Reply to How to approach a friend in total denial

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP, with regard to your friend being in "total denial," sometimes being in "total denial" and having relentless optimism when the reality of the situation is much worse, is OK and even healthy. I think that things can be too much to bear and denial is a type self-protection that allows a person to cope.[/quote]

And allows them to keep going. This is an endurance race. Trying different medications takes time. A long time. There are side effects that are unpleasant for the person taking them and sometimes for those around them. The treatment itself can have ill effects and involve risks. People relapse. It's extremely complicated. I see your concern and probably everybody wishes they could just wish the young mans illness away. But that's like saying you wish you could be rich. It doesn't work that way. So instead you do the best you can, follow professional advice, or not because that too can sometimes be wrong, uncaring, or manipulative when it comes to psychiatry. You love your child and try to understand them. You do everything to both relieve their suffering and preserve their future. It's a tightrope walk. You worry about the worst outcome and you ride on every Ray of hope. There is a new normal that may be temporary or permanent and that's OK. It's lonely so stick by OP. You're a good friend but know this is really complicated. Your friend is having thousands of thought a day about this. It sounds like as a family they are doing the best they can. One thought is to suggest a brief stint of family counseling for the parents and younger son together to get support and hear each other and find ways to address everybody's needs.  Another is to recommend they partake of NAMI support meetings for families of people with mental illness. There may be groups in your area. They can get ideas from others there as well. This is more in line with accepting the situation for what it is instead of trying to magically will it away. [/quote]

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