[live2ski66]

Hello, not sure where this goes. My biggest challenge in my quest to live a healthy life with my MDD, BPD, Anxiety is my biological family. Ever since I can remember I was "the American". Even growing up in Latin America, all I thought of was returning to my country and not have to put up with all the insults (at least they felt like insults) from my family and the locals because I was American. Fast forward many years and I'm officially diagnosed first with mild depression then Cyclothymia. It took a while, and I never really convinced my father, but he came the closest to accepting what I go through. The rest of the lot, and there are many, refuse to accept that I have a disease and that. Mental Health is a serious issue. My diagnosis has evolved to MDD, BPD, anxiety. It takes a superhuman effort to visit them in Colombia, but meds and DBT have helped. Today I was talking to one of my aunts and typical she was dismissing my challenges, her opinion was if I found a Catholic Priest (the only kind) confessed and repented from my sins I would be cured. It hurts so very much when they say these absolutely ignorant statements. It's not like they are not intelligent, my aunt is an Architect and yet she can be so ignorant and callous.

Anyone else experience this? I find it hard to believe I'm the only one dealing with a family that refuses to accept reality. I would love to hear from you and how you deal with them. My method, to cut all ties with them is just as "stupid" as their rejection of reality.

I don't tell my parents. Well my mother because my father stop speaking to me decades ago. I don't tell my aunt eith even though she was diagnosed with something. Probably depression or bipolar. Since we don't discuss it I don't know. It is not a cultural difference in my case. It is generational. They come from a time when you simply don't talk about mental illness and therapy is shameful. They took me to some sort of professional when I was 11 but that stopped as soon as their behavior was questioned. 3 months or so.

They also didn't talk about benign things like age. So if you were to ask me the age of my mother I would have to look it up. Since they shamed me from asking I mentally block it out.

If I don't seem too concerned about it it is because I have accepted it as par for the course a long time ago. There is nothing to be gained from trying to discuss it. If your mental illness is the primary rift then it is understandable why this is painful. I don't know. You may have to let it go somewhat because of the cultural acceptances between Columbia and here. They might learn to come around in time. Sorry I don't have better advice.

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[saw_q]

well it's true..
mental illness is a bit shameful to talk about. Anyway it's still a illness. as my experience there are many perception about it. Some are positive and some are negative too... anyway if we positive go trough a long the way. the result will be positive. Try some herbs coz body need his food. it think time by time we will recover something.

Tq.
Saw