If someone you love has mental illness, it is important for you, your loved one, and your loved one’s healthcare team to work together. You may also want to get other members of your family involved. Learn all you can about your loved one’s illness, and understand coping techniques and tips. Healthcare professionals may be able to offer suggestions and tips on how to control frustration, clearly communicate with your loved one, set boundaries, and more.

Mental illness can be disabling for your loved one, especially during an episode of depression, mania, or psychotic behavior. While these episodes are occurring, you may also benefit from professional healthcare assistance.

The following suggestions may help you on a day-to-day basis while caring for someone with mental illness.

• Identify reasonable and obtainable goals. Setting expectations too high sets everyone up for stress and failure. Encourage and recognize progress, even if it is less than what was hoped for. Goals for some people may be taking a course at school or part-time volunteer work; for others, an achievable goal may be getting out of bed and coming to the dinner table.
• Learn to reduce stress. Stress is a normal part of life, and as a caregiver, you may experience higher levels of stress because of your responsibilities. Your loved one may not be able to interpret your stress as something apart from them or their behavior—and they may not be able to handle your stress. Stress may make people with mental illness vulnerable to relapse. It is important as a caregiver to take steps to reduce your own stress as well as provide direction to your loved one on ways to reduce their stress.
• Talk to each other and to the healthcare team. Communication is important if you're going to work together.
• Be encouraging and supportive. A critical,  over-involved, or overprotective attitude may be threatening to people who are ill and may undermine their confidence.
• Learn problem-solving techniques. It's important that people be able to solve their own problems. However, you can all work together to identify problems and possible solutions.
• Be sensitive. Avoid comparisons to friends, colleagues, or family members. Other people's success at work, school, or in their social lives may only worsen demoralization.
• Encourage compliance in taking medication. Families should encourage loved ones to follow the clinician's instructions regarding their medication. Without nagging or criticism, you can help them remember to take their medication by pointing out how much they have accomplished.
• Avoid relapse by knowing the early signs. If you notice your loved one losing interest in things, becoming increasingly depressed, having difficulty concentrating, withdrawing socially, having difficulty making decisions, having sleep problems, feeling overcommitted or over expansive, or if you notice other feelings or actions unique to your loved one, call the clinician immediately. Getting professional help early enough may prevent a relapse.

How You Can Help Yourself

Caring for someone with mental illness takes a good deal of energy, balance, and hard work. You may need to constantly juggle schedules, make and keep medical appointments, keep track of medications, and more—not to mention the emotional toll. It can be a day-in, day-out grind ...without a day off. As the days fill up, it's important to remember to schedule some time for yourself, as impossible as that may seem.

Here are some simple steps you can take to recharge:

• Call a friend
• Go for a long walk
• Curl up with a book
• Rent a favorite video
• Take a hot bath
• Have a massage
• Write a letter
• Listen to your favorite music
• Take 10 minutes to do whatever you like best