Mental health problems are difficult to navigate. Unlike physical health problems where the treatment plan is more or less straight forward, mental health problems are more difficult to treat.
There is no cookie cutter approach to treating mental health problems. Alongside the trial and error, the role played by the patient is also important. They need to be in it to heal, otherwise, the efficacy of the treatment might then fall short.
Similarly, alongside regular visits to the Best Psychiatrist in Islamabad, patients also need support from their partner and family during this time.
Hence, the support provided by the partner cannot be discounted. The big question then is, how to take of your partner when they are suffering from mental health problems?
To help you with this ordeal, we have rounded up some tips!
Unconditional support
Through the ordeal of treatment, your partner should know that they can count on you.
You can support them by encourage them to be constant with their treatment, helping them feel better when they are down, making them feel less alone in their ordeal.
Cater to your own mental wellbeing
It can be hard to take care of your partner with mental health problems; there is no need to sugar coat it. When you are cast in the role of caregiver, your mental health might also be stretched taut.
It is therefore important that you also be considerate of your needs. You need to channel the stress, anxiety and the mood problems that are unfurling inside of you in a healthy manner.
A good approach is by getting mental health counseling services or therapy. A mental health expert can help you with protecting your mental energies. You may also go for couples counseling so that you and your partner, both, are able to navigate the challenge of mental health problems.
Learn about the issue
To be of better help to your partner, you should have sound knowledge about the issue that your partner is dealing with. It will help you in side-stepping some things that can unintentionally hurt your partner.
Similarly, learning about what your partner is undergoing aids in you having empathy of their state of mind. It also allows you to offer them better care.
Don’t neglect your own self
In taking care of your partner, don’t be negligent of your own needs. You can only help them if you, yourself, are doing well. In this endeavor, some things to do include ensuring that you get sufficient sleep and rest, eat well, partake in activities that give you pleasure like reading or socializing.
Moreover, take up healthy activities like meditation and mindfulness that help in improving your mental health otherwise as well.
If you neglect yourself, there is a high chance that you might get burn-out, which is the extreme state of exhaustion where you are unable to complete your task, have high fatigue, have a fragile emotional state, and are more prone to feeling stress and anxiety. In such situations, you might not be much help to yourself, let alone your partner.
Leave treatment to experts
Your role is to provide support to your partner, not give them treatment or counsel them. You are in no way qualified to dispense therapy to your partner, and even if you are a mental health expert, it is unethical on your part to dispense therapy to your partner.
Hence, just give them love and support, and not treatment. Your partner should not be turning to you when they need to feel better, that is you enabling a problematic behavior.
Ensuring that they visit the doctor
A vital component of ensuring that your partner gets proper care is by making sure that they don’t skip their visits to their Psychiatrist in Karachi. Any disruptions in the treatment can cause major setbacks to the wellness journey.