Have you ever known someone with a mental illness? How did/does the illness impact his/her life? What have you learned about this mental illness just from knowing them?
Unfortunately, one of my aunts has a mental illness. She is what most people know as a hoarder which is a form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or otherwise known as OCD. She really isn’t as bad as the people they show on the TV shows, like the one called Hoarder’s: Buried Alive but it can be pretty consuming at times. She doesn’t hoard trash or random items, but what she does love to store is all kinds of stuffed animals. Everyone thought at first that she just collected them, but soon the collection took over her life. Everywhere she goes she just has to buy a stuffed animal. For example, when she goes to the mall she almost always comes back with a dozen different stuffed animals. At first, her stuffed animals would only take up her spare bedroom, but as time passed it started to take over her whole entire home. My family and I try and work with her every day to help her get through this illness. We believe that one day she will get better if we just stay by her side and keep supporting her to get better.
Hi Carla,
ReplyDeleteOCD can be a very serious illness as we can see from the people that are on hoarders. Some people think that it is something that they should just be able to stop, but they don't understand the severity of it. OCD can be uncontrollable and sometimes down right scary, but there are medications and therapy that can help calm it down, but only time can tell if you will fully overcome it. Great post and I'm sure with the support of your family your Aunt can get through this.
Shenita Jolivette
I will be honest with you I had no idea that OCD is such a serious illness. After reading chapter 12 I have better understanding of what might people go through. Thank you for sharing your story with us, life experiences such as these make us more knowledgeable of these illnesses. I am sure with your family help and support your aunt will get better. With some mental illness with time, medication and family support gets better.
ReplyDeleteSubuk Usmani
Carla,
ReplyDeleteIt is sad how this disease can take away a part of a person's life. I would assume that your Aunt's focus on the stuff animals is replacing time she could spend with people and the space and time the animals take up in cleaning also could replace her time needed for other endeavors. Our book mentioned exposure/response therapy. I have seen this work with a friend's daughter; it took several years of gradually reducing her behavior to where she could respond within normal limits. If you have not tried it with your Aunt, it might help.
Carla,
ReplyDeleteI imagine it is very difficult for your aunt as well as your family. I can only imagine the amount of money she has spent on these animals. I wonder what it is about the animals or if it could have been anything she liked that could have been the focus of her hoarding. It is very interesting. Does she have rituals with her OCD that she must do with the animals? I hope she continues to improve with the love and support of your family!
Kerri