For those who don't know me, my husband and I live with my mom who is 91 and has Alzheimer's and a weak heart. I take medication for depression but it still gets a hold of me. We rarely get out together as my mom can't be alone. My brother and sister live far away...brother gives us breaks maybe once or twice a year. Sister doesn't lift a finger. I've been doing this for almost 5 years and making other arrangements is not an option for me. My husband says I'll feel better in the spring. I don't know... Guilt goes along with the depression. If I don't do anything I feel guilty, but I some days don't feel up to doing a thing.
okay I am losing it..
Lithium is the standard old drug that is still used for people with bipolar disorder I, the manic kind.
I've never heard of a doctor tell someone they are too young for depression. That's a hoot! I'd like to see his credentials and how much continuing education has he done or is he going by his yellow faded notes from med school.
There are people in their 20ties with clinical depression. There are people including some teens who are in situational depression. I think that unless you have something like I do, bipolar II the depressive kind, then your depression is more situational. My situational depression makes my bi-polar II worse. I'm changing my psychiatirst because the other one that I have had since the fall of 2002 was no longer helping me.
May I suggest that you ask around for a psychiatrist with a good reputation for they are the ones who are trained to really give the meds. Also, as I tell about everyone here, please make getting a therapist part of your self-care program.
My wife and I both have a church version of PSTD from 20 years of working with some very sick situations from the inside (not all of them Priase God) where most who attend don't even know as well as two places that threatened my life and were exceedingly abusing to my wife which was just like her family of origin that sent her as well as our whole family on quite of trip of her going in and out of hospitals over and over again. Now, we go, but don't get involved beyond attending and if we pick up on something going on that triggers our PSTD and we stay away from church for a while. I could go onto describe how this has impacted our boys, but I'll hold on that one.
many of us did not have a nice childhood with these folks and a lot of that raises it's ugly head,,,cause it's like a worsened continuation...also some of the parents here are so pyhsicaly declining that it's almost impossible to take care of them inside the home any longer
Oh any my father kept a grudge about me moving out at 20...he called it RUNNING AWAY...yeah running away at 20..yeah running away from HELL.
raised two kids for 17 years on my own, and LOVE art!!
ya,D&M I love art and i am 100 % sure i wouldn't make a living on it lol! I love modge podge (i am way behind the times)
TGIF
Please don't hate yourself for wanting your life back. That's normal. The self-hate, guilt and resentment that I hear going on is directly connected to those triggers you mentioned. Abusive parents have a way of making their children feel self-hatred and gulty for even wanting their own life for they program them to be more attentive to the parent's needs to the point of doing nothing for the child's needs except using them for their own dominating neediness.
Personally and professionally, I would say that you definitly need counseling to help you with this delima. The kind of issues being dealt with here are not resolved by prayer and friendships alone as helpful as they are.
Your family is obviously more concerned about themselves than your mom or that she was abusive which makes it very difficult for you to care for her which is totally understandable and normal and by their actions they are being abusive as well.
What a bold move for them to move take over her house without even dicussing this with you. I assume they are sending her the rental money?
Who has durable and medical POA? If they don't have durable POA, then they don't have the legal authority to rent her house out.
Is your famiy holding her money under their control so that you and your husband have to foot the whole bill? What kind of resources if any does your mother have?