Paint Party Friday Silent Victims

 Paint Party Friday

Digital Color Edits

 ART JOURNAL JOURNEY

Frida  Kahlo

Loads of online  discussion this week about Mental illness.  A conversation long overdue. However, I'd hoped for a  more balanced discussion, instead it's been confession overload. Not included are the silent victims! Friends, family and co-workers contending with an affected person. The ramification and dark side of the illness has been evaded!

Wip...quite suitable for this post though

When a   high profile tragedy occurs, or a Movie star is exposed, the illness is headlined!  Yet we rarely hear from parents, spouses or siblings about  preceding behavior.  They're silent with fear of reprisal. No one wants to be on the "naughty list" of a mentally unstable person! 

" Is this what normal feels like?" a friend once said after a stint of medication during a short bout of depression. I was oblivious to the severity of my friends depression.  Not everyone goes off the rails with mental illness, some manage very well without affecting others!

 

  Whether it's a mood, Psychotic disorder, impulse control, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, eating or personality disorder at times it can be so debilitating with a trickle down affect on families!  Not all disorders make people unstable, but when they do it can have devastating affects on  friends and family! As we all saw last week when a revered man sadly decided to exit the world without warning.

We often hear about the derelict with mental illness, not the functioning family member or quiet coworker with off beat behavior humour. Many amazing fun people draw you into their world with no indication they suffer any disorders. They shine with wonderful creative gifts, able to accomplish the extraordinary. However the downside  can equal the upside. Those dips can be so scary and unpredictable to the observer.  Much like addiction there can be multiple facets of mood. Be wary if you tick them off, I assure you there WILL be consequences! Not  the " Let me buy you an ice-cream and we'll  talk calmly about this!" either. It's more likely to be, "Get in my car and watch me drive really fast and scary as I persuade you to see things my way!"

  Many people function unaware they're ill. A family member can go years without  suspecting  their partner has a mental illness, even though  something feels strangely off!!  I've seen families constantly appease a member who terrorizes the family if they don't get their own way. Much like addiction you can't predict when bad behavior will arise or who will be affected.

Original done in Acrylic!

The  Manic side of a bipolar person can be so incredibly attractive and alluring. You can't help but adore them, their grandiose ideas, sense of adventure and bravado! How does a child, a parent, or a sibling deal with the ugly down side of a loved ones disorder? I have been wondering this for years.

Years ago a highly medicated schizophrenic coworker fell in love with me. He was on  the maximum  medication you could take and still function!! We  worked intimately  during  late shifts. He'd say and do bazaar things that totally scared me. His wife left, but said he was  a  phenomenal man before his illness. One can only imagine how difficult it was for that family living with an almost complete stranger. It's not just about someone who's unwell, it's about loved ones living with them too!

Credit goes to Cupcake for this amazing flower. Taken at Coal Harbour in Vancouver B.C.

  How do we have a fair conversation about mental illness without offending anyone?  How do people cope with the one person who tends to wreak havoc in a family. Do they hold them accountable for their actions,  do they avoid them,  stand up to them, do they set strict boundaries or do they  continue to appease them?  How does one endure a loved one when they can't divorce them? Do you have special coping skills  for someone you love? What's a safe solution?