Have you ever thought that how a person feels when his/her partner or loved one is suffering from mental illness? No doubt nobody wants to face these kinds of problems but if they do so then there are several ways to handle or help a partner living with mental illness.

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What actually a mental illness is? A mental illness is a disease or a condition that causes mild to severe disturbances in behavior and/or thought, resulting in an inability to cope with daily life’s ordinary demands and routines.

Mental health problems or illness may be related to excessive stress due to a particular condition or series of events. As with cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, mental illnesses are often physical as well as psychological and emotional.

Mental illnesses may be caused by a reaction to environmental stresses, biochemical imbalances, genetic factors or a combination of these. With proper treatment and care, several individuals learn to recover or cope with an emotional disorder or mental illness.

There are several signs and symptoms related to mental illness shown in children and adults including;

• Confused thinking
• Excessive fears, worries, and anxieties
• Intense fear
• Changes in school performance
• Changes in ability to manage responsibilities
• Frequent outbursts of anger
• Frequent temper tantrums
• Dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits
• Social withdrawal
• Feelings of extreme highs and lows

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Many people who are suffering from a mental illness do not want to talk about it. But mental illness is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed of! It is a medical condition, just like diabetes and heart disease. So like other diseases, mental health conditions are also treatable.

20 Ways To Help A Partner Living With Mental Illness:

• Be patient with them.
• Reassure them they’re okay.
• Give them space if they need time to themselves.
• Learn their symptoms, and remember little ways you can help.
• Learn with them throughout their recovery.
• Don’t make them feel embarrassed or ashamed for having a mental illness.
• Find something fun (and low risk) to do together.
• Have a code word for when they’re feeling off.
• Encourage them to communicate openly about what they’re feeling.
• Tell them (and show them) how much you love them.
• Help them rationalize their anxieties.
• Listen to them, and remember what they say.
• Encourage their passions.
• Make little reminders for them to show them how much you care.
• Get into a new hobby with them.
• Talk to them about lighter things when they’re down.
• Be sensitive to their triggers.
• Encourage them to try professional help if they need it.
• Learn how to support them in a healthy way.
• And lastly, just have their back.

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