Caring for others, caring for yourself

Transcription

1 Th byondblu Guid for Carrs Supporting and caring for a prson with dprssion, anxity and/or a rlatd disordr Caring for othrs, caring for yourslf For mor information or byondblu info lin

2 This booklt has bn dvlopd by carrs for carrs. Many popl hav shard thir xprincs of caring for a prson with dprssion, anxity or a rlatd disordr. Basd on th prsonal storis of th carrs, this guid offrs hlpful advic and tips about Caring for othrs and caring for yourslf: how to gt through th tough tims what workd (and what didn t) how to ovrcom a rang of difficultis how to support th prson with th illnss how to accss support that s availabl to carrs. Although vry prsonal xprinc is uniqu, thr ar aspcts of th rol that ar common to many carrs. Throughout th booklt, thr ar quots from carrs which provid an insight into th many facts of thir rol, including thoughts, flings and ractions. byondblu CEO Loni Young thanks all th popl who hav providd valuabl input into this booklt. I hop it will offr hlpful information, support and assistanc to th thousands of popl caring for a prson with dprssion, anxity or a rlatd disordr. Bing a carr can hav an normous impact on rlationships, work, ducation and social lif, as wll as th prson s physical and mntal halth. I urg all carrs to mak a point of not only caring for thir lovd ons, but to think about how thy can tak car of thmslvs. About byondblu byondblu: th national dprssion initiativ is an indpndnt, not-for-profit organisation working to addrss issus associatd with dprssion, anxity and rlatd disordrs in Australia. byondblu works in partnrship with halth srvics, schools, workplacs, univrsitis, mdia and community organisations, as wll as popl living with dprssion, anxity and rlatd disordrs to bring togthr thir xprtis. On of byondblu s major prioritis focuss on popl who hav xprincd dprssion/anxity and rlatd disordrs (somtims rfrrd to as consumrs ) and thir carrs. Popl with dprssion/anxity and rlatd disordrs, and carrs, participat in byondblu rsarch, provid input into th dvlopmnt of byondblu information matrials (such as this booklt) and hlp to rais awarnss by spaking about thir prsonal xprincs. bluvoics byondblu has supportd th dvlopmnt of a national consumr and carr rfrnc group, bluvoics, which includs popl with dirct prsonal xprinc of: dprssion anxity prinatal (pr- and postnatal) dprssion and/or anxity bipolar disordr co-xisting substanc-us and dprssion co-xisting chronic physical illnss and dprssion. Many mmbrs of bluvoics ar carrs or primary support popl for popl xprincing on or mor of th abov conditions and thy hav contributd to th dvlopmnt and contnt of this guid. Thank you byondblu would lik to thank all th carrs who hav contributd to th compilation of this guid by participating in focus groups, providing insight into thir xprincs and sharing thir prsonal storis. Th words thy usd to dscrib thir xprincs ar quotd throughout this guid. Thir contributions hav bn invaluabl. To find out how to bcom a bluvoics mmbr go to click Gtting involvd, thn National Rfrnc Group bluvoics. Illustrations: Bttina Guthridg

3 Contnts FOREWORD 2 ABOUT THIS GUIDE 3 Th purpos of this guid What dos th guid covr? Who dos th trm carr dscrib? How to us this guid Sction 1 Caring for othrs 5 Rcognising that somthing is not right 7 Taking th first stp 9 Gtting to th first appointmnt 11 How can a carr accss information? 15 Kping up th momntum 17 Working towards rcovry 19 Ovrcoming stbacks 21 Emrgncy and crisis situations 23 Sction 2 Caring for yourslf 25 Accpting how you fl 27 Bing a carr may affct rlationships 29 Looking aftr yourslf 33 Th right support for you 35 byondblu fact shts and information rsourcs 38 Mor information and support 39 Organisations for carrs 39 1

4 Forword I am dlightd to s th dvlopmnt of this important publication which will assist th carrs and familis of lovd ons with mntal illnss. I hav grat confidnc that this book will b xtrmly valuabl, not only for th familis of nwly-diagnosd popl, but also for thos who hav bn around th mntal halth systm for varying lngths of tim. It s mor than 25 yars sinc our family was first impactd by th challngs of mntal illnss. On of th glaring dficincis in th systm at that tim was a lack of basic information to hlp ducat and incras undrstanding of stratgis to assist in daily living. W wr lft floundring, confusd and bwildrd. Now, 25 yars latr, it s grat to s that supports of this kind ar availabl. I would lik to xprss my apprciation to all of thos involvd in contributing to this important work. I wish to rcognis th contribution of all thos carrs whos xprincs and ancdots hav nhancd th rlvanc of this book. Th us of ral-lif ancdots will giv our carrs and familis around Australia a ral connction as thy idntify with th thoughts and flings of popl who hav xprincd th sam issus. Isolation is on of th most significant dismpowring facts of lif, and ths storis will dmonstrat that you ar not alon in grappling with th challngs. Wll don to vryon involvd and I commnd this important publication for your rading. John McGrath AM Dputy Chair byondblu: th national dprssion initiativ 2

5 About this guid Th purpos of this guid No mattr how long you v bn supporting a prson who s xprincing a mntal hath problm, this guid includs hlpful information for all carrs and family mmbrs rgardlss of whthr th prson thy r supporting has just bn diagnosd, is rcovring, or is in th arly stags of dprssion/anxity. Som popl will b rading this guid although thy ar not yt crtain whthr th prson thy r supporting dfinitly has a mntal halth problm. Othrs will hav rcognisd that somthing isn t right and will b taking th first stps to gt a mdical opinion. Many carrs rading th guid will hav bn supporting a frind or lovd on for som tim and will b working towards rcovry. Som carrs will b looking aftr somon who has a mntal halth problm and co-xisting physical halth problm, disability or chronic illnss (.g. a hart condition, Parkinson s disas or a cancr diagnosis). What dos th guid covr? Th guid is dividd into two sctions: 1. Caring for othrs is about caring for and hlping th prson you r supporting. It covrs various stags and draws on othr carrs xprincs including rcognising that somthing is not right, accssing tratmnt, working towards rcovry and managing mrgncy and crisis situations. 2. Caring for yourslf looks at undrstanding your flings and th impact a mntal halth problm can hav on you, your family and frinds. It s qually important to nsur that you look aftr yourslf physically and motionally, and draw support, knowldg and wisdom from othrs, which you will find in this sction. Who dos th trm carr dscrib? For th purpos of this guid, th trm carr is usd to rfr to th primary support prson for somon with dprssion, anxity or rlatd disordrs such as prinatal dprssion, bipolar disordr and rlatd substanc us. Carrs may b husbands, wivs, childrn, partnrs, flatmats, parnts or clos frinds. Carrs provid ongoing support which may b in a social, motional, physical and/or financial capacity. Somtims, this may b to th dtrimnt of thir own mploymnt, rlationships, social lif, physical and/or mntal halth. How to us this guid Sction on of th guid Caring for othrs will hlp you to undrstand th stags involvd in raching a diagnosis and gtting tratmnt. This will b particularly hlpful to popl who ar nw to th caring rol. This sction covrs working towards rcovry, managing stbacks, and mrgncy and crisis situations. Sction two It s important to look aftr yourslf, so it s rcommndd that you rad Caring for yourslf soon and rfr to it oftn. It will b usful to rad th guid in combination with byondblu fact shts which can b downloadd from th byondblu wbsit or can b ordrd by calling th byondblu info lin on (local call cost from a landlin). Fact shts ar availabl in mor than 20 diffrnt languags. Rsarch shows that mor than on third of carrs xprinc svr dprssion and that bing a carr for somon ls could b on of th lading causs of thir dprssion. 1 1 Australian Unity Wllbing Indx: Th Wllbing of Australians Carr Halth and Wllbing, Survy 17.1, Rport 17.1,

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7 Sction 1 Caring for othrs How to support a prson who has dprssion/anxity or a rlatd mntal halth problm 5

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9 Rcognising somthing is not right For many yars, mntal halth problms such as dprssion, anxity and rlatd disordrs wr not discussd opnly in th community bcaus of far, ignoranc and stigma. Unlik physical illnsss or conditions which hav obvious symptoms that can b obsrvd asily and, as a rsult, talkd about frankly, symptoms of mntal halth problms may b dlibratly hiddn or unintntionally obscurd. Signs and symptoms of a mntal halth problm lik dprssion may rmain unrcognisd or attributd to bing associatd with crtain lif stags, strssful vnts, hormons or prsonality traits. I put it down to just going through a lif phas I thought it would pass. Sh was moody and irritabl, but w just thought it was bing a tnagr. My grandmothr had dprssion for many yars, but w nvr rcognisd it. W just thought sh was a ngativ prson. I just thought it was strss from work. I nvr considrd it to b anything mor than that. It s common for popl not to discuss mntal halth problms with family mmbrs or frinds. Thr is vn mor stigma around mntal halth problms in culturs whr halth issus of any typ ar not discussd with mmbrs of th immdiat or xtndd family and crtainly not with frinds. Ngativ viws or stigma about mntal illnss ar oftn du to misundrstandings, cultural blifs, misconcptions and/ or lack of knowldg about mntal halth problms and th associatd signs and symptoms. Confirming thr is a problm I flt prtty trribl bcaus I hadn t rcognisd it. Sh was vry tary and just not right. With our son, h just had no nrgy h was vry tird and wasn t intrstd in doing things. I attributd it all to th alcohol. It was asir for m to say, H s just an alcoholic. H bcam non-communicativ, withdrawn and droppd all his frinds. Initially, it may b difficult to confirm that somon has a mntal halth problm. Whil you may sns changs in a prson s bhaviour, it s undrstandabl, whn you don t hav much knowldg about mntal illnss, that you may attribut symptoms to othr causs. Altrnativly, you may not want to considr th possibility of thr bing a mntal halth problm bcaus you r concrnd or frightnd about what this could man for th prson and thos clos to him/hr. It may also b th cas that th prson hids, controls or disguiss many symptoms. You may no longr notic th symptoms bcaus th associatd bhaviour has bn going on for so long that it now sms normal. Furthrmor, symptoms may rmain undtctd for som tim bcaus th onst of th illnss may b gradual. For ths rasons, dtction can b difficult and confirming whthr thr is a mntal halth problm is oftn complicatd. Th bst advic is to prsvr and trust your instincts if things ar not quit right. 7

10 W both knw somthing was wrong h didn t fl right, h didn t fl saf, but w couldn t put our fingr on what it was. Th ky to this is that it is incrmntal. Evry day just gts a littl bit wors and that s th ky. It s not a trauma injury lik whn you hav a car accidnt. With my husband it was probably a gradual thing. It s vry hard to pinpoint it, h just didn t fit in. It actually crpt up on both of us whn you r actually thr, you don t ncssarily s th mrgnc. It wasn t until last yar that sh finally brok down and told m hr fars and things sh s bn fling. And quit frankly, I didn t vn dtct thm. What is th problm? Aftr confirming that thr is a problm, you nd to stablish what that problm could b. Unlik many physical illnsss, thr is not ncssarily a on-off tst which can rsult in a diagnosis for a mntal halth problm. For xampl, it can b difficult to know whthr lack of slp and wight loss ar th rsult of workrlatd strss or whthr thy may b symptoms of dprssion, anxity or a rlatd disordr, or anothr halth mattr. W had lots of tsts don thinking it was autism or vn pilpsy and nothing cam back from th doctors. I don t how many tims h would hav sn th GP, and just cam out with slping tablts whn thr was dprssion thr all along. It s important to not that thr is a rang of physical halth conditions with symptoms similar to thos of som mntal halth conditions which may mak it difficult to diagnos th problm. For this rason, it s important to gt a thorough assssmnt of th prson s physical and mntal halth. I v sort of sn all ths littl bits and pics of th jigsaw but rally hadn t put thm all togthr. Around that tim, it was a puzzl. I didn t rally think about dprssion. It may b hlpful to familiaris yourslf with th signs and symptoms of dprssion and anxity. If possibl, ask th prson you ar concrnd about to complt an onlin chcklist which is quick, asy and anonymous and will show if th prson has symptoms in common with dprssion or anxity and will indicat if th prson should s a halth profssional. Ths chcklists ar not intndd to rplac a diagnosis by a halth profssional, but ar a good starting point. Symptom chcklists may b found on th byondblu wbsit Th dprssion chcklist is also availabl in mor than 20 diffrnt languags. Dprssion Chcklist To find out if you, or somon you know may hav dprssion, complt th chcklist blow. For mor than TWO WEEKS hav you: 1. Flt sad, down or misrabl most of th tim? 2. Lost intrst or plasur in most of your usual activitis? If you answrd YES to ithr of ths qustions, complt th symptom chcklist blow. If you did not answr YES to ithr of ths qustions, it is unlikly that you hav a dprssiv illnss. 3. Lost or gaind a lot of wight? OR Had a dcras or incras in apptit? 4. Slp disturbanc? 5. Flt slowd down, rstlss or xcssivly busy? 6. Flt tird or had no nrgy? 7. Flt worthlss? OR Flt xcssivly guilty? OR Flt guilt about things you should not hav bn fling guilty about? 8. Had poor concntration? OR Had difficultis thinking? OR Wr vry indcisiv? 9. Had rcurrnt thoughts of dath? Add up th numbr of ticks for your total scor: Tick if Ys What dos your scor man? (assuming you answrd YES to qustion 1 and/or qustion 2) 4 or lss: Unlikly to hav a dprssiv illnss 5 or mor: Likly to hav a dprssiv illnss For furthr assssmnt, plas consult a doctor or anothr halth profssional. Rfrncs: Amrican Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mntal disordrs, 4th d (DSM-IV). Washington, DC: APA, 1994; and, Intrnational classification of disass and rlatd halth problms, 10th rvision. Gnva, World Halth Organisation, S byondblu symptom chcklists at or by calling th byondblu info lin

11 Taking th first stp It s important to rmmbr, whn you tak th first stp in daling with dprssion or a rlatd disordr, you ar not alon hlp is availabl. Mntal halth problms ar mor common than you ralis Mntal halth problms ar common. In fact, on in four popl xprincs som form of mntal halth problm th most common of ths bing anxity and dprssion and it s not only th prson with th illnss who s affctd. It can also affct family mmbrs and frinds. Ralising that thr may b a problm and thn doing somthing about it can b asir said than don, particularly if you fl that you r tackling th problm on your own. If you havn t dalt with a mntal halth problm bfor, it can b daunting and knowing how to hlp somon can b challnging. Kp in mind that th prson you r supporting can b hlpd if th right tratmnt is accssd. Bginning th convrsation Raising th subjct with th prson you car about may tak som planning and thought. Considr th following: Whn is th prson most likly to b attntiv? Whr is sh/h most comfortabl and at as? Whr is a plac you both fl saf and will not b intrruptd? It can b hlpful to hav this discussion as arly as possibl, bfor symptoms start dominating day-to-day lif, convrsations, activitis and rlationships. For xampl, a prson with Gnralisd Anxity Disordr may find it difficult to lav hr/his hom. Ovr tim, family mmbrs may start to accommodat and support this bhaviour bcaus thy r concrnd and want to mak lif asir. In this instanc, gtting th prson to lav th hous to s a Gnral Practitionr (GP) and accss tratmnt may b a difficult obstacl to ovrcom. It s important to lt th prson for whom you car know that you ar concrnd. Talk snsitivly (in a non-accusing or nonblaming mannr) about th changs you v noticd vn though you may fl tird and frustratd with th prson. Using I statmnts may b ffctiv, for xampl: I v noticd that you r not slping as wll as you usd to. I m worrid that your apptit isn t as good as it was. I v noticd that you don t sm to spnd much tim with your frinds aftr school any mor. Th prson may insist sh/h dosn t hav a problm. Sh/h may bcom awkward, cross, frustratd or noncommunicativ. In ths circumstancs, try to kp calm, but b firm, fair and consistnt in your approach. It may b hard to rais th subjct for far of upstting th prson, but rmmbr that you r trying to hlp, so it s important to try to maintain slf-control. Sh/h may nd som tim to com to trms with th discussion and ovrcom th rsulting motions, which may includ angr, sham or mbarrassmnt. 9

12 H would gt rally dfnsiv whn I would bring it up it was hard I didn t want to hurt his prid, but h didn t want to think that h was any diffrnt from his frinds. You may want to tll th prson that you hav found som good, rliabl information which will hlp th prson to put things in prspctiv and to mak sns of what is going on. You could lav this information for th prson to rad in hr/his own tim. You can download information from th byondblu wbsit or ordr information matrial from th byondblu info lin If th prson won t listn to you, think about asking somon ls to talk to hr/him. A trustd frind or family mmbr may b abl to gt through to th prson and rais som issus without posing a thrat or crating apprhnsion. In mor xtrm circumstancs, whr you ar vry concrnd, you may considr contacting your Gnral Practitionr (GP) to s if sh/h can bcom involvd or mak a hom visit. Your ultimat goal is to hlp th prson for whom you car, so try to kp this in mind vn whn sh/h may b cross or agitatd with you. Thy hav to admit thy hav a problm bfor you can gt thm any hlp h s a grown man I can t mak him go. Acknowldging th impact of dprssion or a rlatd disordr Oftn mntal halth problms lad to popl bcoming vry introspctiv, making it hard for thm to b awar of th impact thir bhaviour may b having on othrs. If th prson is unwilling to talk about things, you could lt th prson know how hr/his bhaviour is affcting othr family mmbrs. This may b a way to ncourag th prson to try to do somthing about th situation. Encouraging th prson to sk hlp is anothr ky stp in moving forward. Suggst that you sk hlp togthr. For xampl, you could mak an appointmnt for you both to s th prson s GP for a chck-up. Th prson may not s this as a thratning or intrusiv option. Unfortunatly, somtims th family mmbr may b rluctant or may vn rfus to gt hlp. Popl may giv a rang of rasons as to why: I m not rady. I m just going through a phas. It may just b strss. It s common for popl with dprssion to fail to rcognis thy nd hlp or support so you may find it difficult to gt your offrs of hlp accptd. Again, it may b usful to considr highlighting th broadr impact th prson s bhaviour is having on othrs. You could also talk about th positiv ffcts of gtting hlp. 10

13 Gtting to th first appointmnt It may b that th convrsation about sking som profssional support wasn t asy and actually going to s a halth profssional may not b asy ithr but you v takn th first stp and it s important to kp up th momntum. Start with a Gnral Practitionr (GP) Th bst plac to start is by making an appointmnt with th prson s GP i.. somon with whom th prson is comfortabl and whom thy know and trust. Altrnativly, considr approaching a GP in your ara who has bn rcommndd by frinds or a GP who is highly rgardd. If you don t know a GP in your ara, you can find on on th byondblu wbsit by using th byondblu Dirctory of Mdical and Allid Halth Practitionrs in Mntal Halth. This is a list of practitionrs (including GPs, clinical psychologists, psychologists, social workrs and occupational thrapists in mntal halth) who hav a spcial intrst in mntal halth, and hav undrtakn additional training in th tratmnt of dprssion, anxity or rlatd disordrs. Go to th byondblu wbsit and click on Find a Doctor or othr Mntal Halth Practitionr. This information can also b obtaind by phoning th byondblu info lin (local call cost from a landlin). Whn th prson with dprssion/anxity maks an appointmnt with th doctor, it s vry important that h/sh books a longr or doubl appointmnt, so that h/sh can mak th most of th consultation and not fl rushd. This also givs th doctor plnty of tim to discuss th situation and avoids having to book a scond appointmnt. What to xpct Anothr rason for booking a longr appointmnt is to allow tim for th GP to do a thorough assssmnt and if ncssary, to dvlop what is calld a Mntal Halth Car Plan. This is a plan dsignd to nabl th GP to manag and trat th mntal halth condition. Th GP may rfr th prson to anothr halth profssional such as a psychologist, social workr or occupational thrapist to provid psychological tratmnt. Thy would thn rport back to th GP on th prson s progrss aftr tratmnt. Undr this systm, a prson with a mntal halth problm lik dprssion or anxity can claim a Mdicar rbat for up to 12 individual consultations (mor in xcptional circumstancs) and/or 12 group sssions in any on calndar yar. Whil som halth profssionals will bulk bill, thr may b out-ofpockt xpnss with othrs, so it s important to ask about chargs prior to commncmnt of tratmnt. How can you b involvd in th consultation? It s a good ida for you (th carr) and th prson for whom you car to considr how you would both lik to b involvd in th consultation with th GP and th ongoing tratmnt procss. It can b usful to viw this as a partnrship whr togthr you both agr to sk ffctiv tratmnt and work towards rcovry. Your involvmnt at this arly stag can b vital in assisting th prson to gt ffctiv tratmnt as arly as possibl as wll as maintaining momntum during ongoing tratmnt. Unlss thr s a family mmbr involvd somhow or thr s som othr back-up, things can oftn drift on for months. 11

14 It s worth discussing both your involvmnt in th consultations with halth profssionals and th ovrall tratmnt plan. You may want to discuss and agr on what information you, as th carr, ar abl to contribut to th sssion, and if you may b prmittd to attnd parts of th consultations. Som popl hav found it hlpful to hav th carr prsnt at th first part of th sssion to hlp giv th halth profssional information about how th prson has bn. This is particularly usful whn th prson with th condition finds it hard to xprss how thy hav bn. Othr carrs, howvr, hav talkd about th importanc of bing involvd at th nd of th sssion, in ordr to find out th bst way to support th prson btwn appointmnts. Spnd tim thinking about th prson s xprincs and th situation Onc you v mad th appointmnt, spnd som tim togthr thinking about what th prson for whom you car has bn xprincing. It may b hlpful to writ down his/ hr xprincs; add your xprincs too, as wll as thos of family mmbrs and frinds who hav bn affctd. Having a list will b a good prompt during th appointmnt and an xcllnt way to kp things on track if ithr of you bcoms upst or loss your way. Many popl find it hlpful to tak along th compltd symptom chcklist to bgin th convrsation (availabl from th byondblu wbsit or info lin ). Thr was just so much sham and mbarrassmnt in him about his thoughts. H couldn t vn imagin tlling a halth profssional. On psychiatrist said h rally lovs involving th family bcaus it is lss work for him and it s tru. If thy involv th family from th start of th tratmnt, giving information about th tratmnt, th mdication it s a lot lss hard for vryon. Th bst doctors will hav you and th patint com in and thn will turf you out of th room and talk to th patint and thn turf th patint out and talk to you. It s important not to undrmin th prson who has dprssion or a rlatd disordr. Whil you may b agr to gt tratmnt undrway as soon as possibl, rmmbr th prson with th condition nds to fl that h/sh is in control and is taking rsponsibility for his/hr own tratmnt as wll. If th prson is not activly involvd in this way, h/ sh may fl that you ar taking ovr and thr is a risk that h/sh may withdraw from you and furthr tratmnt. Commit to th consultation Bfor th appointmnt, try to agr that you ll both try to mak th most of it. You may discuss how you will tll th doctor about th symptoms and difficultis. It will b hlpful to rmmbr that you ar both committd to hlping th prson bcom wll again and that you ar thr to support him/hr towards rcovry. Prpar for th consultation Whn you go to th doctor, it s hlpful to tak a list of things about which you r concrnd including: what dosn t sm right a compltd dprssion/anxity symptom chcklist a dscription of th bhaviour any concrns you may hav how th prson is fling any qustions you both may hav. Th mor accurat th information you provid, th bttr and mor prcis th assssmnt by th doctor will b. Hiding facts, bhaviour and issus bcaus of mbarrassmnt, far or in dfnc of th prson for whom you car will only dlay th assssmnt and in turn dlay th rcovry. It may also b bnficial to rad about dprssion and/or anxity, along with availabl tratmnts so you will hav som ida about what may b suggstd. Also lt th doctor know if you will nd intrprting srvics. 12

15 On th day Som carrs say that it s a good ida to b prpard for rsistanc or procrastination from th prson with dprssion/ anxity. On th day of th appointmnt, h/sh may try to convinc you that h/sh is wll and that thr is no nd to s th GP. ( S, I am okay today. ) You can try to xplain, that from what you hav rad, this may b part of dprssion/ anxity good days and bad days and by sing th GP today, you can all work towards having many mor good days in th futur. Th prson for whom you car may not want to go to th appointmnt bcaus of distrss, apprhnsion, far, worry and mbarrassmnt. H/sh may worry that h/sh won t b abl to hold it togthr during th consultation with th GP. You can put th prson at as by acknowldging that thos flings ar natural and may b associatd with th illnss and that th GP will hav sn ths symptoms which ar common to ths disordrs many tims bfor in othr popl. Rassur th prson that visiting th GP is an important stp and you r thr for support. If th prson rfuss hlp Som carrs say thy xprincd grat difficulty and frustration whn trying to gt th prson to acknowldg that hlp was ndd. Th prson may dny that h/sh has a problm or th prson may bliv that things arn t vry bad and thy will improv on thir own, with tim, and without profssional hlp. As with most halth conditions, it s important to hav th problm assssd and if ncssary, gt th appropriat tratmnt as soon as possibl. If th prson dnis that anything is wrong, this may b bcaus of flings of mbarrassmnt or sham about th possibility that h/sh is xprincing a mntal halth problm. Altrnativly, th prson may drad having to discuss thoughts and flings with th doctor. If this dosn t work and th prson is still rfusing to sk hlp, you may hav to accpt that thr is only so much that you can do, and that this may not yt b th right tim for th prson to gt hlp. This is also tru of othr illnsss whr popl won t sk hlp until it gts to th stag whn thy can no longr tolrat th symptoms or manag from day to day. If this is th cas, whil you nd to continu bing supportiv, all you can do is mak th information availabl and b opn to discuss things whn th prson is rady. Manwhil, you nd to look aftr yourslf. B awar that thr s a tndncy for carrs to radjust thir livs around th illnss and in doing so, thy may inadvrtntly prolong th priod that th prson with th illnss dnis nding hlp. Hlp th prson for whom you car to sk a scond opinion if h/sh isn t satisfid with th halth profssional or tratmnt. Whil it s not always asy to talk about prsonal issus or flings, somtims th problm can b compoundd if th prson for whom you car fls that th halth profssional can t rlat to his/hr story or if h/sh dosn t hav confidnc in th halth profssional s ability to dal with th problm. It may tak tim to find th right halth practitionr, but it s important to kp looking until you r satisfid th prson for whom you car is gtting th right hlp. If you ar sking a scond opinion from a GP, it s important to not that a prson is ligibl for only on GP Mntal Halth Car Plan within a 12 month priod for which Mdicar rbats can b claimd. It is advisabl to tak a copy of th prvious Plan to th nw GP for rviw, or if that isn t possibl, to giv th nw GP your prmission to obtain a copy from your prvious GP. You hav a right to b happy with th tratmnt you rciv. In ths instancs, som carrs hav solvd th problm by focusing on particular physical symptoms that th prson is xprincing such as slping problms, chang in apptit or lack of nrgy. Th prson may find it asir to discuss physical symptoms opnly with th doctor at first, and thn lad onto th motional symptoms bing xprincd. 13

16 14

17 How can a carr accss information? Obtaining information from th practitionr about th prson who is rciving car can b a complx issu. Thr is a dlicat balanc btwn th individual s right to confidntiality, th nd to nsur that th practitionr has adquat and accurat information about th prson s condition, and your nd to accss information that is rlvant to your rol as th primary support prson. Privacy and confidntiality Privacy and confidntiality lgislation mans that you ar not always ntitld to giv or rciv information and you may b xcludd from tratmnt plans and discussions bcaus of this. Howvr, if th prson rciving tratmnt consnts, you may b givn accss to information and b prmittd to provid input. Clarly, this situation has many implications. As a carr, if you liv with somon with dprssion/anxity or a rlatd disordr, it can bcom vry difficult to manag day-to-day issus if you r not fully awar of th stat of th prson s mntal halth, th tratmnt and any issus that would impact on th caring rol. As parnts, w wr lft out of th pictur as to how to rlat to him. Look, I undrstand thr s confidntiality but I think thy nd to tak on board that you r th on h s sing. A young man who is vry proud dosn t want to rally dscrib all th issus. This situation can b bcom wors if th illnss bcoms mor svr and you, as th carr, ar unawar of important information about th individual s tratmnt. For xampl, carrs oftn talk about th importanc of undrstanding what tratmnts hav bn prscribd, so that thy know what to xpct and if th prson dos bcom particularly distrssd, thy will hav som ida of what is happning, what to do, and who to contact. Thy [th doctors] can t commnt. Why? Bcaus of that ridiculous privacy act. I undrstand th privacy act, but for crying out loud, w ar marrid. And I m looking to hlp him rathr than to hindr our rlationship. I m trying to kp my own sanity I don t go blabbing vrything out to vrybody about my husband; I don t hav anywhr ls I can go to I m trying to tll you how bad h is gtting and I m wondring whthr h nds mor mdication or somthing. And thy say w can t talk about it. It s so damn frustrating. I rmmbr whn my son had bn vry unwll in hospital and whn h was dischargd, w did not know what had happnd in hospital or what mdications h was now taking. Just som information would hav hlpd us all dal with things bttr. Communicating with halth profssionals Communicating with halth profssionals can hlp nsur that you ar kpt informd. Find out th bst way to contact thm, including whn to call and how to rach thm in an mrgncy. Som halth profssionals may b happy for you to mail your qustions or to mak a sparat tim for you to talk about your concrns. Many halth profssionals wlcom talking to th carr. 15

18 Somtims you may b upst whn you nd to contact th trating halth profssional, but it s hlpful to rmmbr that thy r also trying to hlp th prson for whom you car. Bing angry and blaming thm for what has happnd will not solv th problm. Trying to work togthr as a tam with th halth profssional can b mor hlpful and productiv. I would hav to say from a carr s prspctiv, my xprinc has only bn positiv. Whilst I hav not bn invitd to b part of any consultation with him, I hav bn abl to approach and hav prsonal contact with th psychiatrist any tim I nd to. This, I must say, is most comforting and rassuring for m. For m it was good th psychiatrist said I could ring any tim. W ar part of th tam and I don t car if I am th problm. I would rathr thy told m, Look you r doing this wrong. it would b bttr. But don t ignor m. I m th on sh coms hom to. B proactiv B prsistnt in trying to accss information. This will bnfit both of you. B proactiv about taking part in th consultation. No mattr which part of th consultation you attnd, it will b hlpful to show your support and to mak th most of th opportunity to ask qustions and provid rlvant information. You hav a crucial rol in rspcting and supporting th prson for whom you car, so you nd to fl confidnt about undrstanding th illnss, th tratmnt, its impact and ovrall, what to xpct. I man I m not nosy I just nd to know that somthing s gtting don. Th mor you undrstand th situation, th mor it givs you strngth. 16

19 Kping up th momntum You v mad it to th first appointmnt and sought diagnosis and tratmnt howvr, it s important to b ralistic and acknowldg this is th bginning of th rcovry procss, not th nd. Educat yourslf Thr may b tims whn vrything sms ovrwhlming and whn th symptoms, bhaviour and challngs sm unrlnting. I must admit I trid not to think too much about th futur and what was going to happn in my lif. Whn I did, I had all ths fars associatd with it, so I knw I had to dal with th day-to-day living and to hlp him. I wasn t going to b hlping if I was worrying too much about th futur. So w both just took it day by day. On way to manag ths flings is to incras your knowldg about what is happning, why it s happning and whr you go from hr. Educat yourslf with good quality, vidnc-basd information which is availabl on th byondblu wbsit or by calling th byondblu info lin Having a diagnosis mad m fl a littl bit bttr bcaus at last now w know what w r daling with. It s unfortunat that it didn t happn th yar bfor; it would hav savd a lot of suffring and hartach. It will bnfit you to undrstand th illnss, its progrssion, tratmnt options, mdications, sid-ffcts and th mntal halth systm. You may fl mor informd and in control of what s happning if you know about tratmnt options. It may also b usful to larn about th diffrnc btwn psychologists, social workrs, occupational thrapists, psychiatrists, public hospitals or mntal halth units, spcialist community srvics, crisis assssmnt tams or acut tratmnt tams, tlphon-basd and wb-basd srvics. It sounds lik thr is a grat dal to larn and you may fl as though you hav larnd nough, but th information you gathr along th way may prov to b hlpful to you and th prson for whom you car. Making th right dcisions Somtims, th prson may say that sh/h is bttr. Sh/h may fl wll and no longr in nd of mdication or sssions with th halth profssional. It s important to rmind th prson that it s th halth profssional who will hlp to mak ths dcisions and although tratmnt may crtainly b improving th prson s condition, rcovring may tak tim. Th prson nds to b as stabl as possibl bfor making any changs to th tratmnt plan. Any adjustmnt to mdication should b mad by th GP or trating tam. Th prson should nvr adjust hr/his mdication without consulting a doctor. If a prson suddnly stops taking crtain mdications, it can caus withdrawal symptoms which can b unplasant and difficult to manag. 17

20 Convrsations and kping a rcord An important part of your rlationship may b to talk about what is happning and how th prson for whom you car is progrssing also, how you r working togthr as a tam. Th prson may nd to know that you ar confidnt and undrstand what s happning. On way to rcord how things ar going is to writ nots in a diary or xrcis book vry day about progrss, issus and/or symptoms. Som carrs say thy v usd a rating systm whr both th carr and th prson with dprssion/anxity rat how sh/h was on that day. It may b as simpl as giving a scor out of 10 with on bing a bad day and 10 bing xcllnt. You may dvis your own rating systm, but ithr way, it will b a usful rcord of improvmnts and a guid as to what you both s as a good or not-so-good day. You ll b abl to rflct on th days whn things ran smoothly and work towards having mor of thos days. It will also b a handy tool to hav whn thr s a discrpancy btwn your ratings. You can talk about why you saw things diffrntly. Anothr constructiv stratgy usd by many carrs is to rcord th schdul of mdications and to track, list and discuss sidffcts. This will b vry hlpful for th doctor who may not b abl to obsrv all of th sid-ffcts during a consultation. Broadn th focus of your convrsations It s important to talk about othr things bsids th illnss, so it dosn t bcom th focal point of your lif and rlationship. Talk about things that ar happning, both in your world and mor broadly. Th prson for whom you car may not b intrstd or abl to ngag compltly with this, but it s ssntial that sh/h has som awarnss of othr things happning in th family or th broadr community. You may try to ncourag th prson to participat in a small activity ach day a short walk, hlping to prpar a mal, rading or listning to music. It can b hard to prsvr whn th prson for whom you car is not abl to gt much njoymnt or plasur from anything, but it can b hlpful. 18

21 Working towards rcovry Rcovry can man diffrnt things to diffrnt popl. For som, it s no longr taking mdication, whil for othrs it s managing th illnss on a long-trm basis. It s also important to rmmbr that whn daling with mntal halth problms such as dprssion/anxity, th path to rcovry is not always straightforward, and thr ar likly to b tims whn things sm to slip backwards. Th importanc of support ntworks Ongoing support will play a major rol in th prson s rcovry and this support may com from many sourcs.g. frinds and family mmbrs, halth profssionals and prhaps support groups. It s a rally lonly lif whn you r daling with this on your own. It s important to nsur that popl with mntal halth problms dvlop skills to support thmslvs and do not bcom totally dpndnt on thir carrs as th sol providrs of support. Boundaris and goals At hom, having structur and a routin can hlp st boundaris and bring som ordr to a lif that may sm out of control. A daily or wkly plan which is visibl and clar ncourags positiv bhaviour, involvmnt in th houshold routin and looking to th futur, vn if only until th nd of th day or wk. You can ncourag th prson to includ th following in th plan: tratmnt plans mdical appointmnts strss-rducing activitis such as walking, mditation, music, craft. It s a good ida to hav ralistic xpctations about ths plans and about what can b achivd. Acknowldg that som things may not gt don. Don t bcom dspondnt or discouragd if som of th st tasks arn t achivd. Whn working towards rcovry, it s also a good ida to st goals which ar small and achivabl. You may hlp th prson to rcognis any achivmnts and acknowldg th progrss h/sh has mad, no mattr how big or small. This can instill a positiv sns of accomplishmnt and ths succsss may provid an incntiv for ongoing fforts. Sharing th load Carrs oftn dscrib fling totally ovrwhlmd and rsponsibl for th prson. In rspons to this, many carrs hav found it hlpful to nlist support from othr family mmbrs and frinds. As a carr, you may wish to discuss with th prson for whom you car, your nd for support and togthr idntify popl who may b abl to hlp if ndd. Support from othrs can tak many forms dpnding on your situation. For xampl, som carrs talk about th importanc of having a clos frind with whom thy can go out for a coff and chat. Othrs may nd mor practical support such as assistanc with shopping or cooking mals. Whatvr support you rciv, rcognis that it can b vry hlpful spcially whn you fl ovrwhlmd. 19

22 It s important for carrs and othr support popl to b awar of th signs that may indicat th prson with th mntal halth problm is bcoming distrssd. Ovr tim, you can larn what triggrs anxity, irritability, far and panic in th prson, just as you may rcognis th warning signs of an asthma attack or migrain. Knowing what to look for hlps to rduc your strss, th prson s strss and can b a hlpful coping stratgy for vryon. Th ky to managing your own rol in th prson s rcovry is to try to incorporat th support rol into your lif and try not to lt it to bcom your whol lif. Try to rflct on th situation somtims. This may giv you a frsh prspctiv on how things ar going and what is working wll for you and th prson for whom you car. 20

23 Ovrcoming stbacks It s common for carrs and popl with dprssion/anxity and rlatd disordrs to say thy hav ups and downs, with frqunt priods whn thy flt thy wr taking on stp forward and two stps back. Daling with stbacks can b frustrating and disappointing for both th carr and th prson with th illnss. It may b usful to rmmbr that lif in gnral has its ups and downs and whil living with dprssion/anxity is likly to incras your strss lvls, not all problms that aris will b du to th illnss itslf. Dos a prson with dprssion/anxity go through various stags during th illnss? Mntal halth problms such as dprssion and anxity may not always run a particular cours whr thr is a clar bginning, middl and nd. This howvr, can occur with som physical halth problms a diagnosis, tratmnt such as surgry or mdication and thn rcovry. Following diagnosis, rcovry from dprssion/anxity and rlatd disordrs can involv progrssing through various stags. It may includ trialling diffrnt mdications, tratmnts and halth profssionals. This is all part of larning what works for th prson and what dosn t. This can tak tim, prsistnc and patinc. Mdication In th tratmnt of dprssion, anxity and rlatd disordrs, thr ar many mdications which ar saf, ffctiv and non-addictiv. It may tak tim to find th mdication or combination of mdications that work in th bst way possibl for th prson with th mntal halth problm. It s not unusual for popl to b on mdication for svral wks and thn hav th mdication adjustd or changd to suit th individual s nds. If th prson is taking mdication for othr chronic illnsss, halth profssionals will b carful to monitor combinations, dosags and sid-ffcts. It may tak wks to months to find th bst tratmnt for th prson. Thrfor, it s vry important to tll th doctor if any othr mdication is bing takn, including hrbal rmdis or tablts that may intract and/or intrfr with th mdications that hav bn prscribd. Managing th sid-ffcts of mdications can b challnging. It s important to nsur that th prscribd mdication is takn rgularly, at th sam tim ach day, corrctly, following th prscribd dos and consistntly. If th prson for whom you ar caring cannot tolrat th sid-ffcts of th prscribd mdication and wants to stop taking it, urg hr/him to discuss this with th doctor bfor doing so. Th prson for whom you car may fl wll and considr th mdication unncssary. Again, discuss this with th doctor or ncourag th prson to do so. Taking mdication for a mntal halth problm is no diffrnt from taking mdication for a physical illnss. For xampl, a prson with high blood prssur taks mdication to hlp manag th condition and would bcom unwll without it. 21

24 Rlaps Som popl may xprinc only on pisod of dprssion/ anxity or a rlatd disordr during thir livs whr psychological tratmnt or mdication, or a combination of tratmnts is ffctiv. Th pisod may last for months or yars, but no rpat pisods occur. For othr popl, thr may b rcurrnt pisods of dprssion or th symptoms rlatd to thir mntal illnss may r-occur for a varity of rasons: th occurrnc of a spcific vnt.g. loss of job, rlationship brakdown or bravmnt biological or physiological changs in thir body chmistry physical illnss slp difficultis mploymnt strss stopping or starting mdication no apparnt rason. Moving forward Rmmbr, thr ar ways of moving through an pisod or rlaps. You may hav alrady bn through this onc or twic bfor and you managd. Although you may far it happning again, you r a stp ahad now bcaus you know mor about whr to go, what to do and who to contact, and importantly, how to hlp. Writ down past achivmnts in th prson s rcovry and focus on ths. Put th nots in a prominnt plac, so thy ll b a positiv rmindr. You and th prson for whom you car can rfr to thm whn ncssary. Whn sh startd th tratmnt and was wll again, I thought that was th nd of it. I didn t think it would com back. To avoid stbacks, it may b hlpful for you and th prson for whom you car to think about and idntify th triggrs and symptoms that wr prsnt bfor th prson was diagnosd. This may hlp you both to rcognis ths warning signs in th futur. You may fl as though you always hav to b vigilant, but as tim gos by, you will undrstand that drug and alcohol us, lack of slp and strss ar common triggrs lading to rlaps of mntal illnss. You hav to b vr-vigilant it s lik, you know, whn a dog gos to slp it s always got on ar up? That s what it s lik caring for somon with dprssion. 22

25 Emrgncy and crisis situations Somtims, whn a prson has svr mntal halth problms or th prson s condition dtriorats rapidly, h/sh may considr attmpting suicid or harming him/hrslf. This isn t ncssarily th cas for vryon with dprssion/ anxity or a rlatd disordr, but it s important to b awar that for som popl, thir illnss may bcom so svr that thy may fl ths actions ar thir only option. It s always good to b prpard. Talk to th prson about th issu of suicid whn h/sh isn t highly distrssd and agr on a cours of action that will b takn should an mrgncy situation aris. Suicid and slf-harm Haring or rading about suicid or slf-harm for th first tim can b confronting and may crat flings of apprhnsion. Ths difficult subjcts ar not asy to discuss. Som popl worry that by thinking about or raising th topic, it may happn and, thrfor, thy r hsitant to broach th subjct. Unfortunatly, in caring for somon with dprssion, thr may b tims whn you fac mrgncy or crisis situations, such as suicid attmpts or incidnts of slf-harm and it s important to b awar and prpard. Slf-harm can occur in many ways. It s not just cutting onslf or causing physical slf-harm. Slf-harm may includ risktaking bhaviour such as driving fast and rcklssly in a motor vhicl, bing carlss on public transport, high rats of alcohol us, drug us and sxual promiscuity. It s frightning and distrssing whn somon you car about wants to harm him/hrslf. It s important to rmmbr that for many popl this is part of th illnss. Howvr, larning about suicid and slf-harm may hlp you to rcognis whn a prson is at risk and you ll b bttr prpard should an mrgncy occur. Misconcptions about suicid or slf-harm Som of th misconcptions about suicid or slf-harm may prvnt a carr rcognising whn somon is actually at risk. Many popl think that ths actions ar about crying wolf or bing manipulativ. Instad, whn popl talk about suicid and thir attmpts, thy r looking for hlp thy attmpt suicid bcaus thy ithr want to stop th pain thy r xprincing or thy want to rlas th pain somhow, by harming thmslvs. My daughtr told m that sh had trid to kill hrslf bcaus sh didn t want to go back to school. That rang alarm blls sh was suicidal! H was saying that h wantd to commit suicid and harm himslf it s traumatic. Discussions about suicid or slf-harm should b takn sriously so that you can comprhnd what is happning to th prson for whom you car and can support him/hr by gtting th appropriat hlp. Listning to th prson shows your concrn and can hlp to mak him/hr fl lss isolatd. 23

26 Asking a prson if h/sh is thinking about suicid or slf-harm isn t an invitation for him/hr to go ahad with ithr act, but a way for you to find out mor about what th prson is thinking and why, and to provid assistanc. Warning signs If a prson is thinking about suicid, thr may b som warning signs. Somtims howvr, ths signs may b wll hiddn, particularly if th prson is withdrawing from you, othr family mmbrs and frinds. Strong indicators ar prvious attmpts, currnt or rcnt thoughts of suicid along with talking or joking about suicid or making a suicid plan. Th prson may talk about flings of hlplssnss or xprss thoughts about dath through drawings, storis, potry or song. Th following bhaviour could also b warning signs that may alrt you to a problm stopping activitis that h/sh prviously found worthwhil, giving away possssions, incrasing or commncing us of alcohol or drugs and xhibiting risky or illgal bhaviour. If you hav concrns, it s a good ida to chck with othr family mmbrs, frinds and tachrs. Trust your instincts if you hav noticd somthing diffrnt and concrning in th prson s bhaviour. Contracts and agrmnts Considr making a contract or agrmnt with th prson for whom you car whn h/sh is wll. Togthr, list dtails about what will happn if h/sh starts thinking about suicid or slf-harm or prvious plans. Spcify in th agrmnt that th prson will lt you know whn h/sh is fling this way so that you can gt hlp immdiatly. An agrmnt or contract is th bst way to provid structur to what oftn sms lik an uncontrollabl situation. If th prson is thinking about suicid or slf-harm, you will nd to undrtak th agrd plan of action for his/hr own safty, ritrating that you nd to follow through bcaus you car. You also nd to assur th prson that h/sh can trust you. Thr ar tims whn action is non-ngotiabl. Rmmbr, if th prson for whom you car is fling suicidal, h/sh is not abl to think clarly or rationally, so you, as th carr, nd to tak control of th situation. Occasionally, th prson for whom you car may nd to go to hospital for tratmnt if his/hr symptoms bcom mor svr, if his/hr mdication is a problm, if h/sh nds spcific tratmnt or if h/sh is at risk of slf-harm or suicid. If th prson is not willing to gt hlp, thn it s a good ida to talk to a halth profssional for advic about appropriat follow up. Urgnt situations If th situation is urgnt and you r concrnd that th prson is in immdiat dangr, do not lav th prson alon. Call th prson s doctor, mntal halth crisis srvic or dial 000 and say that th prson s lif is at risk. If th prson agrs, you could go togthr to th local hospital mrgncy dpartmnt for assssmnt. It is important to kp ths mrgncy numbrs handy. I v found it rally hard bcaus our daughtr has bn suicidal somtims you just want to rlax and b a bit mor low ky, but you can t bcaus it might happn again. 24

27 Sction 2 Caring for yourslf How to look aftr yourslf whn supporting a prson with dprssion/anxity or a rlatd mntal halth problm 25

28 26

29 Accpting how you fl Whn you r a carr of a prson with a mntal halth problm, you r likly to xprinc a rang of flings. Somtims, adjusting to th problms you r facing and undrstanding your motional ractions can tak its toll. Your ractions ar normal First and formost, rmmbr that your ractions ar normal. Thy rflct how you fl and shouldn t b qustiond or judgd by othr popl who arn t walking in your shos. Evryon s xprinc is uniqu, although thr ar many flings and xprincs that carrs hav in common. During th initial stag, whn th prson you r supporting is diagnosd with a mntal illnss, it s likly that you may fl rlif bcaus: thr is a nam for th difficultis you hav both bn facing thr is a rason for th bhaviour hlp is availabl. You may also xprinc som far and confusion initially wondring: Whr to from hr? What nxt? Is this only th bginning? Howvr, bar in mind that ths qustions ar normal bcaus for most popl this is a nw xprinc. I flt prtty trribl bcaus I hadn t rcognisd it so I flt shattrd but I also flt a grat rlif that now w know what s wrong and it s fixabl. Many carrs say that onc th mntal halth problm had bn idntifid, thir flings of lov and protction for th prson incrasd. Somtims simultanously, carrs would fl a sns of hlplssnss bcaus thy couldn t control or improv th situation. Common flings at various stags of th journy includ: far confusion guilt blam uncrtainty inscurity. I flt lik h wasn t abl to rach his full potntial in a work situation and that rally st him back and I flt rally sad. H was an intllignt man who was so giftd in so many ways and yt h wasn t abl to s that potntial bcaus of this challng, vulnrability I flt aggrivd for him and for what could hav bn. I flt so guilty and scard at th sam tim. I was worrid about what this would man for us, for our family. W wr rliant upon him to provid for us, and th thought that h would b unabl to do this was trrifying. On top of this, I thn flt totally guilty. H was suffring and thr I was thinking about financs. How hartlss, but thn it was a frightning concpt. I was torn btwn far and guilt. 27

30 Many carrs hav also dscribd xprincing what is oftn rfrrd to as anticipatory grif. This rfrs to a fling of loss and sadnss at what might hav bn th far that somon may nvr rach his/hr full potntial, fulfil hops and drams or that th rlationship may nvr rturn to what it was. It s distrssing; th prsonal powrlssnss. Thr is no word I can say, thr is nothing I can do. No mothr liks to s thir child s lif takn away from thm in a mannr such as this. It s a prsonal sadnss sing your gorgous son, grat big strapping son, dstroyd in this way. It has by far and away bn th worst for m. Thr s this awful grif that gos on. It s not lik whn somon dis and th grif is thr for a yar or so and thn it s finishd. This typ of grif gos on and on. You think this tim it will b all right, but thn you fall in a hol again. It is continual and that s what wars m down. Dsprat, unhappy, sad and longing, just longing to do anything to hlp, but thr s nothing I can do. I wouldn t put up with it if I didn t lov him. All of ths flings may, undrstandably, giv ris to guilt. It s important to acknowldg ths ar normal rsponss to th situation in which you find yourslf. Accpt that thy ar part of a lif xprinc that you didn t plan. You may ask yourslf, How am I supposd to fl? Thr is no singl or short answr to this how you fl is how you fl. It s important to rmmbr that hlp is availabl and you ar not alon. Rmmbr, th situation in which you find yourslf is byond your control. You v had no say in it. You didn t ask for this to happn but nvrthlss, hr you ar. This dosn t man that you lov or car about th prson you ar supporting any lss. Howvr, it s likly at som stag that you will ract and you may not b abl to prdict whn and how. Again, this can b a normal rspons to an unusual situation bcaus you ar using all of your nrgy and rsourcs to tak car of th prson and to tak car of yourslf. So I flt vry angry and also guilty. I flt, and still do, as a mothr I should b abl to mak my son bttr. I man I know it s impossibl but I fl vry sad that I can t mak his lif bttr. Thr ar many ractions you may xprinc Popl in a caring and support rol hav dscribd numrous flings such as bing ovrwhlmd by th natur of th rol bcaus it s dmanding and oftn unrlnting. Th high lvl of rsponsibility that coms with caring for and supporting anothr prson, particularly if this includs physical, practical and financial support, can b xhausting and may also triggr flings of rsntmnt, frustration and angr. 28

31 Bing a carr may affct rlationships Not only dos living with and continually supporting somon with a mntal halth problm affct you and your rlationship with th prson, but it s likly to affct rlationships with othr popl as wll. Rlationships Family lif may b disruptd. Routins and th sns of normality you onc had in your hom gradually chang, oftn without you rcognising it. You may find that th changs you and th family mad to adjust to living with th prson and hr/his condition hav now bcom th norm. It rstricts. I rarly s a frind or anything I don t rally invit popl ovr that much bcaus of it. I hav vry fw frinds bcaus I m frightnd to invit popl to our hous as h might b in on of his moods on a particular day whn w r having popl ovr for dinnr. Social rlationships may also chang. Th rspons or lack of rspons you gt from frinds and family mmbrs may b surprising or hurtful. This may b bcaus thy don t undrstand dprssion/anxity, what it mans, or what you may b going through. Aftr w got marrid w didn t hav frinds bcaus to invit popl ovr for a mal or a barbcu or whatvr was just too hug a task too much for hr to b abl to cop with and thy didn t undrstand. It was a sort of taboo ara whr popl didn t want to talk about a mntal illnss and that would frustrat m ndlssly bcaus I was looking for support too to try and cop with what was happning. But thy just wouldn t say anything bcaus thy just wouldn t know what to say. I just got so much flak from my workmats that I was rady to quit. Thy didn t undrstand why I would nd tim off at a momnt s notic somtims. In som situations, carrs may xprinc financial difficulty and hardship as a rsult of: inability to maintain full-tim mploymnt ongoing mdical xpnss hlping to mt th financial commitmnts of th prson who is unwll. I v bn backing my daughtr financially bcaus sh can t work and I v bn paying whatvr to gt hr by. Sh dos budgt, but I hav to hlp hr gt by on a vry rgular basis. All our marrid lif, th rsponsibility has always bn on m and I v had to mak all th dcisions. H could nvr cop with mony and h could nvr cop with th bills that would snd him into a spin. All our lif, I v dalt with th financials of our lif. Rlationships may bcom on-sidd bcaus popl with dprssion ar somtims so focusd on thir own problms that thy may hav nothing lft to giv a rlationship. 29

32 I lov my husband, w v bn marrid for many yars, but ths things ar playing havoc on our marriag. If your rlationship has changd, rmmbr that this is mainly du to th prson s illnss. If th prson gts th right tratmnt and rcovrs, thn your rlationship has a chanc of rturning to what it was bfor th prson bcam ill. You may mov to a nw stag of your rlationship. Parnts Parnts of childrn with dprssion or anxity oftn fl rsponsibl. Thy think that thy may hav contributd to this in som way. I thought oh God what hav I don? You do think natur/nurtur. Was it thir nvironmnt, how much is it natur and how much was it you? Parnts oftn mntion th challng of balancing th nd to support thir childrn without bcoming ovr-protctiv and making thm totally dpndnt. This dpndncy could prvnt th child from dvloping prsonal coping or managmnt stratgis which could potntially dlay hr/ his rcovry. Rmmbr, many parnts grappl with dciding whn to b thr and whn to stp away. At th nd of th day, you hav to do what is right for you but it is rally hard. You ar trying not to mak thm dpndnt, but you ar trying to b mpathtic, supportiv and fl vry protctiv at th sam tim. No mattr what othr popl think, you just hav to do what is right for your family. You doubt yourslf. On th on hand, you ar thinking you should b hardr on hr, but thn am I xpcting too much? It s a fin balanc btwn giving thm a gntl push, without pushing thm ovr th dg. This can b compoundd by parnts fling blamd whn thy sns undrlying qustions from frinds or othr family mmbrs about thir childrn s bhaviour, thir parnting skills, or th amount of lov and support thy giv to thir child. Othr popl can b critical of not only th way you ar supporting thm, but th fact that you ar continually supporting thm. It s important to try to work out what is bing protctiv and what is rasonabl car. You always hav that struggl within yourslf, but thn whn othr popl ar critical rathr than giving hlpful suggstions or support, this dosn t mak it any asir. Balancing parnting and caring is furthr complicatd whn thr ar othr childrn in th family. It s difficult trying to trat all childrn qually and trying not to focus solly on th child with th illnss. You may hav to manag flings of rsntmnt that siblings may xprinc whn th unwll child is sn to b givn spcial tratmnt. My son (not th on with th illnss) said to m on day, I can t do this any longr. H s fiftn. You sort of try and xplain it, smooth things and mak it right to kp th family sort of functioning in a dysfunctional way. His youngr brothr just didn t undrstand, and h was amazing with his coping skill bcaus h tndd to mov away and h actually said I hat my brothr, I hat him, why dos h do this? I suppos h ss him upstting th whol family, ss him dmanding this has to b don this way and says I m not going anywhr until it s don this way, and that holds vrybody up. It can b particularly important to discuss th situation opnly within th family, ducating vryon about th condition and th importanc of ach prson having a rol in supporting th prson with th illnss (and ach othr) at this tim. 30

33 Childrn Childrn of a parnt with a mntal illnss may find thy hav additional rsponsibilitis around th hom or in supporting thir parnt in thir hom. Thy may bcom rsntful at having to do xtra things to nsur th houshold runs smoothly, spcially whn thy r taking on tasks that ar byond thir yars. Childrn may also fl mbarrassd or awkward about th illnss or thir parnt s bhaviour and b unsur about how to tll othrs or invit thm into thir lif or hom. On of th main concrns for childrn is whthr thy too will dvlop th disordr, although thy may not mntion this, discuss it opnly, or vn want to acknowldg it. I ralisd somthing was up with Dad th fact that h wasn t lik othr popl s fathrs and so forth crtainly th tndncy to not want to socialis so it would rally tak an ffort for ithr myslf or my mothr to motivat him nough to intract with othr popl, go out vn socialis just as frinds. I wish my mum was lik othr mums. Siblings Siblings of childrn with a mntal illnss such as dprssion may worry that thy too will bcom unwll Will this happn to m too? Thy may fl mbarrassd and slf-conscious about thir sibling s situation and withdraw from th family and thir sibling, particularly in school or social situations. As wll, thy may fl frightnd of triggring bhaviour in thir sibling and rsntful of th attntion h/sh rcivs bcaus sh/h is unwll or unhappy. It s just awful, absolutly awful. You want your childrn to gt along and you think how ar thy vr going to b clos? And thy v only got ach othr. Thy v only got on brothr ach, and you want thm to gt along. Partnrs Providing ongoing car and support can b particularly draining and tiring for a partnr. Th mntal illnss, incrasd tnsion, dcrasd communication and rducd intimacy all combin to chang th rlationship significantly. In particular, carrs dscrib a sns of loss whn th lvl of intimacy, both motional and physical, is rducd or has disappard. This loss of intimacy may b attributd to a rang of things. For xampl, th illnss itslf may impact on th prson s slf-stm and confidnc, with th prson nding to withdraw from othrs. Altrnativly, thr may b sidffcts from mdications which impact on libido. As a rsult, ovr tim, th rlationship dynamics may chang significantly, and many carrs say that thy fl a sns of grif and loss that thy no longr hav th rlationship with thir partnr that thy onc did. I also hav som grif in th sns that I missd out on a normal marriag. I m mor his mothr than his wif. I m th carr. Thr s affction, but thr s no physical sid to our marriag, it finishd about thr months aftr w got marrid. Thr ar tims I v said to hr what was a labour of lov has bcom just labour So I suppos in som ways it s bcom mor a brothr/sistr rlationship than anything ls, but I v bcom a carr mor than a husband. Many popl who car for a partnr with a mntal illnss struggl most at tims whn th burdn of car bcoms ovrwhlming, lading som to considr laving th rlationship. This in turn lads to th carr xprincing strong flings of guilt for considring abandoning hr/his partnr in hr/his tim of nd. 31

34 I couldn t dscrib my marriag as a happy-go-lucky sort of marriag. I suppos you har about all ths popl who th partnr has lft, thy couldn t cop with it. That crossd my mind I don t know how many tims. I did stay with it bcaus of th kids in th arly days, I stuck it out. And it s just gon on. On day bcoms a wk and anothr wk bcoms a month and a month bcoms a yar and th yars just roll on, and that s th way it s bn. And it s not bn a happy tim, bcaus of all th things that hav happnd and you v got to go through and b put through and so forth thr s affction of cours btwn us, always has bn, I don t know. Whn you marry it s not a bd of ross all your lif. Popl say you hav to work at marriag, wll, Jsus, I work at it. Finding th right balanc On of th big challngs for carrs and family mmbrs is th issu of accommodating th prson s illnss, hr/his bhaviour and nds, and th impact this has on family lif. Family dynamics may chang bcaus you r bing protctiv and trying to rduc th strss on th prson for whom you car, trying to minimis th impact on othrs and trying to kp things undr control. Somtims, bcaus you adapt so much to th changs in your lif, you bgin to s th situation almost as a nw kind of normal. With changs at hom, your bhaviour altrs and your quality of lif is affctd bcaus you v bn trying to mak lif asir for th prson. It s important that you try to rliv th burdn by drawing on othr avnus of support and giv yourslf som tim out. This will not only provid th opportunity to rlax, but you ll b abl to tak a stp back and rviw th rlationship and th situation. Individual and/or coupls counslling may also hlp provid support, rassuranc and stratgis to cop with difficultis. I wouldn t lik to lav him unattndd for too long if I can avoid it I don t go anywhr during th wk. Many carrs dscrib this as walking on gg shlls. Rmmbr that you also hav nds and at som point, you may hav to put thos nds first. Frinds Frinds who tak on a caring rol may struggl to find th right balanc in thir rlationship and thy may worry about ovr-stpping th mark. Thr s a fin lin btwn bing intrusiv and bing supportiv. It can b difficult to maintain th frindship and, at th sam tim, urg th prson to accss hlp/tratmnt. Th prson who s not wll may rsnt what thy s as intrfrnc and th chang in th balanc of th frindship. Frinds may worry about upstting th prson for whom thy car, causing th prson to withdraw from th frindship and isolat hr/himslf vn furthr. It can also b difficult whn only on prson in th frindship group is awar of th problm and can t shar it with othrs Try to maintain an opn dialogu with th prson and ncourag hr/him to dvlop othr supports and stratgis. Whil you may fl privilgd that your frind has opnd up to you and is sking your support, it can b difficult if sh/h bcoms rliant solly on you. Thrfor, it s important to ncourag th prson to sk tratmnt and support lswhr.g. from frinds, family mmbrs and/or support groups. Somtims, you may nd to tak control of th situation offring suggstions about options and making arrangmnts on th prson s bhalf. You may nd to b assrtiv. Th prson with th illnss may b slf-focusd and may lack th initiativ or dsir to connct with th outsid world. Many carrs say it s important to accss profssional hlp to assist thm in th caring rol and to provid stratgis and rassuranc. Th only way I could gt th balanc right was with th dirction of a psychologist who hlpd m larn what I ndd to know, and whn and how to rspond to diffrnt situations. 32

35 Looking aftr yourslf Th impact of caring for a prson with a mntal halth problm is, in many ways, similar to othr caring or support rols, with many carrs dscribing it as rlntlss. Th intnsity of any caring rol may vary dpnding on whthr you liv with th prson, th xtnt of your xprinc, th svrity of th condition, and accss to tratmnt and othr mans of support. It s hard to liv lik that and giv up all your own lif and your xpctations of what you r going to do with your lif to car for sombody ls. I want a brak from thinking about it all th tim. Caring for a prson with a mntal halth problm compard to a physical halth problm Whn you car for a prson with a mntal halth problm, it s diffrnt from caring for a prson with a physical halth problm. Many popl simply don t undrstand that dprssion is an illnss nor do thy undrstand th intnsity or th ongoing natur of th carr s rol. Carrs may fl isolatd du to th lack of undrstanding about dprssion and th associatd stigma, not only in thir community, but oftn among thir own familis and frinds. Carrs of popl with a mntal halth problm such as dprssion/anxity may fac difficultis which carrs of popl with othr halth problms may not fac. For xampl, th prson with dprssion/anxity may not want to gt hlp. This may b du to dnial, prid, far or mbarrassmnt flings which may not b as common with many physical illnsss. Many carrs support popl with both physical and mntal halth problms, which can b spcially challnging. It s important that all halth problms ar rcognisd and tratd. Carrs may also liv with th prson s xtrm bhaviour (associatd with th mntal halth problm). This may includ for xampl, rituals associatd with Obsssiv Compulsiv Disordr (OCD), priods of lvatd mood associatd with bipolar disordr and priods of low mood and withdrawal associatd with dprssion. This bhaviour isolats th prson with th illnss and th carr too. Hop For many carrs, far, concrn and worry ar always prsnt, vn whn thy r not with th prson for whom thy car. Thy may wak thinking about th prson and vn whn thir thoughts ar occupid and thy r busy, th prson is always in th back of thir minds. Thy wondr how h/sh is. Thy hop h/sh is OK and saf. Thy want th bst for th prson and hop h/sh will b abl to rcovr and rturn to his/hr formr slf. It has takn m lvn yars to gt hop back it has bn an volution. And it is important that you do hav hop. On th not-so-good days, whn hop is missing, carrs should rmmbr that in most cass dprssion, anxity and rlatd mntal halth problms ar tratabl or managabl. Hop may b drawn from small achivmnts lik whn th prson for whom you car attnds a doctor s appointmnt, gts out of bd or ss a frind. Evn though ths ar small achivmnts, nvrthlss, thy ar achivmnts. You will larn to apprciat thm in whatvr form thy com, th good days and th good momnts, th hugs and th smils all of which happn day by day. 33

36 Don t b too hard on yourslf Many carrs ar hard on thmslvs. Thy worry that thy arn t doing nough and that thy should b doing mor for th prson for whom thy car. Thy may fl that som of th prson s mntal halth problms ar thir fault: It s gntics. It s my parnting. I havn t bn a good frind or partnr. Carrs may intrnalis ths issus bcaus thy can t mak sns of why thr is a problm and thy may blam thmslvs. Rmmbr this is not your fault. It s nobody s fault. Try to rfocus your slf-talk and mak it mor positiv. Rmind yourslf that you r doing th vry bst you can and although you may not hav all th answrs, it dosn t man you r doing th wrong thing by th prson for whom you car. Rmmbr, you didn t mak th prson unwll or caus th prson s mntal halth problms. You want what is bst for th prson, vn on th days whn you fl xtrmly frustratd. Whn th prson is angry and rsntful towards you, rmmbr that whn h/sh can s mor clarly, h/sh will undrstand and apprciat that you ar thr. Oftn, carrs of popl with a mntal illnss say it s important to st boundaris. This may man you nd to protct yourslf by not looking too far forward and tak ach day as it coms. I don t go away on holidays as much as I should for th marriag it s bttr, and yt I v got this guilt. On of th bst ways to look aftr sombody ls is to look aftr yourslf first. Bing slf-awar Anothr way of taking car of yourslf is to rcognis whn you nd mor hlp and sk support. Monitor what you r thinking and how you r fling. B awar of slf-talk, notic if you r xprincing mor frqunt hadachs, tightnss in your muscls, lack of slp and poor concntration. Knowing how to tak car of yourslf and whr to gt hlp will bnfit you. Blow ar som suggstions: find out about local counsllors us your Employ Assistanc Program in your workplac if it s availabl book in for a massag xrcis at your local pool or lisur cntr walk rgularly in surroundings you njoy. To giv yourslf a brak and rliv som tnsion, do whatvr works bst for you. It will also hlp to nsur that you gt nough slp, at nutritious and wll-balancd mals, xrcis rgularly and maintain your frindships and intrsts. At som point, it has got to b about you and about having a lif for yourslf som tims. On of th hardst things to do is to stp back from bing a carr and rsum bing what you wr bfor this thing happnd. I hav to try and stp back and say, I am no longr your carr, I am your husband again. It may man you nd to plan and tak braks. Mak tim for xrcis, rlaxation, dinnr with frinds and tim for your intrsts. Continu th activitis you njoy, maintain a lif of your own and look aftr yourslf. It s important that you r not hard on yourslf and that you giv yourslf a brak. I m fairly calm. It taks a fair bit to gt m going, but thr hav bn occasions whr I v lost it I suppos it just builds up insid of you. I suppos th only way I can cop with it is just by closing it off. Instad of xploding, I clos it off. And I v kind of run out of adrnalin. I m not sur if I ll b abl to carry on forvr. In som ways, I am not allowd to b strssd or dprssd or sick, bcaus that maks him anxious and thn you gt in troubl for not bing wll or dprssd. Somtims, you prtnd you try to covr. Thr s a ral panic that thr s somthing wrong with th rock. 34

37 Th right support for you So much of your rol as a carr is about supporting th prson with th mntal halth problm. You v hlpd th prson to s a GP. You v supportd th prson whn tratmnt has bn startd whthr it s mdication or a combination of tratmnts or anothr form of thrapy. Your thoughts, convrsations, lifstyl, worris, lack of slp, frustrations, fforts and nrgy hav mainly bn dirctd towards th prson for whom you car. You v trid to mak sur th prson has th right support to rach rcovry but what support is thr for you? And what support is right for you? Your privacy Many popl prfr to maintain thir privacy and kp to thmslvs whn daling with mntal illnss. Howvr, it s important that this dos not prvnt you sking support for yourslf. If you r struggling to support a prson, don t think you r btraying a confidnc bcaus you talk to somon in ordr to gt support for yourslf. Thr is only so much you can do for othr popl if you r not physically and mntally wll yourslf. Informal support ntworks Som carrs say thy prfr to rly on thir informal support ntworks including family and frinds. Thy know th carr and if h/sh s bn opn with thm, thy ll know th situation. Thr can b problms with rlying on informal support. Thr may b tims whn a carr nds constructiv and challnging points of viw to hlp mov through a rough patch. Carrs may nd an indpndnt sounding board somon with whom thy can b truly honst, rathr than containing som of thir thoughts, particularly if thy ar building rsntmnt or thinking of laving a rlationship. Counslling Othr carrs hav found individual counslling to b hlpful bcaus it givs thm tim to dbrif, unintrruptd. Thy s it as constructiv and a saf plac to voic all of thir worris, fars, grivancs and frustrations. I ndd th hlp as a carr, not anything to do with my husband. It was just that I ndd somwhr to go for support for m. 35

38 Support groups Whn it coms to support groups, thr is a rang of groups and it s not on-siz-fits-all. Talking to popl who ar in a similar situation may b hlpful in gaining support, but it also normaliss all that is happning in your lif. You may lik to attnd a support group spcially for carrs. You may continu to attnd th group rgularly for as long as it mts your nds and you find it hlpful. Th advantag of support groups is that popl will know what you r going through bcaus thy hav bn thr and you won t hav to xplain what s happning. You ar much lss likly to b judgd by popl who undrstand your xprincs. Evn if you don t attnd th group for a long tim, you may mt popl whom you can continu to s as an indpndnt support-bas outsid th group. What will work for you It s a good ida to think about what you find hlpful and what will work for you. To hlp you dcid, talk to your GP and discuss th options. Som carrs find support groups vry hlpful bcaus thy har how othr popl manag, larn stratgis and tips whras othrs find this ovrwhlming. Rathr than participating in a group, you may prfr to talk to on prson on an ongoing basis so individual counslling may b your bst option. Som popl find comfort in spiritual support and counslling. Rmmbr, not vry option works for vryon, so you nd to choos what is bst for you. You can visit your local Community Halth Cntr, Community Cntr or Nighbourhood Hous to find out about support groups or activitis nar you. I found th biggst hlp is to talk to sombody ls and you har thm talking and you har thm say I can rlat to that, or you know that somon undrstands what thy r talking about. Somon can b sympathtic, but if somon actually knows what you r talking about, that s th big thing bcaus nothing ls is going to chang. Thr is a rang of support groups but not all groups will suit vryon. It s important to find a group with a structur in which you fl comfortabl. Som carrs say that th most important thing to look for in a support group is a positiv, forward-looking attitud and prspctiv. I hav mad som of my bst frinds and supports through support groups. Thy truly undrstand not only what you ar going through at th tim, but vn whn things ar back on track thy ar still with you. 36

39 Information rsourcs and support Dprssion d dmntia Dprssion an To find out mor or call cklist Dprssion Ch 25 fac t sh t t was producd this fact sh wll prss nc d xpri thir familis) Emrgncy (Polic, Fir, Ambul anc) Dial au/watr/drou 000 ght/ ABC Nws Drought-rlatd lu.org.au information Information on dprssion and k.gov.au whr to gt hlp Information on incom support and rfrrals to lingonlin.org counsllors.au Onlin drug and rg alcohol counsllin g Information on dprssion, anxity iont.com.au and its managm nt Onlin informatio.org.au n and support forums Informatioor n on halth and safty for farmrs/fa lin.com.au milis Onlin counsllin aus.org.au g for young popl Support for mn with family and rlationship problms.anu.du.au Onlin psycholog ogy.org.au ical thrapy Australian Psycholog ical Socity.com.au Find a psycholog ist Information to hlp young popl hips.com.au through tough tims Rlationships Australia rlationsh pfoundation.c ips counsllin om.au g Advic and support for transport drivrs yondblu.com and thir familis... lth nal ha blu info lin Emotio and byond gnancy r p g durin ood arnth rssion t arly p n for dp tion for mor informa Hlp l in diffr availab s g languawww.byondblu.org.au 1300 byondblu s DO Y ou ca n hlp somo info lin ondblu.au or by lu.org yondb n by: DON T indd gd. H s chan s w ts ar no ct sh 1 Postr1 - CALD vitnam ssion s dpr blu byond Th lan lf. Arabic H isn t hims n Assyria what to saybosnmbianodian Ca s. ls lp m h Kh r or do I fl tian I don t know fa : includ guags Farsi Grk Italian s Japan Koran It s u nhlp l availab thir appo s. guag in 24 lan For mo r infor lian matioma and ho n abou w to h So n lp som call th ish t dprssio anon cdonia n, ffc byond Sp Ma tiv tr blu inf l visit www. byo atmn Tamio lin on lishfor urgnt ts Po ndblu.org.au assis tan 4636 (lo c ai or njabi Thcall Liflin cal ca Pu ll). on 13 sh rki 11 ian Tu ss 14 (local Ru call). tnams an Srbi Chins Vi Lao laid yond blu.o rg.au i n f o l i n b look ly. You nd to ts th whol fami illnss. Dprssion affc prson with th as wll as th aftr yourslf lin: info it or call th visit our wbs To find out mor THingS you CAn do 1. Larn abou ArAFMi t dprssion Larning about dprssion may hlp you undrs prson with th tand why a illnss bhavs in a crtain way. you to spara This may hlp t th illnss from th prson and thir mood or to ralis that bhaviour may not b dirct d at you. 2. Tak tim out As a family mmb r or frind of a prson who dprssion, it s is xprincing important to look aftr yourslf. spnd tim doing Mak sur you things you njoy. g ndin rsta Und ssion dpr 3. Ask qustions ا ﺑﺰﻳﺎرة.au lu.org yondb أو اﺗ ﺼﻞ ﺑ ﺎﻟﺮ ﻗﻢ byo www th national dprssion initiativ, byond Book for Go od Mnta fo lin blu in byond blu.o rg.au www. John A shfild Country Halth SA Inc Country Halth Su pp SA or t d by b yo nd Hlping so m with dpr on ssion bl u : th na tio na l d pr s si iation with In assoc Hop Storis of.au lu.org yondb vry and Rco Volum 2 mbr or family m for a frind ordr who car a rlatd dis For popl, anxity or on ssi pr with d byondblu : th nation al dprssion iv, byond ndblu.org blu in fo lin.au Italian ssion Dpr s Carr cklist - ion Ch Dprss It s not alwa sito ys asy to itat il hlp somon dprssion. zioni vis who may It can b hard b xprinc to know wha i informa ing t to say or r ultrior do. Hr P prson abo ar som ut how thy tips. r fling. Listn to what thy r saying mro talk, thy r somtim not always at il nu s, whn sking advi a prson wan concrns. o chiam c, but just Mak it cla ts to nd to talk r thy hav proprly. You your full att about thir may lik to ntion and sav any sugg you ar list local) stions for Maintain ning fonata a latr disc y contact (tl ussion. and sit in languag a rlaxd will hlp you soffr di a. position both fl mor na su 5 positiv comforta dlla vit body Us opn-n 1 prso bl. l corso dd qustio è rquir mor ns such as sion n ilmnt than a ys So tll m dprs or no answ about...?, start a con i, probab za. vo which di vrsation. r. This is scn tratta oftn a goo a cono d way to S non si str If your con vo di vrsation alcuno fficaci bcoms to gts ang qu nti diffi m ry, stay calm cult or th tratta prson you, b firm, fair qusta wrong and ponibili r talking and consist don t los isc da control. nt, admit if Sono dis si guar you ar Oftn, just lmnt. spnding gnra malattia tim with and can hlp o th prson lts ico un you undrst thm know and what ro md you car thy r goin il vost Encourag g through th prson n con sanitario.. to sk prof doctor or Parlat or a mntal hal ssional oprat hlp from th workr. possibil è thir family Tak car prssa of yoursl rsona d f. Support una p dmanding, ing somon Aiutar so mak sur with dp you tak som rssion can tim out b For mor to look aftr yourslf. information about dp and how rssion, ff to hlp som ctiv tra on visit call th by tmnts ondblu ndblu.org info lin on.au or For urgnt assistanc 6 (local call call Liflin ). on (local call). Talk to th ﺳﻴﻌﺎﻧﻲ ﺷﺨﺺ ﻣﻦ ﻛﻞ ﺧﻤﺴﺔ ﻣﻦ اﻻﻛﺘﺌﺎب ﻓﻲ ﺣﻴﺎ أﺷﺨﺎص. ﺗﻪ إذا ﻟﻢ ﻳﻜﻦ ﻫﺬا اﻟ ﺸﺨﺺ ﻫﻮ ﻓﻘﺪ ﻳﻜﻮن ﺷﺨﺼﺎ ﺗﻌﺮ أﻧﺖ. ﻓﻪ إن اﻟﻌﻼج ا ﻟﻔﻌ ﺎل ﻣﺘﻮ ﻣﻨﻪ أﻣﺮ ﺷﺎ ﻓﺮ واﻟﺸﻔﺎء. ﺋﻊ ﲢﺪث إﻟﻰ ﻃﺒﻴﺒﻚ أو إ ﻟﻰ أﺧﺼﺎﺋﻲ. ﺻﺤﺔ آﺧﺮ n byondblu: Nw South Wals rg T: Sydny NSW country aras Toll fr Northrn Trrito ry althcarrsnt.org T: South Austra lia a.asn.au/mntal_h alth.html#arafmi T: ﻟﺘﻌﺮ ف اﳌﺰﻳﺪ ﻗﻢ rmatio A Rs ourc Association for Rlativs and Frinds of th (ARAFMI) offrs Mntally Ill a rang of srvic s for carrs of xprincing mnta popl l illnss. Ths includ suppo information matri rt groups, als, a library, tlph on and homoutrach suppo basd rt. ﻻﻛﺘﺌﺎب r info thm to find 4636 u dblu.org.a To find out mo r visit lu.org.au or call th info lin In talking about dprssion, us a casual and Try asking about opn approach. what hlps whn thy r fling By talking opnly dprssd., you r ltting th prson know supportiv and that you r you car. You Tasmania may lik to shar ysical larnt from your Ph what you v 4. tim rading, to s if it s s.org.au hlpful. all th wn d ins s do Northrn Branc pa it run o Tir scl h and Had Offic 4. ktalk and to ood d muon som m T: Sic an Southrn Branc w s lo o h h T: find adac 7448 ItH may just a sion t l to b ghlpfu gu s an o talk pr th Qunsland your frinds or d has you rurnin.lms family about how s ptit is mor opl with o Ch fling ob If you rap ssion pr n nth having r. io rafmiq of troubl in ld.org T: comfo p coping and ss alth P Dp s or mo fl ang with s or ga talking o Slrtabl 1881 ss. day. is wk don t Dpr los tal h or ch popl you know, t n y illn ss for n sio igh r Victori s us a dm go on d,talk o Lo nt w n v dprto a counsllor. nifica n will a srio nctio ical an at ssio to fu o Sig phys rly tr dpr T: ss, t prop it hard ffcts on is st ca Wstrn Austra If it isn son In mo us lia risk atd. srio untr a pr d? at rcur. if lft sn.au T: w if sa mor ly to s 7100 Rural frcall kno t just hly lik son wk u hig o T: r tw ap than do yo and no ks d mor a d r with k How? m fo iation s n In assoc d, if n lin rs what rssio prss v b dp tim b d p ns ha may of th of d tuatio rson most si l A p or Arabic : srab itis. nts cklist hav or mi : l activ v thy sion Ch usua down Dprs Som ssion thir t sad, dpr th st of fl with in mo r of nflict asur st th ss ily co lin OR or pl at la fam st lon in or For mor informa ms t intr tion ww lation ss mpto t los yo isow.b d sy ymnndbdical illn s: rinc mplo rious m lu.org.au or by gori xp cat un ondblu info a s AND four us of 2 ving lin s n. ohol wing ha ang t ssio d alc 4636 follo frn ical ch with dpr ug an n dr n is dif r d chm our prso a prso mmb ain an havi t ily br rk B ou s t ach that puts fam nd a ing 1. at wo r tha rs ving d fri g go mb s don facto ily an ha oppin ng of rm St n thi fam to g tio nt o clos s mbina porta t gttin from dativ It s im oftn a co o No drawing and s njoyd n. is ith y ohol on? and it prssio s th o W on alc d ssi thing lying k of d ults an pr at ris r doing trat o R an ad is d long n strali yar. mon o No l to conc llion Au n ach com ab n on mi dprssio Un w o prssio Ho ound th nc d ls. on. Ar liv wi ri l mm ts p op co x ma ough Vry ung p )ﻣﻜﺎﳌﺔ l will in six ( ﻣﺤﻠﻴﺔ 2. Th 00 yo pop s and on. lur. 100,0 in fiv al s to m m a fai g, on in four fm ppn r o I my fault. ha ra Fo vr s On av s; on nts o It hing good ir liv ot in th s. atm. o N worthls tr living th m rth I t wo o ar atd.? if s no or tr of what o L sion nisd t typs vnting rs t rcog frn pr dp n no uir dif is for lings l and n is oft n rq xrc logica ssio 3. F prssio physical lmd ycho Dpr of d n. rwh to ps t typs may includ through prssio o Ov rn d ff is n, of 2 ilty Di Th 1 of prssio vr lvls nts. o Gu bl ld d s tratm mi ita r Irr ating o td for mo and tr ustra nts 36 dnc o Fr tratm 2 46 confi drug o No ppy 1 ha lin o Un isiv c info إن ﻣﺴﺎ o Ind ppointd ndblu ﻋﺪة ﺷﺨﺺ ﻣ sa ﺼﺎب ﺑﺎﻻﻛﺘ o Di rabl byo s ﺌﺎب ﻟﻴﺲ أﻣﺮا.au or o Mi ﻓﻮق ﻃﺎﻗﺘﻚ d.org أو ﻓﻬﻤﻚ o Sa ndblu For mo Track, Psycho lud: Ma 2007, logy, 20 ttrs & Th Australi 04. Av Natur ailabl a (08) from P acock 03. Dprssion an d anxity can affct anyon organisatio at any tim. ns For CAr ErS If you r living with or caring for somon who dprssion, you is xprincing may somtims fl isolatd. Frind family mmbrs s or othr may not undrs tand. Talking to ar in a similar popl who situation may b hlpful. Thr ar srvic s that provid ducation and carrs of popl support for with mntal illnss. Through inform sssions and ation support group s, you can talk in a similar positio to popl who n. ar n with arly ld tion 2 South byond blu is proud to ack nowldg suppor t of Mov th in rais ing awa mbr rnss of dp rssion and anxity in mn. or informa For mor Caring for or living with a prso n who xprincs dpr ssion isn t asy. Knowing what to say and what to do may b hard. It s not uncommo n for a carr to xp rinc angr, guilt or far. Blo w ar som prac tical tips to hlp you car for somon with dprssio to look aftr yours n and lf. Taking of You Car r Your Fslf an amily by: J. Ash fi Living with an rg.au d ca blu rin g.ofor yond a prson with dprssion FAC T SHE ET flt tir d asily had difficult y concn trating flt irrit abl had muscl pain (.g. sor jaw had or ba troubl slpin or staying g (.g. difficult aslp y fa or rstls s slp). Phobia or avoid thm or gt out mor Stay away to stay busy g with thy r flin Chif thy just nd G Tll thm Excut org B mor or wip out how John As iv, Co thm to party ltchv hfild surun Prs PhD try olh innovati alth SA go away. on in m is a bstsll drugs or alcoh ing au will just Dr Ashfi ntal h mnts thor, d th problm trat m alth d tiv Assu ld is ffc ucator, ucation also kn or in th t dprssion, and ps own na lu.org.au arnd ara of mation abou ycho tionally mor him th. thrinfor For mn s for M apist somon visit (local call) SA Gr and int halth n: How s info lin on rnatio a how to hlp. Hiu and iss to Stay. of Mn: nally fo and t Hbyo alth ndbl us. Hi (local call) Award Halthy th r his s oth Elm call. call Liflin on writing and K r rcn nts of Publica tanc an p Ma t assis d bo nt Lif tions, sculin work oksfor on incurg Ad of charg r fr oa nt or ord Cr ndblu bl to pri by th byo blu: th ri ar availa by callingond Da nationa ) or t shts s l fac dp ag rssion gu of 1 ssion initiativ 1 Othr lan, 200 d dpr 9. translat rg.au (click on blu s 36 b blu.o byond yond byond blu. lin 13 at www u info 13 info lin yondbl Y Anxity disord rs ar th Austral most com ia. Na rly on mon m anxity in 10 po ntal diso disord pl will rdrs in r in any on in xpri on ya ight m nc som r around n. On typ disord in four on in r at som popl 12 wom of stag will xp n and of thir rinc livs. an anxity Wha ralian g how ncrn with a For mor Wayn n and assisting brast canc Farmr informa whol Askin r: fiv yar in obsrv Cornish bco tion ww vd rang in mind d with takin t dprssio s abou ational cohort m invol Fd ly w.gb opn study. BMJ. g car, ratiois, 330(7493):70 Talkin at wll and yo ndblxrc of thir of subjc n (S 2, 2005 affctin it is particular Mar 26. AFF) ts of urag u.o ing thm to mn g muc rg ly rlv Enco impo.au or ww y to do rtanc h rsour ant giv tal h alth. l activ s and w.famil bcna.org c that of country So socia Writtitis to p ing clos frind n urag th op of 4 nco n l will b currnt ing in touc uth Au importa.au wih and nfit m stralia. drough th rural pop nt rf Kp an Th both sam. t cond rnc l sourc y popl in ok is an itions to: rural co for rura cllunhlpful r up mmun xit s l bas thr or ch tog itis, an nt d prof DO act N T ssiona of it, gt thir will out tod snap ls asthm b an wll. Prssur ful to: PM 12:26 co DIsORD MMON ar anxit Rs? ays Practical w n o to hlp som sion with dprs mon can hlp so DO You 6/11/09 An anxi ty disord r involv strssd s mor it s a than jus srious disordrs t fling illnss. find it ha Popl rd to fun with an ction v xity ry day. how Taking Car o f Your s lf a nd You r Fam ily on informati popl info. on dprssio n rs sion, may hav dprs POst Pract to hlpical ways with d somon prss ion of 4 wbsit for young b F n you know. you, or somo disord t 21 Dprss io Brast C n and ancr occu logical Socit y... dprssion can (Find a Psycholoult gist) Dmntia and b diffic to 497? tims it maybyondblu info linand Dprssion signs wha t Bush or togthr. Som thlin.....is Crisis us and Support 4636 (24 hour support n thm bca fling sad, but Srvics for rural and and rmot halth a low mood or distinguish btw.....not just dmntia practitionrsssion is l with Cntr r. Howvr, and thir familis) link Drought simila ar tratmnt. Pop Assistanc Lin Dpr ring symptoms, rqui Cntr tion that nds itions....s link....condi Family Assista abl nt cond sriou a diffr ar nc Inform 16 sht down or misr and ation Parnt Linfact dprssion This nt. gnrally fl sad, dpr ssion Cntrlink Farm ngag in or b nss and tratm to and rspo hard it nt r ssion and diffr Small Busin 61 find Assista dpr ssmost of th tim. Thy50 onship btwnnc Lin hlp is. Dprssion activit -day Kids Hlp Lin will xplains th rlati that al day-to ation norm050 in std 585 as mntal provids inform Liflin intr itions physical as wll dmntia and cond s on ths 800 s ffct551 to on phon counsll has rstanding(24ofhour sriou ing) and affcts up to incras und 11is14common Liflin Inform ation Srvic halth. Dprssion In its most svr Mnslin Austra alia ach yar lia l in 13Austr pop ry and million Rlationships intrfr with mmo Australia..... can ssion rvrsibl form, dpr SANE Hlplin symptoms ar (Monday to Friday vr, ths offic hours) How n. Suicid Call ntratio conc Back Srvic dprssion. Rfrral Lin Trans-Hlp Found of th nt ation with... tratm 467 (Support for... transpor To find out if sh s Phobia and sym down, rstls s caus gd NataL 5. Flt slowd signs a pr objcts a prolon? t caus th sam and or situatio son to fl vr had no nrgy rinc dnss sion has 6. Flt tird or s an y farfu Hlpin can xp ns. A pr s, tir g somon with dprs Combin l dprs XItY h PND activiti flt vr son ma ts and ss? OR ations of sion isn t byond Postnata rst in y hav mn wit DIsORD y nrvou though factors you7. Flt worthl a guilty? OR Ths incl sion, ucd int sion. Wo s whn ngativ ar bli Rs? or situatio Flt xcssivly dprs ud: dprs od, rd facd with you should vd to tit and ms of n.g.: about things low mo app pto trig guilt of a spc Flt gr about? sym and l a fam anxity priod fling guilty slp gnra flying disord ily history not hav bn anc of ut th at on an ar rs. abo turb ists of OR? dis ckl m sio out rs tration sio ntal ha oplan ch strssfu l dprs dprs lth probl with dp s. To find 8. Had poor concn going rssion l lif v is mals. thinking? OR ) fling Postnata Australia. As rinc of dp tis ms six na ow xp difficul in is nts r an anim Had will bl sr rs in iv?.au. ongoin al (s al s and on young popl popl go to th moth rcivi hav lu.org Wr vry indcis on Sc in fiv fmal g physica,000 r may ng an inj dath? yondb prssi, on in four l illnss moth and 100 nt thoughts of that avrag atal D ction s on adults 9. Had rcurr prson if a nw sis for going thir liv h Postn your total scor: tralian ality fac to s diagno r of ticks for inburg to a soc point in tors. ignd lion Aus vid a. Th Add up th numb Th Ed ial vnt ns ds on mil h yar. not pro avoid fssional has qustio n 2) Around rs will sion ac lth pro scor man? d a situ and/or qustio typ know, a st of answ r ha h dprs to qustion 1 What dos your ation tha s Of an on you L th pho liv wit sion. Th doctor or oth answrd YES ta som t you rs mig ing or bia.g illnss dp ht caus a (assum XI signs stna.: a dprssiv r, if you PND. th pr d to s and sy ty DIsORD Unlikly to hav n with howv illnss s s PO ndd you n PND, 4 or lss: wom a dprssiv tll you Rs, th MPtO caus to chang Likly to hav Th mon in rs will know has tnatal Ms 5 or mor: answ IR you or anothr r ar many What sion? work pat t ar com, pos not att typs of consult a doctor somon and sym ms tha trns othr tim likly to s mnt, plas anxity nding soc t you or sympto ptoms. at any disord but it s For furthr assss. ns tha DPR l ial appoin occurs manual of l th rs with caus sional not gt concr tor. c and statistical which tmnts a rang uld circ halth profs on. Diagnosti dfinit IntrnationalG ting ha rssion thy If you hav rs sho Psychiatric Associati on, DC: APA, 1994; and, of signs on luding: n t a doc th how hav s: Amrican lth Gnva, ral inc sul t Washingt. mo to l s Lik dp Rfrnc ch t rvision. is sn con tor ns, found ck-ups, 4th d (DSM-IV) d Anxi problms, 10th closs plas mntal disordrs rlatd halth n of fac qustio sion do it hard ty Disord coms GAD invo of disass and ity st of binatio dprs to go abo classification This fact th lvs f /or anx a com studyin r (GA l Organisation, s which plt this ut dai sht was World Halth ssion, visit g or s ling anx rspon D) sion and of tim.au To com rsult from about dpr producd. A pr DAYS. ious on ing frinds ly lif (.g. wo dprs ation t to th N gs..org th of VE nx inform y thin by ndblu pr son mo rking, SE byo of mor son is tryin st days and fam For may hav on mo ndblu: th t histor numbr PAST ny sid it at: ovr a ily) bc r day GAD wbs g to avo natio a pas Dprssio IN THE th fun long pr nal dprss aus s than if, for SIX byondblu id such gnancy and s hav flt not, th iod n can hit gnancy Obsssi ion initiativ situatio MONT ssful pr laugh y hav: flt vry anybodor rnt pr HS or ns. l wll adju and Bra v Comp abl to a str y. Itcall worrid th cur mor, Y st Can std you dosn t bn ulsiv cr Ntw during could OCD occ mattr how ar. Ma 1 I hav ork Australia Disord ordrs found survivor rssion always urs whn ry, ag 62, ntal dis r (OC dp of 3 ya. ch as I it hard though popl y of m D) to stop brast can rs 0 As mu ts and ch now hav ong l YES worrying ily histor fars tha found cr oing unw t so mu by blus l ns Th qui NO Bi a fam ba now t t s atio tha caus anx ng diagnos r obsss antd/intr t thir anx 1 No much complic ions ma ng sv ity oft d and livin u thm to l YES not so ity ma crtain rinci dlivry k tly tak d n po fini car xp /or l ritu call g it D ry out v NO with brast its toll not pl fl gs. als in ord and difficult d obs 2 (.g. wo thy n to thin labour for as com ryday act r to f only on you cancr can rk, study, d to car at all pulsion oymnt longd Dprss l lss anx ivitis halth r body, but s. A pr ry o 3 Not ion in wom sing with nj a pro ious and baby s If th pr son ma also you frinds forward n with br rptit ths ar with th but is oft y hav r mind. and fam son ans blms iv though lookd ast cancr OCD if k port ily). l wrd n ovrloo thy also g pro thy hav r did nal sup YES to 2 I hav ts or con YES l is commo kd and ral lif xpri astfdin : as I v motio ALL of NO cr br th ch pro n, /or nc ty ns to rfo bl mu and d d THRE cul that ar ths qu ms (.g r, undrtr This fact al 0 As or popl flt rs diffi n I us E or mo not abo. though financi sht pro stions hav atd. tlss or ctical, clos to ut to ts that r lss tha r of th vids info its links on dg th I usd k of pra thm will followin 1 Rath rmation prform with brast s than a lac g: b harm prson s on dprss wrong. tly ls d th cancr, ava d) y of abu dprssion gs wnt ion, sam act 2 Dfini t histor ordrd, l YES ships ilabl tra n thin l YES and how ivity rp pas at all prcis l rlation rily wh tmnts for l NO atdly to hlp you clos to and sim cssa 3 Hardly in clos and in you. rslf or som ilar way slf unn cultis consta a vry ding diffi ach tim md my on nt with f ntly was bla for mor par tis.g.: informa hing difficul tim showr a singl 3 I hav tion w of th y (.g. ing or bru hands or clot ww.b bing WHAT IS, most hs, d bab shing t tim 3 Ys yondbl unsttl DEPRES th of th ing an rhood SION? u, som of 4 hav moth.o ut It Ys ng) rg would b 2 l YES abo pi.au or b Photo court grat if som ations and sl ln sy Brast yondbl xpct mo Cancr Ntwo alistic rk Austra 36 Judtionally out of 10? thon had askd How do u info lia. g work). ing unr startin you fl way thy hav y, ag 52, byon lin 13 womn may ng or rask about brast canc still xp. stoppi physical g hous of 4 r survivor rinc ths forlindblu is prou diagnosis. pain. Th word nts (.g Ca movin 36 of 10 yar conditio This may u in dprssion adjustm of Your d toorsu s ns in th b rlatd is somtim g work fifth yar yondbl a low slf an to a num ppmoo s aftr or makin or b usd d. br t d Yourmood of diffrnt thhow to rfr to au This is is vr, dprss Physical sadnss factors. it s a srio diti Fam.org. an changs mor than ily. us illnss.on ofion Joishn ondblu hlp gu asy-to-und of motions just a low It is com Symptom and sym mon toas hfrinc r inclu id ild s s of bra ww.by ptoms aft xp nd ding st cancr tion w a rang Takin r a brast problm lins abou sta fli bo tratmnt g pain can put a okngsco informa of strss, cancr diag t dpo for mor prson at such as s for bo pl xp sadnss ntaining nosis, prs mak dp tirdnss gratr risk and sion,rinc th coun tim ths fli and rssion diffic r. Howvr of dprss undang anxi If you and oft ngsso ult, intn try b som ion. inf to n mas ty sly, diag It with popl can think yo kd an out ras nos for or mpri long hard atio on.dpo rpl to function ods latwith anvr nofand cancr tra by brast cancr. In add as ths symptoms also u first st d dp d ythday alcrss can tmnts, such slfosand ition to this, p on th or somoactiv ohion may ol find n itis thrapis ingb in som bra as chm an it rluctant yo thy onc yd. liv road can caus othrapy st th cit to participad drug chmical and horm to rco u know njo also put t in may b y. onal changs a prson vry. in th brai at WHAT d gra prss tr risk of n. This can IS THE LIN xprinc d, this K BETW ing and ing dprss AND BR could doing EEN oflif ion. styanyth EAST CA l chang th pointb PRt ES ssio th on NCER? n oftnde who isn ts don N som It was just with dprssio It s of on thm. Hlping Whn youult. l on thing Pop diffic hav brast cancr, chmb can rally hlp Lon tn muc top no yomar vry you may onoth of th o, my nd blu fl i b tanc may riag r th surg bcaus h hard may assis Young hav to dal with incluthr ar many changs, th : that mortality th kids ry, th thy nd gnis, na r my tio and I justy to rco ding: job, that com thinking abo na country rad hit from sp of th stigm forrs l dpr ut my CEO ing to trms with Wh popl th wall. Judy, ag ssion a, arc c y m? 52 closh shows that initias ndd ialisd halt thcanc ling with dpto rssta tivda th uncrta ionlkamo ab rinc comss h srv r is n slf-h xp of ou mon ng th worst inty of th wom t thir rurarc. On t abou ic Dr nn cnt mnta with lding viour illnss and talking m co nt m stud tim stsg in thir bha njo illn myun imag l halt lp rsourc,dp ofs.wom found that talbra with Spn ining chan hn arly a daling itis ntal upd h an Asbrail in rss notic st canc I thorou 50 pr s an layion withjudgm and/or anxi hf dto th ut bing thatryou v tirdnss man may xp d s listn Indic ty inating ghly r d som imund s t and th sid rm th yar bookyou r stawitho thr to di rinc porst nc mak -ffcts of s, fo comm ssional aftr diagprov rtaood ing fam know h prof nt that r wom r a b thm nosis.id ily, work tratmnt 1 s halt toolfw nd it th sco ng xp Lttin mn It isor a nd, third andto s fo mtal or rinctt financial thm uch-of tra doct r un to you. and r thmyar tmnt with ths four adjustmnts a con dditio thy s an and/or pri ging rstns and/or going ag stin s, aninintm how in anticipati ods of bin Sugg 1 Burg dingnt of vrco an appo upm ss C. Corn on tom g unwll 15on pr cnt lius V. Lov aldaling with th rsp thm to mak ting Pr ssion S. Graha of pr Assis s prof h ob m ons J. idnt, Richards This lms. and frinds. of partnrs M. Ramir or mntal halt South book d, childrn, s a doctor z A. Dprssion and anxit wnt family ation nt Au inform als intm y in wom co st NataL POst ON Is comm nw cnt of how N? 16 pr ssio mon. On almost affcts D is com DPR n (PND) sion, PN n at som Rural assistanc t drivrs and (local call) fa ct ist blow t th chckl 1 in 5 popl will Tick if xprinccompl you: Ys dprssion in thir WEEKS hav liftim. For mor than TWO st most of th tim? th mo or misrabl If it s not you, baby is usual activitis? 1. Flt sad, down a your of g as in most mayb it s somon t or plasur ang, n, havin ons, 2. Lost intrs to lif ch ths qusti wom t 22 of you ly jor ithr know ny to sh lik did. If you answrd YES this ma for ma blow. If you fa ct n mor om chcklist is ting to Effctiv tratmnts In fact, wom qustions, it t th sympt st. ficult.. Adjus mak som ar availabl compl to ithr of ths illnss. th pa n b dif siv princ not answr YES ion in, can and rcovry is comm thr ca you hav a dprs vr x dprss w baby unlikly that on. as a mo nt thy will rincd of a n V? OR g to lif v xp a lot of wight mands YOU ha Talk to your doct Adjustin lif-changing 3. Lost or gaind or incras in apptit? If day d if thy v orly W s y-t or O ula nt Had a dcra th da U KN N? anothr halth prof or, partic significa g with as DO YO ssio this tim busy? ssional. 4. Slp disturbanc? ptoms as copin or xcssivly ion at how DPR Postn including toms typically collction of symp rasoning Dmntia is a standing and mmory, undr l impairmnt of or occupationa normal social ntia, including that intrfr with tions caus dm condi Many ntia. dm functioning ntia and s, vascular dm Alzhimr s disa Ths dmntia s, to nam a fw. with Lwy bodi not rvrsibl. conditions ar from somtims aris symptoms can In all Dmntia-lik can b tratd. conditions which rmnt othr mdical mmory impai symptoms of situations, whr othr intllctual ar noticd, or to gt vital and confusion it s, cantly changd signifi functions hav priat mdical osis from an appro an accurat diagn practitionr. Hlp is availabl: Dprssion Dmntia and Austrarlian ratly spa Psycho sion prs atal d s australia n with alzhimr in associatio ntia? What is Dm For mor Anxity visit org.au initiat on in iti at iv l H

40 byondblu fact shts and information rsourcs A wid rang of byondblu dprssion-rlatd information rsourcs is availabl fr of charg to print or ordr at th byondblu wbsit (click Gt information, thn Downloadabl byondblu information rsourcs or Ordr byondblu rsourcs). Ths includ:* Gnral dprssion information Undrstanding dprssion (fact sht) Dprssion symptom chcklist What causs dprssion (fact sht 3) DVD Storis of Hop and Rcovry (intrviws with byondblu s Ambassadors) DVD Don t bat about th Bush! Dprssion in rural aras Family and frinds How can you hlp somon with dprssion? (fact sht 1) Living with and caring for a prson with dprssion (fact sht 2) Taking car of yourslf and your family book by John Ashfild (rproducd with support from byondblu) Practical ways to hlp somon with dprssion (information card) Taking car of yourslf and your family aftr rtrnchmnt or financial loss (booklt) Antidprssants for th tratmnt of dprssion in childrn and adolscnts (fact sht for parnts and carrs) DVD Carrs Storis of Hop and Rcovry Tratmnt Typs of hlp availabl (fact sht 4) Changing your thinking Cognitiv Bhaviour Thrapy (fact sht 10) Antidprssant mdication (fact sht 11) Hlp for dprssion, anxity and rlatd disordrs undr Mdicar (fact sht 24) What Works for Dprssion A comprhnsiv rviw of all known tratmnts for dprssion, including mdical, psychological, complmntary and lifstyl intrvntions Rcovry Rducing strss (fact sht 6) Slping wll (fact sht 7) Kping activ (fact sht 8) Rcovry (fact sht 15) Halthy ating for popl with dprssion, anxity and rlatd disordrs (fact sht 30) Rlatd disordrs Anxity disordrs (fact sht 21) Post-Traumatic Strss Disordr (fact sht 31) Gnralisd Anxity Disordr (fact sht 35) Panic Disordr (fact sht 36) Obsssiv Compulsiv Disordr (fact sht 37) Spcific Phobias (fact sht 38) Social Phobia (fact sht 39) Bipolar disordr (fact sht 16) Postnatal dprssion (fact sht 22) Rducing alcohol and othr drugs (including smoking) (fact sht 9) Eating disordrs and dprssion (fact sht 42) Dprssion and chronic illnss Chronic physical illnss and dprssion (fact sht 23) Dprssion and coronary hart disas (fact sht 18) Dprssion and diabts (fact sht 19) Dprssion aftr strok (fact sht 20) Dprssion and dmntia (fact sht 25) Dprssion and asthma (fact sht 26) Dprssion and arthritis (fact sht 27) Dprssion and Parkinson s disas (fact sht 32) Dprssion and brast cancr (fact sht) Prostat cancr and dprssion/anxity (fact sht 34) Dprssion and incontinnc (fact sht 41) Anxity disordrs and dprssion in mn with tsticular cancr (fact sht 43) Dprssion and lif stags or vnts Emotional halth during prgnancy and arly parnthood (booklt, including hlplin cards for ach stat/trritory) Maintaining your wll-bing: Information on dprssion and anxity for mn with prostat cancr and thir partnrs (booklt producd by byondblu in association with th Prostat Cancr Foundation of Australia). Grif, loss and dprssion (fact sht 28) Sparatd parnts and tough tims (fact sht 29) Dprssion in oldr popl (fact sht 17) Mn and Sparation: Navigating th Futur (booklt) Looking aftr yourslf aftr a disastr (booklt) Dprssion and population groups Dprssion in mn (fact sht 12) Dprssion in Womn (fact sht 13) Dprssion in popl who ar daf or hard of haring (fact sht 33) Dprssion and anxity in popl who ar gay, lsbian, bisxual, transgndr or intrsx (GLBTI) (fact sht 40) Oldr popl and dprssion (booklt) byondblu Rsarch Rsarch Book (contains information on all byondblu s compltd rsarch projcts) Rsults of all byondblu s rsarch projcts ar availabl at click Rsarch All byondblu s fact shts and information rsourcs can b ordrd fr of charg at or by calling th byondblu info lin Fact shts ar availabl in mor than 20 languags, as wll as Braill and audio CD formats. 38 * Information corrct at tim of printing

41 Mor information and support byondblu: th national dprssion initiativ byondblu info lin (local call cost) Information on dprssion, anxity and rlatd disordrs, availabl tratmnts and how to hlp somon byondblu s wbsit for young popl information on dprssion, anxity and whr to gt hlp. Liflin hour crisis support, information and rfrral (local call cost) Suicid Call Back Srvic Tlphon support srvic for thos at risk of suicid, thir carrs and thos bravd by suicid. MnsLin Australia or 24 hour profssional counslling for mn with family and rlationship problms (local call cost) Kids Hlplin Counslling for childrn and young popl agd btwn 5 and 25. Post and Antnatal Dprssion Association (PaNDa) Support and rfrral to anyon affctd by post and antnatal dprssion, including partnrs and xtndd family Rlationships Australia or Rlationships support and counslling ORGANISATIONS FOR CARERS INCLUDE: ARAFMI Association for Rlativs and Frinds of th Mntally Ill (ARAFMI) offrs a rang of srvics for carrs of popl xprincing mntal illnss. Ths includ support groups, information matrials, a library, tlphon and hom-basd outrach support. Nw South Wals Sydny NSW country aras Toll fr Northrn Trritory Tasmania Northrn Branch and Had Offic Southrn Branch Qunsland Victoria Wstrn Australia Rural frcall COPMI Childrn of Parnts with a Mntal Illnss (COPMI) provids rsourcs for workrs, parnts and young popl. 39

42 CARERS AUSTRALIA Carrs Australia is a not-for-profit organisation ddicatd to improving th livs of carrs. Carrs Australia is th national, pak carr organisation with ight mmbr organisations th Carrs Associations in ach stat and trritory. Carrs Australia works to promot th important rol of carrs in our community and to assist thm with bttr information and rsourcs. Togthr thy provid important srvics lik carr counslling, advic, advocacy and ducation and training. To find th latst information on srvics and vnts, go to and click on your stat or trritory: Carrs NSW Carrs Victoria Carrs Qunsland Carrs WA Carrs SA Carrs Tasmania Carrs NT Carrs ACT Carr Advisory and Counslling Srvic For family carr support and counslling you can contact your stat or trritory Carrs Association on (fr call from landlins) Mntal Illnss Fllowship of Australia or Th Mntal Illnss Fllowship of Australia is a mmbrship basd, non-govrnmnt organisation which has branchs in vry stat and trritory. All affiliats provid a rang of srvics to carrs of a prson with mntal illnss including information, ducation (through programs such as Wllways), advocacy and support. All mmbrs hav a tlphon information and support srvic and som mmbrs provid tlphon outrach and carr rspit srvics. Commonwalth Rspit and Carlink Cntrs Commonwalth Rspit and Carlink Cntrs support carrs to accss rspit or tak a brak. Th Cntrs can: provid information and advic about rspit options hlp organis mrgncy or plannd rspit purchas or subsidis short trm or mrgncy rspit whn ndd. Call to find your narst Rspit and Carlink Cntr. byondblu acknowldgs th valuabl contribution mad to th dvlopmnt of this Guid for Carrs by Carrs Victoria in particular, and carrs from around Australia. 40

43 Carrs Carrs Storis of Hop and Rcovry Volum 2 For popl who car for a frind or family mmbr with dprssion, anxity or a rlatd disordr Carrs Storis of Hop and Rcovry DVD prsonal accounts of caring for a family mmbr or frind with dprssion, anxity or a rlatd disordr. This fr DVD can b obtaind from th byondblu wbsit or from th byondblu info lin For an up-to-dat list of rsourcs, plas visit or call th byondblu info lin on