugs and/or alcohol, check out rehab centers in your area and request information on how to start the process on getting some help.
Nicholl McGuire is a survivor of domestic violence, owner of this blog, an author and inspirational speaker on YouTube.
