My entire household suffers with some sort of depression- my son (20) and I have bipolar type 2, my husband suffers from clinically depression, and my daughter (18) has PTSD. We each have our own med dr and therapist. At times, it is darkly humorous (if one of us is out of meds, we can borrow from another who takes the same meds, and we can speak with authority when friends ask about the mental health system).
Most of the time, it is like walking through a dimly lit room, afraid of running into a piece of furniture or something. You can never be sure what you'll encounter. I can't remember when all four of us were "up" at the same time (I tease that if we were, it would cause such a bright light, the neighborhood would think it was a solar flare). It is usually 1 or 2 if us struggling to cope at any given moment.
For the past couple of months, it has been worse (2020 description, anyone?). It is usually 2-3 of us, with one of us carrying the load. Since Christmas, it is all four of us. Nothing is being maintained at home, meals are a rarity, and good hygiene is considered an accomplishment.
Is there anyone else in this situation? I've searched, but all I've found are threads/information on helping a family member. I need help with family memberS, if not the whole household. #familydepression #familysupport #depressedfamily