[chameleon83]

Hi,
My mom has an anxiety disorder that is becoming far worse. My dad refuses to believe that anything's up, even though my mom has literally been treated for it before, and he thinks that she just needs to stop worrying. How can I get my dad to understand that my mom needs help?
Thanks!
~Emma

[Junerain]

Maybe make a list for your Dad, showing how your Mom's anxiety affects everyone in the family's daily lives? You could also print out information from the internet, or books on anxiety, and leave it somewhere your Dad reads it. You could even show your Dad your very post on this website!

[chameleon83]

Originally Posted by Junerain

Maybe make a list for your Dad, showing how your Mom's anxiety affects everyone in the family's daily lives? You could also print out information from the internet, or books on anxiety, and leave it somewhere your Dad reads it. You could even show your Dad your very post on this website!

Thank you so much for your advice!

[Fury]

Give him a Jack in the Box that is stuck closed and tell him to crank it. When it doesn't pop up and you can tell he's irritated by it to the point of getting downright angry and scared, you can then explain to him that this is how anxiety feels all the time - even when there's no Jack in The Box there.

Then say, "stop worrying" and walk away.

[chameleon83]

Originally Posted by Fury

Give him a Jack in the Box that is stuck closed and tell him to crank it. When it doesn't pop up and you can tell he's irritated by it to the point of getting downright angry and scared, you can then explain to him that this is how anxiety feels all the time - even when there's no Jack in The Box there.

Then say, "stop worrying" and walk away.

Thanks for your advice, too!

[MsLady]

Your dad needs to understand that if she was capable of not "worrying" she would have done so a long time ago. It's not a choice nor is it always circumstantial. Sometimes it's biological and needs intervention.

He needs to be ready to receive this information. I'm sure there's online resources he can tap into.. and maybe watch it together as a family.. some kind of webinar about anxiety?

[Helper2]

Do you think their might be a correlation between your Dad not caring and your moms anxiety disorder?

[Iloivar]

What does your dad say when you bring it up? Why does he think there's nothing wrong? could be ignorance, denial, etc. If you don't know his perspective, perhaps understanding it would help you make him understand. If you already know, the info could help posters with their advice.