1) Verify the source.
Make sure the person who is making the diagnosis is qualified and knowledgeable. A licensed psychiatrist or psychologist is someone you can trust with their opinion on this issue. Anyone else, however well meaning, may not be qualified.
2) Sit with the feeling
When danger looms, fight or flight takes over and we want to spring into action. Instead, force yourself to just sit with the discomfort, let yourself feel what you’re feeling. Use your physical senses: focus on the feel of the chair against your legs, or the wall against your back. Notice how thoughts come and go, changing every instant. Just sit and breathe for a few minutes. Allow yourself to grieve. Cry if you need to.
3) Remind yourself that a diagnosis is not the whole person.
Just like cancer or diabetes is not the whole person, bipolar illness or schizophrenia can never describe your loved one fully. He/She is still a complex mix of other human traits and memories. If your spouse is the comedian of the family, this diagnosis cannot take that away. If your child is a good chef, he/she will continue to be one.
4) A diagnosis often brings a sense of relief to the patient.
When my brother was diagnosed with a SMI, I was devastated. Until he told me how glad he was to finally have a name to his struggles, to know there were other people out there with his symptoms, to know there was treatment and hope. I realized he didn’t want my pity, he wanted my support.
5) Help him/her make short term and long term goals.
Once your loved one has begun appropriate treatment, help them sort out their own short term and long term goals.
Some useful short term goals might be:
How do I know if treatment is working for me? What symptoms do I want immediate relief from? How do I monitor side effects? How can my I let my loved ones know when I’m struggling? How would I like to spend my time? Would support groups help? Therapy? Yoga? How do I continue to do things I love?
Some useful long term goals to discuss:
How does this impact my health/career/marriage/decision to have kids?
How can I monitor progress? How can I engage in treatment most
effectively? How can I accept this without letting it define me
entirely?
6) Ask specific questions on what would/ would not be helpful
In spite of the diagnosis, in fact because of it, it’s important to remember he/she is still an autonomous capable adult (unless deemed otherwise by law or a physician). Always treat them like one. Ask what helps and do more of that. Ask what hinders and do less of it.
7) Worrying about yourself is not selfishness!
Give yourself permission to talk to your physician or therapist about what this means for you. It’s okay to worry. Make a list of your questions, choose an expert you trust, and ask. Once you have your answers, write them down somewhere safe and put it away. Remind yourself your concerns are valid and they have answers which you can read at anytime.
8) Create your own support system.
This is not a hundred meter dash, it’s a marathon. You need stamina, regular breaks, hydration, practice and a sense of humor. Some days will be good, other days- not so much. Make time for people, places and things that bring you joy. Introduce small moments of bliss into every day.
9) Don’t neglect your other relationships.
Your friends, kids, pets…make time for and celebrate your important relationships. Life is a long ride, and whoever is in it with you, deserves your attention too. Plus, it’s easier to give love unconditionally when you have received it unconditionally.
10) Perspective helps.
Life is a great equalizer. For everything we lose, we gain something and vice versa. Remind yourself of other rough times you have survived. Do your best, then sit back and let life unfold as it will.
The journey is more important than the destination.
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