[THREAD] let’s explore again taking care of someone whose mental health is suffering. It is a topic that comes up very often because it is really hard to be a caregiver for someone whose mental health is not doing well. It can easily affect the caregiver’s mental health too.

One of the main things that can be hard to deal with is being there for someone and seeing them not improve or get worse despite the support system they have. It is important to set realistic expectations. We can’t treat someone or help someone recover ourselves.

They absolutely need to go for professional treatment through meds/therapy as well. It is not that we are not helpful but because mental health issues are really hard and take time and a tailored treatment plan to be able to get better.

It is also important to remember that we can’t force anyone to go for treatment. This is a question I get every time. How do I nudge or have someone go to treatment? The best we can do is encourage them and ask them from time to time to explore treatment.

However, if they are not ready, there is not much we can do. Sometimes, it could be because they had a bad experience with a mental health professional or they are simply afraid to go through the process. The best we can do is reassure them and hopefully one day they choose to.

Also, it is important as a caregiver to be there on the terms of the person who is not feeling well. We can’t force them to do something, or have our help conditional on something. If we choose to be there for them, we help them on their terms.

It is also important as a caregiver to put your mental health first. We can easily feel hopeless and stuck when we are trying to help someone and that can lead to our own anxiety and depression. We can’t push more than our energy allows us to. We have to take breaks.

We may feel guilty or the person being helped may make us fee guilty but the truth is we just can’t be there 24/7 for someone. It will quickly take a huge toll and burn us out. If we have been taking care of someone for a while and they haven’t explored treatment,

we may feel as though we don’t know what to do anymore, and it is okay to retreat and say that we are not feeling well and we don’t know how to help anymore, and encourage them one last time to go to treatment before stopping that help.

It is a hard endeavour to be there for someone who struggles with their mental health. There is no need to feel guilty if you need to withdraw to protect yourself as well. You tried your best and were there for someone for a long time. That’s already more than most would do.

Balancing our mental well-being with helping someone balance their own struggle is really tough. It is important to set up boundaries, goals and what to do if the situation doesn’t change long term. High five to all the caregivers out there who are trying their best