Apple series The Me You Can’t See Episode 2: Asking for help

People with mental illness often need to be seen as who they are. Someone who has all the strengths and also also the weaknesses and the struggles. They need to be seen for their physical and mental health need to be seen for all the social, academic, and financial stressors that are part of their life.

1) Ignoring the past does not make it go away. If the concerns are not talked out in therapy or addressed in therapy they do still come out - physically, emotionally and poor functioning.

2) Great points by Oprah about us being ignorant and there is a need for everyone around the person suffering to educate themselves about the illness.

3) Childhood and developmental trauma can significantly change how one views the world. Trauma especially caused by those closest to the child is further harmful. Children who have faced trauma often tend to relive the trauma in different ways as they get older and as they are essentially evolving into a different person.

4) Families speaking up to each other about struggles and treatment they are receiving can be incredibly empowering and make someone less hesitant to get help. Being open makes you vulnerable but also strengthens you and people around you who can possibly help you and themselves.

5) Suicidal ideations can be present chronically in some. not talking about it when these thoughts are milder makes the thoughts likely continue to be present and possibly increase with time. As suicidal thoughts get stronger and clearer it becomes harder and harder to talk about it thus making the person struggling more isolated, scared, and at a greater risk of hurting or killing themselves. I always encourage my patients to speak openly about it even when they are infrequent and vague. This keeps the door to a conversation open.

6) Families can have a hard time talking about mental illness and also often may not know how to help. Telling them how you need help can be very effective also. Eg. “ I want to tell you something I am struggling with and I do not need a solution from you but just need you to listen”. Especially for teens and also many adults; therapists and psychiatrists often need to coach them on how to ask their family and support structure for help. Most of the time it is not that they do not want to help, rather they do not understand it.