Episode 3

Family Impact

Mental illness impacts the family and extended family in a variety of ways. In this show we will examine how siblings, parents, spouses and others handle the day- to-day challenges of supporting a loved one with mental illness. How do these individuals find support in the community? What unique problems do they encounter? How do they best help their loved one?

Broadcast:
March 22, at 10:30 a.m.
March 30, at 11 p.m.

Person Profiles

Cheri and Brian

Cheri’s mom has spent the majority of her life institutionalized.

Cheri: I think a lot of people think if you have a parent with mental illness that it means every day must be all tragedy and tears, and certainly there’s a lot of that. But you know, she taught me to bake and cook, she taught me all sorts of life skills.

Maritza and Family

"I thought I was functional, so called functional. . . because everything was okay, everything was in place, perfect, my kids were shiny clean. . . their hair was all in place, the meals were cooked, the floors were clean. But I wasn't well. You know, I was exhausted, you know, and I couldn't ride a bus. And I wanted to be with people and I couldn't. I couldn't. And then when I found myself being like my mother. After doing everything, I was in bed for hours, and then when it was time to sleep, I couldn't sleep."

The Burr Family

Tom: People need to have faith and certainly understand that people can be very, very sick with these different mental illnesses but they can and do recover. And a lot of people can really get to the point where they’re living normal lives again.