Poll Do You Have A Parent Or Parent's That Have Mental Health Issues?

[LC23]

Yep, Dad had full-blown, undiagnosed PTSD from his abusive mother (as far as I can tell; there's no one else to corroborate his story.) He doesn't think of himself as having PTSD but he told me enough about the things his mom did that I can do the math. She also had some form of mental problems that I don't think she understood or could control.

As for me, I'm not having kids, so hopefully it ends with me.

 

[Britt.f7]

LC23, from what I heard in my family my grandmother was beyond mean to my dad. I don't think he could ever do wrong. I think my grandpa was more laid back and never argued with my grandma over her choices or behavior. That's what I've been told by my mom and dad. He didn't even tell me when the funeral was for my grandma because he didn't believe she was worth it.

This really effected how my dad has treated women over the years. He is very much a man who believes he has the final say. I know he almost hit my mom once, or he did hit her, but that is when she got out of the marriage. He also beat my step mom and was abusive to the kids. He broke her jaw once. When my step mom got her long hair cut short, he went to the house of the hairstylist and threatened to beat the crap out of him. My dad believes he rules and no one has any say. I don't think he realized that he turned out like the woman he hated.

 

[SevenWolves]

My dad has an anxiety disorder and I'm pretty sure he's borderline as well but he'll never admit it or seek help.

 

[Abstract]

Technically I shouldn't have voted "yes" but I did. There are no official diagnoses really though other than depression.

But my father had a "mental breakdown" when he was about 10 as a result of his fathers treatment. I know one should not bandy about personality disorder guesses without a proper diagnoses but I would be very surprised if he was not a Narcissist.

My mother was a classic enabler and has suffered depression which has been treated but it was later in adulthood.

 

[Estacia]

Both of my parents were drunks and mentally ill.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

My dad was a sadist and he talked to himself. My mom was depressed and a alcoholic. It was a lethal combination they worked together as a team. It was really hard on me. No wonder I have been so messed up.

 

[ms spock]

Yes there is major depression, gambling addiction, physical violence and alcoholism on my father's side of the family. My father had PTSD (Vietnam Vet) and enjoyed inflicting pain on other people and animals. My mother also enjoyed inflicting pain on other people. On her side of the family there was a tremendous anxiety, emotional manipulation and cruelty as well as other (diagnosed) mental illnesses. My grandmother had terrible depression. On both sides of my family my aunts and uncles are not very well people. All their children (my cousins - could walk past them in the street and not recognise them) and my own siblings are functional, apparently, in society but pretty much cactus. We also have a lot of physical violence and emotional manipulation. There was a lot of sexual abuse as well by both men and women from my grandfather, grandmother, father, uncles etc. All upstanding members of the Catholic Church (and still are!)

We grew up joking my father was a psychopath and my mother was a sociopath - it was away of venting about what they did to us.

As for me, I'm not having kids, so hopefully it ends with me.

Me too LC23!

 

[Katz2]

My whole family, Mum depression, Dad undiagnosed PTSD childhood abuse, real anger problems, sisters depression and my brother has really bad depression, and never really goes out. And me, the one that real freaks out!!!

 

[Philippa]

She has sex with anyone and everyone, frequently without protection, frequently with people she does not know, frequently with compleat moron losers who are really creepy and/or dirty and/or skeezy, and frequently it results in her getting some new STD. I'm afraid that one of these days it's going to be an STD that can't be cured or that might kill her, and I've told her this and that she needs to use protection, but she just tells me what she thinks I want to hear then keeps doing what she does regardless. I don’t know what is wrong with her, but I wish she’d get help. it's like she lacks common sence.

It sounds like your sister has a serious lack of respect for herself, and possibly very low in self-esteem. I think when girls sleep around like this, and with a lack of discrimination, it indicates that they are trying to get something that is missing and think they can only get it by sleeping around...like maybe she feels a desperate need to be accepted and loved and this is the way that makes sense to her?

I don't mean to pry, but has your sister had any past incidences with childhood sexual abuse? That can also lead to this sort of behavior for many young women. It's sad because the outside world perceives them as "just sluts" and will spit on them, when really they are just very messed up and need help and compassion, not judgement.

 

[ms spock]

I don't mean to pry, but has your sister had any past incidences with childhood sexual abuse?

I wondered that as well.

 

[Abstract]

What really gets me is my mother. I can't see her as being truly mentally ill and yet she has been cruel, manipulative and blamed us for both my fathers transgressions and me for other things that have happened to me. She is capable of being very empathic. And there could be something much worse that she did that I can't go near at present. This I don't understand. My father I understand as he was severely damaged.

So in some way my mothers emotionally and verbally abusive behaviour hurts the most.

 

[Lucycat]

No both my parents are technically without mental illness. Which to me makes their behaviour over the years all the more astonishing.