Did Anyone Have a Mentally Ill Parent(s) That Helped Cause Their PTSD?

[EmoxxKid]

My mother had schizophrenia and....

I don't even have the engry to go into everything...

but...

is their any one out there who ....understands this...or delt with it...



I hope....


Geneva:wall:

 

[hodge]

You're not alone, Geneva. My mother is mentally ill. I don't know what it is exactly. She's been to therapists and psychiatrists, but never said what they told her. I've seen for myself while in therapy with her that once the discussion get to "her stuff," she quits. My dad and I, as well as therapists of mine, have speculated many times on what is wrong with her--personality disorder? something else? We really don't know. But I do believe that having a mother who is like her--unable to empathize, emotionally nurture, and accept my individual feelings (as a person apart from herself), for example--contributed to my ptsd.

Dealing with it? Well, I've made some progress over the years, learning to accept that she is the way she is and that I can't change her. I can only take care of myself and work to not internalize all the abuse she throws at me. I'm learning what I am responsible for and what I'm not. Unfortunately, when my ptsd symptoms are bad, as they are lately, I have more trouble dealing with her.

I hope this helps. When you're up to it, maybe you could fill us in a bit more?

 

[Deleted member 541]

I believe that my grandmother, and possibly my mother both had PTSD, from rape, molestation, and family life. This made it pretty hard to grow up in a well rounded stable household.

The lack of nurturing, the total dysfunction, and upheaval in my house was enough for anyone to have PTSD come to think of it.....LOL!!!!

 

[kers]

My parents were not seriously mentally ill (I suspect they have both had bouts with depression, though). But my brother, who abused me, was ill. He went through a number of diagnoses, and never got one concrete label.

I know that what affected me most was his unpredictability. What set him off one day would not the next, so I was constantly trying to figure out what I needed to do to keep him calm.

What aspect of your mother's illness had the most effect on you?

 

[batgirl]

Schizophrenia runs in my family, there are several people in my extended family who have it, and I know schizophrenics can be really scary if they're not on medication and/or being properly treated. I'm assuming your mum wasn't. One of my cousins was raised by her paranoid schizophrenic mother in her younger years, until other family realized how bad it was and stepped in to help. Her mother was in and out of hospital constantly throughout her childhood, she was paranoid, thought people were going to poison her, she thought my cousin had a twin, she thought the TV gave her instructions. She heard voices and sometimes heard my cousin's voice telling her she was terrible mother and to kill herself. She'd get angry and beat on my cousin for that. They lived in horrible conditions and there was never food in the house. They were constantly moving. Other kids mocked my cousin for having a crazy mum. Her mum was "non-compliant" and actually paranoid of all doctors and medicine so she never got proper help. My cousin has trauma from having lived with her though not full blown PTSD.

Here in Canada we have a non-profit organization called The Schizophrenia Society, for schizophrenics and especially for their families. They have a really strong support network for family members actually. My cousin gets a lot of support and help from them, and my whole family has learned a tremendous amount about schizophrenia over the years, and how to deal with it as family members. If you have something similar where you live you might want to look into it.

As far as a mentally ill parent in general, my father #1 (I have 2 fathers) had untreated Combat PTSD and he was abusive to me and my little brother for a couple of years. Then he shot me and shot and killed some members of my family, and that is the cause my PTSD.

 

[goingonhope]

All I can say EmoxxKid is yes, I had mentally ill parents that helped cause my PTSD. There was never any diagnosis of schzophrenia in any of the three of them, but there was in my step-dad's daughter, who visited regularly. Oh' ya' and don't know what my uncles diagnosis is, but do know that he takes all those same meds prescribed to people with sczophrenia.

Also, there was one form or another of mental illness all around me growing up in parents, step-siblings, aunts, uncles, ect. and quite frankly I found it all absolutely horrifying to witness, and internalize so many fears what with all that delusion, massive dramas/ chaos and disorder and me not being able to spot a soul to talk to any of it about. The whole thing was awful!

 

[nathan]

hi geneva, my ex-step father has schizophrenia and i think because of that he would beat me and my brother on a regular basis for about 4 years or so. i would definitely say that had a huge roll in why i developed ptsd. hope that helps.

 

[EmoxxKid]

....I wish I how to work out the feelings I have due to my mothers illness....

blah...

thanks for all the feedback.

 

[Awakening]

Yes.

Good luck.

 

[Lisa]

Yes. Me. My dad is an alcoholic Schizophrenic, with a personality disorder and OCD. He has definitely added to, or been an unhelpful starting cause, to my PTSD.

I have seen so many relapses and psychotic episodes, rage episodes etc. and we also don't live in an area where national health services are anywhere near up to scratch. Nobody explained to my mum, or the family what was wrong with him for the first 7 years, we lived in fear of an unnamed madness, and sometimes my mum bought into his delusions when they were more plausible. They also had him on the wrong medication for 15 years, which was really bad. And they didnt come out when we desperately needed them to at times. As a result I saw and heard some very frightening things growing up. I understand your despair... having to live with someone seriously mentally ill is very hard to describe in any short space, and often people don't quite understand how bad it can be even when you try.

When he is 'well', he is not much nicer - in fact sometimes he's nastier. At least when he is psychotic I can feel sympathetic rather than angry at him, and recognise he is very ill at those times. But I have no relationship with my father, and I don't want one. My feelings about, and experiences I have had with my father, the experiences I have had with the mental health system in relation to that (And also my own personal experience) has had a lasting profound affect on my life.

So I think I have some understanding and have dealt with it, yes. You're not alone, mate.

 

[pandora]

I swear my mom has personality disorder....zero to psycho in 10 seconds flat. It was fvery hard to grow up that way and then to learn to live with it now without her berating me. I have huge boundaries now, I just know that the hurt that she made me experience doesn't seem to ever go away,

 

[lrs]

My family lived in terror of my father. He had a MAJOR screw loose, but I don't think it was ever diagnosed.