It is important to have a good support team.

No matter what condition, disorder or disease a person has, it has been proven in many studies that a strong support team is important. A spouse, close friend, sponsor, life coach and, in a lot of cases, a family member is usually the one who closely takes care of the one who is dealing with an illness. The person closest to the one who has the condition is the one who takes care of basic necessities, offers assistance on a variety of tasks and provides emotional support throughout the days.

Many vital people make up the support team for people dealing with mental illness. Often a psychiatrist, psychologist, general practitioner, a support group, family and friends offer a better life through their support. However, there are many cases where one or more of the support team members are not good with helping the person they are supporting. Therefore, it is important to find a way to not seek as much help from that particular person. In my case, I have a friend who used to always need my help. I drove her to hospitals, stores, grocery stores, to her friends’ houses and other various places. I did this because I believed that helping her would inadvertently help me. After many months of doing everything I could for her, after all, I was her friend; I could not handle the stress she was producing in me. So I stood up and asserted myself by telling her we would keep in contact but that I was not driving her all over the place anymore. Our relationship is better these days and I no longer feel resentful toward her.

A psychiatrist is necessary in most cases in case of emergency and to dispense medications. He/she also make sure all the medications work well together in one’s body. By using various styles of therapy techniques, the psychologist makes life a little easier by helping one with their issues as well as helping one find solutions to the symptoms produced by their particular mental illness. A general practitioner takes care of any health issues that may come with a mental illness such as: Obesity, cardiovascular and pulmonary conditions, underactive thyroid issues and conditions that occur with smoking and/or consuming alcohol or drugs. A support group that concentrates on dealing with mental disorders is very helpful and the members can become very good friends. Family and friends are extremely important as they have spent the most time with the one with the disorder. This allows them a firsthand look at what benefits the person such as medication reminders and a lot of emotional support.

Although I have found a lot of outside support for my mental disorder, it has been more difficult to find outside support for my eating disorder. The main support I have found is my diabetic management nurse. She has taught me how to eat correctly in order to keep my blood sugar levels under control as well as being a big supporter in controlling my eating disorder symptoms. Having a professional in my corner cheering me on has been of great help. Most of my binging is under control due to the help of that one person. I have one friend with an eating disorder who I stay in regular contact with. She understands what I am going through and supports me no matter what I am dealing with. I am also fortunate to have a few sisters, a mother and a father who support me for which I am very grateful. Some people dealing with an eating disorder find help in groups but often finding themselves comparing their weight to those who are in the group.  Support for my eating disorder comes from family, friends and one outside professional.

So how does a support team help manage a mental or eating disorder? The answer is - a few different ways. When one is feeling poorly and symptoms are hard to deal with, a friend or family member can lend a sympathetic ear or find ways to distract one. When I am really depressed and my father suggests we go to a coffee house. The trip helps distract me from dwelling on my problems which in turns lifts the depression. My friends also help distract my mind from my problems by talking to me about pleasant things or talking about their life. I can see one of the professionals who treat me such as my psychiatrist who may need to change my medication or my diabetic management nurse who can help steer me in the right direction with my eating habits. A group has the advantage of having people in it who all need support for a specific disorder, illness, or disease. The group shares their experience with their particular symptoms which allows one to not feel so alone and pick up some valuable advice along the way. All in all, a support team can be the deciding factor on the quality of life one has by lending their support to the one with a disorder.