Am I a Mental Health Carer?
Does someone close to you live with mental health challenges?
Do you support someone living with mental health challenges, either emotionally, practically or financially?
Do you spend time worrying about someone with mental health challenges?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you are a mental health carer.
What is a Mental Health Carer? Who are they?
If you are someone primarily taking care of a family, friend or acquaintance living with mental health challenges, there’s a good chance that you are a Mental Health Carer.
Mental Health Carers are:
The people collecting their family members or friend from the mental health unit…
The people taking their loved ones to their weekly appointment with the psychologist or psychiatrist…
The people who make sure their loved one has taken their medication…
The mothers and fathers, wives and husbands, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, neighbours and friends who have someone close to them living with mental ill-health.
You don’t have to live with the person or be their main support to be a mental health carer. People of all ages can be carers, including children. The majority of carers are not paid.
Australia has over 240,00 unpaid mental health carers.
Let’s take a moment to comprehend how hard it is when someone close to you struggles with mental ill-health. The energy it requires to make sure that they take their medications and show up for their appointments. The constant worrying about their safety or the change in their mood or behaviour. The effort it takes to organise not only your own life, but theirs as well, and you do it all – day-in-day-out, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day – because you love them and you feel you have no other choice but to care for them and do what needs to be done.
HelpingMinds® acknowledges these challenges and is here to help support the supporters. We offer free and confidential services to people who have a loved one living with mental health challenges.
Contact us today to find out how we can help you and your family.
“It has been a light switched on for me knowing there are people and organisations there to help after many years.”
