Mentally Ill but Unwilling to Acknowledge It: What Family Members Can Do

You can't force anyone to accept help. There are still some things you can do, though. What you can influence is your own attitude when interacting with others: stay present without pressuring them, and describe what you see without turning it into Diagnosis to make the path to getting help easier and to one's own limits …including one’s own exhaustion. Whether the other person accepts help is up to them. Refusing help and failing to recognize the illness are two different things; some people recognize the illness but still don’t want to accept the offer of help. In cases of acute danger to the person or others, professional help is essential—in Germany via the emergency number 112, and abroad via the local emergency number; in Germany, medical assistance outside of office hours can be arranged by calling 116117.

Resources for Family Members

In Germany, there is a free resource for family members: the local social psychiatric service. It also provides counseling to family members, makes home visits, and can offer help to the person with the illness on its own initiative. My own counseling service for family members is a Service for Self-Paying Patients; Statutory health insurance (GKV) covers psychotherapy only if the insured person has a mental illness. If you need help, the telephone counseling service is available at 0800 1110111 or 116 123, day and night.

Worry as a Cause in Itself

Caring about others is a topic in itself. It deserves its own conversation. Counseling for Family Members is a place where you can clarify your own role and find a way to cope with your exhaustion.