At the beginning, family members affected by mental health, alcohol and other drug problems might talk about what's happening in their family. They might tell other family members and friends that their child has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Or talk about their child using illegal drugs. I know this because it was like this for me. At the beginning I thought I could try to help others to learn about and understand these problems as I muddled through trying to work out what it all meant. Alternatively, we might listen to the advice of family and friends (of which there is plenty that is well intentioned) and seek their help to give us a break from the stress and worry of it all - maybe
Family members affected by mental health, alcohol and other drug problems are usually reluctant to talk about their experiences because of the stigma and discrimination they experience within their own family and in the community. Layered on top of stigma and discrimination are feelings of guilt and shame about what they could or should have done differently. This combination of negative feelings and experiences often results in families becoming socially isolated, seeking to hide the problem and trying to deal with it all within the family. Although understandable, this strategy actually doesn't work. What happens instead is that families find themselves going around in circles trying to so
