Does you family believe you, that you have SAD?

[ShyArtist1981]

I´ve only told my mom recently that I have SAD and she believes me but doesn´t seem to care or show any interest in understanding what it is. I know my dad and other family members wouldn´t care so I won´t even bother with them. I´ve told a couple co-workers about my SAD too but they didn´t care either. I need to find a therapist that cares but if I feel he / she doesn´t care then I don´t know what I will do.

 

[illuminationSP]

I keep my family in the dark, which is exactly where they belong.

 

[lilymartens]

Since I was at the psychiatrist, I think my mother realized that I have a serious problem, and I'm not just making things up. I guess she needed to hear it from someone else, from a professional. But now she's willing to help, and that's a great feeling.

 

[dottie]

yes, they know. but they cannot appreciate the extent and all the different ways it affects me. it is easier to dismiss avoidance as laziness or disinterest rather than raw nerves and utter humiliation. they cannot see the humility i feel in slurring speech, not being able to present myself with an authoratative adult demeanor. they cannot see the implosion of fear i feel, the anxiety attacks. the debilitation is what they cannot appreciate.

it's important to not let it defeat you, though. you still have to push yourself.

 

[chola]

Mine's similar to dottie. My husband understands me, but the rest of my family just thinks I'm inconsiderate. Well, it is inconsiderate not to talk to people, but I think if they could actually understand how difficult it is for me to have a ten minute conversation sometimes, they might not be so offended. It's not as if I haven't told them how difficult it is, it's just that they don't understand. I think they are so caught up in how my SA makes them feel that they don't think about how it makes ME feel. I've done some other things that were genuinely inconsiderate, I mean other than just not talking to people, so I think it's just easier for them to group it all together.

 

[IamThisOne]

I told my grandmother and my brother. My grandmother didn't seem to know what it was and concentrated more on my depression. My brother didn't seem to understand the severity. He thinks it's kind of dumb.

 

[quietkiwi]

My family accept it but don't fully understand it, mainly because while I've always been quieter than most people I know, I also used to be very outgoing when I was younger. I guess somewhere along the line I started caring too much what people thought of me and what I said infornt of others. I got the lazy comments too which is far from true, I guess many parents just want to see you out enjoying yourself and when your not and they don't know why or can't understand it they have trouble handling it.

It's interesting to hear others talk about a fear of talking on the phone. For me this has been a huge problem and I always find it so difficult to explain to people. I always wondered if many people had the same problem, so thanks to those that shared this.

 

[Silentknight]

My mom knows something isn't quite right with me but she doesn't understand exactly how bad it is but my dad thinks I'm lazy.

 

[Kiwong]

Yes, my family know and believe.

 

[JCVA]

My family doesn't believe me. They think Im kidding around and it is kinda frustrating when they tell me to just get over it. *sigh* Although they care about my well-being, its clear to me that they haven't been around with people that have these problems.

 

[Moon4]

I definitely have that problem. Most of my family just thinks I'm too lazy to leave the house & refuse to get a job & do other things on purpose. Even my mom, who's lived with me my whole life & should know me better by now, still asks why I don't just go do something because she doesn't realize how hard everything is for me. I wish I could talk to her, but she's not the kind of person I can talk to about things like that.

That's the same for me! I wish, my parents can understand me, but no. They even don't try to understand. They don't see the little things I've done. They don't know how I feel bad when I'm talking on the phone or walking in a crowded place. ::