Is there any support available for the families of people with mental health issues?

[Katymac]

Umm That's it basically?

Mind have some information about this. Services are likely to vary by area, but they could signpost for you.

Many thanks

You can ask for a carer's assessment, perhaps via your loved one's cpn or social worker - there are quite a few voluntary agencies, and maybe organisations specifically set up to support people affected by certain conditions such as MDF for bipolar.

What is CPN?

I don't think there is anything specific for it, it's quite rare

Community psychiatric nurse.

Rethink was always very much about the families (before it was called Rethink), they used to be a bit 'does he take sugar?' but have improved hugely. Services they offer and elsewhere on the site information about the major mental illnesses plus anxiety, depression, eating and personality disorders.

depends on the illness/issues to some degree but the best help you can get for you is some individual counselling.

you can also ger referred for family therapy where the issues can be addressed as a family, and strategies agreed.

on a basic level, getting respite from caring for the person (sometimes jsut getting a break from being around a person's illnes) is essential - whether that is the person with MH going to friends/relatives for a break or the rest of the family going elsewhere for a break.

if children involved, very important they have time away - ask about support for child carers.

but depends on the actual issues to some degree as to what would apply, how frequently and so on.

carers org uk
www.carers.org/

DD has a 'Conversion Disorder' which is psychological - I made the sweeping and generalised decision that psychological stuff is mental health

I am struggling somewhat

That is mental health, I know it is in the DSM (diagnostic manual). Are they the sort of somatic disorders with very physical expressions - as when people have seizures that are not actual epileptic ones?

Do I mean somatoform, rather than somatic?

how old is she? child or adult?

if child/young person try cafamily.org.uk altho not listed in directory s they may have record of another family with same diagnosis and can put you in touch

or www.youngminds.org.uk/

otherwise support for the individual physical symptoms.

if adult dd then MIND or www.depressionalliance.org/

there is a forum here
www.mentalhealthforum.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=80

She is 12 and her brain has decided it isn't seeing or at least it's telling her that she isn't seeing (maybe?)

RNIB?

presume she had scans etc done?

No - they have said her responses to the eye she has had indicate the conversion disorder & that to do a test would reinforce the issue - not really sure I know how I feel about that tbh

was there a stressful event which is obvious trigger? (dont need to say what it was but seems CD triggered by something usually?)

was it opthamoplogist who did the tests? specialist paed opthamologist at eye hosp/ eye unit?

specialist paed opthamologist at eye hosp, well a load of individual specialist/assistant/nurses I think

Lots of smaller things rather than one large one (IMO) are you on CAT?

yes now on cat

Thanks