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New to the supporting family and friends forum? Here's 3 tips to get you started

beyondblue_Online_Communi
Beyond Blue Staff
Beyond Blue Staff

New to the supporting family and friends forum? Please read our trio of tips to help you get the best out of your experience here.

Tip 1

Before posting, start by reading some of the existing threads. You may find a number of community members' experiences you can relate to. Reading about others' circumstances with supporting loved ones with mental illness might give you more insight into helping or understanding your loved one.

Tip 2

Supporting someone with a mental illness can be quite challenging, and carers, family, and friends often need support as well. By posting your experience on another community member's thread it gives you a chance to connect with others whom have a shared experience.

Tip 3

Check out the resources in the Supporting Someone on this website for further advice on how to help and support loved ones with a mental illness. Browse the resources available and share with the community what advice was useful for you.
 
27 Replies 27

HanP
Community Member

Hi everyone,

I have recently learnt that my boyfriend has depression and we have had some ups and downs, but he has explained to me how it feels for him. He does not want to take any medication as he hates how it makes him feel, he describes it as one feeling, like being monotone.

I really want to be there to support him but to also know how to support myself and to learn it's not my fault, even though sometimes it does feel that way.

I think this space is such a fantastic idea and I really want to learn more about it and how I can not only help him but myself and others from my own experiences.

blondguy
Champion Alumni
Champion Alumni

Hi HanP

Thank you for your complimentary post and being a part of the Beyond Blue family too!

You are very welcome to start your own thread topic or help others with your own experiences 🙂

I really hope you can stick around the forums....when its convenient for you

my kind thoughts

Paul

romantic_thi3f
Blue Voices Member
Blue Voices Member

Hi HanP,

Welcome to the forums! I'm really glad that you're here. I'd love to talk to you more about what's going on but it's so much easier when you have your own thread!

Did you want to copy your text and paste to a new thread here -

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/supporting-family-and-friends-with-a-mental-health-condition-(carers)

Thank you very much for the link.

I have now submitted my own thread.

Charleigh
Community Member

Hi BB, I am new to this support network and have read some of the posts and I am looking forward to getting advice about my adult child. Thank you

My daughter saw a Psychiatrist when she was 16 and was put on medication for Bipolar and also ADHD, medication was stopped and she was told she couldn’t get a full diagnoses of her condition and to wait till she was an adult. Now she is 23 and is going through severe mood swings and feelings of sadness and no hope. She says she wants to get help but she says she doesn’t want to be on medication . Over the last few weeks my husband and I have noticed she is getting worse with her mood swings, sleepless nights and not wanting to leave her house and attend family gatherings and not responding to our phone calls and text message. We are at a loss and don’t know what step to take next as we love her so much and can’t bear to see her suffering and in so much emotional pain.

Hi Charleigh,

Thank you for sharing your situation here. We can hear you're a caring and supportive parent, and this is a really difficult thing to be going through.

We just wanted to jump in and let you know that our Support Service is here if you'd like to talk this through with us on the phone or via online chat. We're on 1300 22 4636, and we're available 24/7.

We also wanted to mention that you'd be very welcome to start a thread of your own on this topic, if you'd like to. It might be a bit tricky for the community to spot your post here, as this thread is a couple of years old. You can find out how to start a thread of your own here. 
  Thanks again for sharing what's going on for you here. we know that isn't easy to do so we hope you can see it's a really powerful step to have taken.

Kind regards, 

Sophie M

Thank you Sophie, will use the link you sent.