Many mental illnesses are impacting Americans in different ways. An estimated one in five adults lives with a mental illness in the U.S. Despite this condition impacting many people in America and beyond, it’s still considered a struggle for many of them to confront their problems head-on. Many Americans are choosing to hide their mental illnesses and are doing this for various reasons. However, this is considered unhealthy behavior and here are several reasons why this is the case.
Living with Mental Illness in Your Family
Of course, every family has their emotional issues. But when mental illness impacts the family, it takes their problems to a whole new level. When you have a family member with a mental illness, be prepared to deal with instability and unpredictability. They will more than likely be a little all over the place and not handle their important responsibilities properly. For example, if they’re a parent, they may start to neglect a generous amount of their responsibilities in raising their children due to their mental health condition. Their children will start to miss out on the love and care they certainly need.
However, there are plenty of family members dealing with a mental illness privately and refuse to open up about it to them. What should you do with a family member hiding their illness from you? If you’re a person dealing with this, what consequences could you expect to occur if you choose to hide it from loved ones? Let’s examine this issue further.
Consequences of Hiding Your Mental Illness
Many people around the world are struggling with mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. However, there are still many dealing with the stigma surrounding admitting to their struggles. Some feel that if they ignore their mental illness struggles it will go away. However, that isn’t the case. There are several consequences you have to deal with if you choose to keep your mental illness a secret from loved ones. Some of them include:
- Problems with relationships outside of your family.
- Career problems.
- Increased Risk of Deterioration.
- Less likely to seek help.
It can be hard to admit that you have a problem to your family members and friends. But hiding them and being in denial about your mental illness will only make matters worse. Strive to avoid the dangers above by reaching out for professional help.
How Does it Affect Your Family?
Hiding your mental illness from your loved ones could have an emotional impact on them. Choosing to do this could cause you to develop all sorts of risks. You could start to develop other related health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, or even Alzheimer’s disease. When you’re hiding your mental illness, you’re also leaving your depression untreated. People who leave their depression state untreated put themselves at risk of suicide.
Many people choose to hide their mental illness because they’re ashamed or don’t like or trust doctors. But think about the emotional toll it could bring your family and friends and that should motivate you to acknowledge and confront your issues.
Challenges of Living with Mental Illness
Coping with a loved one who has a mental illness is a challenging ordeal. It’s even worse when the person chooses to hide his condition from you. If you want to help a family member who’s dealing with depression and won’t acknowledge it, try to look for an opportunity to talk to them. Ask them caring questions, not intimidating ones. Listen to what they have to say without judging them. Don’t give them too much advice. Just be a good listening ear and encourage your loved one to seek help.
Have you ever hidden your mental illness from a loved one? If so, what are some of the reasons why you’ve done this? Feel free to share your experiences with this issue in the comments section below. As always, be sure to like or share this post with the next person you know dealing with hidden depression.
