Silent Storms

Avoid and Substitute: Dealing with the inner storm

There are several silent storms in the life of a person who has to live with an SZ sufferer. Basically there are two kinds of storm: the external one in the household, and secondly the storm within. Because the focus of mental health professionals has until recently been mostly on the problems of the ill person, less thought has been given to the problems involved in sharing a household with an SZ sufferer. The greatest problem in my life as partner has been coping with partner-induced depression.

One day I found myself just sitting. I was looking down, and my entire body felt heavy. So did my mind. I did not feel like doing anything but sitting like that. That was the deepest depression I had ever suffered, even counting my years as a teenager. I needed help.

It must be noted here that the depression I'm talking about is fairly mild and completely induced by the circumstances surrounding me. If you went into a relationship with an SZ sufferer with mental problems of your own, please look for professional help.

On the other hand, if you went into the relationship as far as you know in perfect mental health, I would suggest a number of alternatives before getting onto heavy medication such as Prozac. The next few weeks this blog will then look at strategies to help cope with the inevitable depression of having to deal with our inner storms.

The first strategy is at all costs to avoid harming yourself.

When depressed, it is a great temptation to succumb to "crutches" such as drinking, harmful drugs, smoking and over-eating. These again could be conducive to even more harmful effects such as physically harming yourself or even suicide. Ironically, many of the crutches people tend to lean on only make the depression worse.

My drinking for example seemed to magnify every negative emotion I was feeling to gigantic proportions. My control would then slip away and the inner silent storm would burst out noisily.

Another good strategy to compliment avoidance is substitution. You could substitute any harmful crutch your attracted to with something less harmful such as herbal or homeopathic remedies. These have less serious side effects than clinical depression drugs.

There are many natural supplements that could help for the worst of silent depression storms. I have found St. John's Wort to be an excellent picker upper. Naturelle makes an extra strength version that has carried me through many a storm. Other available supplements that can help you feel better include Vitamin B12. Both of these are available over the counter at your local pharmacy. You could also see a professional herbalist or homeopath to help you with your specific problem. A good homeopathy site is ABC Homeopathy (www.abchomeopathy.com), which includes an online remedy finder and shop.

When you're feeling even only slightly better as a result of healthier choices, you can begin to take further action to increase general well-being. When you keep yourself healthy both emotionally and physically, you are also better able to provide your partner with a healthier environment.

Posted by cathi at March 11, 2004 10:13 AM | TrackBack