Obsessed

Some things are so close to you emotionally that you don't talk about them often for a number of reasons. Those of you who read this blog though know me fairly well and know that my Mother has a mental illness. I'm not going to get into all the details but I can say dealing with that has been the biggest challenge in my life. And it's not one of those things that just goes away. My point in writing this post is for those of you who have struggled like me. I've recently found, thanks to my husband who deals with this along with me, some websites that can give support and helpful ideas to children who's parents suffer from mental illness. Here are the links: http://www.b2g5.com/boards/board.cgi?&user=nnaami
http://nnaami.org/

When I heard that the show Obsessed was coming out on A&E I didn't want to see it. Just because it's so close to home, and I feel so terrible for those people. If I didn't have a close family member who suffered with some of the things they showed in the first episode I probably would not have believed those stories. I did watch it and I'm glad I did. It's bringing more awareness to the general public about OCD and other anxiety disorders. If you get a chance and are interested you should check it out.

It's interesting because I feel like I can spot these behaviors in others so quickly. Maybe because I'm just more aware of what it is. There is a man on our cross street who I see every time I drive to the main road. He wears the same orange hat every day. He goes the same route at the same times. He walks up to the near by church, walks a certain way, a certain number of steps. Sometimes when I see him he looks so exhausted, but if he does suffer from OCD which I think he does, he has to complete his ritual, no matter how badly he feels or how uncomfortable he is. It just makes me sick to see people become slaves to these rituals, to the doubts in their minds. And as sad as I feel for them, I feel just as bad for their families, who worry, and sacrifice, and kill themselves to help and see no progress. But as hard as it is I won't ever give up on my Mom. I just can't. And so I continue to struggle, and will press on but at least I know now there are people to talk to, forums to write to, and others like me who share their stories and feelings. My hope is that these links can help someone else out there who's had it and doesn't know what else to do or where else to go. We all have our different beliefs and support systems or lack thereof, but sometimes it just makes you feel better to know that someone else really does know what you are going through.