I think that some of the reasons family and others don't feel comfortable or act supportive about our depression or other problems, is that they are not sure what to do/say. I have found that sending them website pages and e-mails describing the problems I have and the challenges I face every day in trying to live in the real world, at least gets them to understand a little bit. I know it seems that it's all we want/need to talk about sometimes, and they get tired of hearing about it, like we are always making excuses, but it suffocates and cripples us sometimes, so it is really important, and it's hard for them to see that because they just don't understand. I have found that only directing my talking about it to others who either understand from experience or are trained in this area is better for me, because I don't feel so ignored/disrespected. To those who really don't want to hear about it, due to ignorance or burnout of hearing about it, I try to focus more on normal things and just wait til they actually ask me how I'm doing. It's hard when it's your loved ones. I remind myself it's not because they don't care, it's because they don't know any better. THen I feel better. I wish you strength!
L.
