Family not supportive of my feelings

Ever since I was five years old I've essentially been living "under the radar". All muscles in my body are always tense and I can feel some surge of excess energy when I'm not moving. It makes me constantly drained of energy; I often stop moving intermittently when I walk. Even though I can carry out normal daily tasks such as eating, shopping, washing, putting on my clothes, going to school, and placing newly-dished stuff on their right places, they all take me several mental/physical hiccups to perform. I am also emotionally numb, so I can just barely feel things such as smell, food and touch. I also feel detached from myself. The biggest problem I have is that I feel unable to focus on my studies and solve problems that require you to personally analyse and figure out the solution to, both at school and elsewhere. I experience constant intrusive thoughts and my mind feels like it blacks out very often, making this very difficult. I can often just see one side of an issue that may require you to think about it in four or even more sides. I do not enjoy anything in life and my self-esteem is very low.

My parents support me in the sense that they've referred me to psychologists and doctors who've all prescribed me various medications. I'm currently on Anafranil at 75 mg per day. I previously took 150 mg per day but my parents believed that it was better for me at 75 mg when I was at that dose previously, so we halved it down after consulting with the doctor. My father essentially thinks I'm just lazy and trying to earn sympathy when I describe my feelings to him, telling me to just get over it and move on. My brother is just as negative and sometimes laughs and even makes fun of the way I've described my feelings.

The big problem I have with my parents is that they appear to dictate the treatment I get for my illness. They believe that it was better for me last time at 75 mg, even though I do not agree. They also just focus on the positives and never on the negatives. For example, when I tell them that I have concentration problems, they say that I am on a difficult education and the examination is not easy. When they do perceive something abnormal with me, they always say that it's a side effect of my medication. They never accept my negative feelings about myself and always try to swing them away with some basic logical reasoning. They never listen to how I feel about myself and how I feel the treatment has affected me. The fact is that nothing has changed for the better, and I would've rather seen the dose being increased from 150 mg rather than being halved back down. They think that they're always right about their way of seeing things.

How can I make my parents listen to me more?

HI!
how old are you?

CammieMe wrote:HI!
how old are you?

I just turned 21.

I want to add that often times, when I tell my parents about a symptom, they ask me "Is this a new thing?". They may also say things such as "Get over it, focus on the positives instead" or "You're trying to look for problems". They want to make it sound as though things are only good and getting better with me.

Sometimes, we always have the thoughts that our family is not supportive but it's not. I'm sure that parents are more affected when they feel that their child is not okay. Parents have different ways of showing their love and concern to their kids.

If you've turned 21, perhaps you can talk with your doctor and explain that you felt better on the higher dosage and want to be back on that regimen. And do this appointment without your parents' knowledge, even though you may be on the family's insurance policy.

You are old enough to know how your body/mind is working to discuss a prescription regimen with your doctor without your parents' interference. Take your health into your own hands, don't rely on what your parents/ brother think is best for you. Yeah, parents want to think the best for their kids, but their way of thinking may not be the best for you and your mental health. They don't know know how your body and mind work, only you do.

CammieMe wrote:Sometimes, we always have the thoughts that our family is not supportive but it's not. I'm sure that parents are more affected when they feel that their child is not okay. Parents have different ways of showing their love and concern to their kids.

I totally agree with you!

They may also say things such as "Get over it, focus on the positives instead" or "You're trying to look for problems". They want to make it sound as though things are only good and getting better with me.