Parenting With Mental Illness and Crisis

Living in recovery is challenging, however, it is a part of life for many individuals. Mental illness is more common than not. People with mental health conditions also parent. Despite mental health crisis peers can still manage recovery, and family.

I am a lived experience expert on schizophrenia. I persevered through a range of issues related to my diagnosis. I have been in recovery for a few years, and experienced a lot, such as the severe schizophrenia-related symptoms, court-ordered hospitalization, housing discrimination, and projected stereotypes. Still, I work on myself, job, and parenting skills. I am a mother of one. My child is seven years old.

Mental illness is a problematic medical condition, but it can be managed with adequate support, treatment, and coping skills. I engage in therapy and traditional treatment, or medication, to help maintain wellness. I practice a lot of coping skills to manage daily. For example, I walk every day, journal, and listen to music among other coping skills. I also rely on my support network, treatment team, and daily coping tools to get through small trials, and crisis. Last year [2018], I was hospitalized. This was my second hospitalization, which occurred 11 years after my diagnosis. 

This crisis created significant challenges for my family. Fortunately, I have a strong support system. My family made adjustments to help me manage through the crisis. Everybody pitched in to help me maneuver the hospital setting, and system. They temporarily took on parenting responsibilities, and carried out communication demands with certain people with my input.

I am grateful for the hospitalization, and for my family. I was able to focus on recuperating, maintaining a relationship with my son, and keeping my household responsibilities in place through them. For example, my cousin primarily took care of my son while I was away. My relatives and friends supported my cousin throughout this time-frame. While my caregiver stayed in communication with everybody, including my treatment team.

When I returned home I maintained communication, and support. I focused wholeheartedly on recuperating. I participated in intense therapy sessions over the next few weeks with emphasis on stress management, and self-care. In short, I managed resiliency through my support system, and determination to activate all the coping skills I learned in the past. Therefore, I wrote a lot in my journal, and prayed over my stability.

As a result of persevering my hospitalization, and crisis, I was able to avoid another major setback. Earlier this year I took a mini-break, and focused on minimizing stress. I felt overwhelmed, therefore, I communicated needs with my family. We orchestrated a plan to have my child cared for while I regrouped away from home. I stayed in a respite center for almost a week. 

In Georgia, we have peer-led respite centers located throughout the state. It is a community-oriented place to interact with peers in recovery, and focus on wellness. I engaged peers in group activities, and got a lot of rest. When I returned home, I maintained communication, and support to regain balance.

These incidents are ways I managed crisis, and avoided another setback. With my family's support I was able to seek treatment, maintain my mommy role, and keep pressing forward in recovery. Through these experiences I learned how important a support system can be in overcoming crisis. My support system includes my doctor, therapist, family, and friends. Together we kept me well, and I was able to carry out decision making demands, and still uphold a level of independence, and self-sufficiently.