Loving Someone With a Mental Illness

On a recent visit home, we walked into the neighborhood liquor store, I notice he's beaming with pride, eager to blurt out to the clerk, "This is my sister I was telling you about she's a newscaster from LA. She's my better half." My brother knows that simple introduction just bought him more store credit on his alcohol tab, because after all addicts are the Da Vinci of creativity for their supply, especially in a small town. Booze has been more of a crutch for him, a way to self-medicate a more serious problem, one that went undiagnosed far too long. He's bipolar with severe social phobias. Growing up his mood swings threw me off. My one time protector from bullies would go from rage to tears within minutes, I knew in those moments, he didn't even understand why. His daily battle is dealing with the mental warfare brewing in his mind, at times turning irrational with thoughts of ending his life, giving up just for mental peace to hopelessness you'd never want to see in a loved one's eyes. The struggle is watching him spend hours each day trying to 'man up' as he'd say, just to walk out the front door and face society. My fear, is one day he'll stop trying and never leave his home. Yet, when his eyes aren't glazed over from uncontrollable racing thoughts and ADHD he has a gift to make people laugh. From his incredible dance moves to self-deprecating addict jokes he will do anything for a smile, because for him it's a badge of acceptance, one he yearns for even though he tat...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news