How to give psychological support to the family of those who have no medical remedy

Faced with the illness of a loved one with severe and incurable pathologies such as Alzheimer's or terminal cancer, relatives may have a time as bad or worse than the patients. In many cases they feel that they are not emotionally prepared to deal with such a situation, and they tend to consider that their suffering is secondary and should not be attended to in the face of the need to support the sick person

But the truth is that the discomfort of the relatives of these sick people is a first level health problem that should not be underestimated or seen as a trifle; That another person is suffering from a very serious pathology does not diminish its importance.

Therefore, Psychology has investigated to discover strategies to support these people, and many psychotherapy professionals are prepared to provide support for family members who may be exposed to these harsh experiences in the face of a very sick loved one. The goal is to prevent the disease from dragging family members towards a mental disorder such as depression, generalized anxiety or post-traumatic stress.

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Tips to help family members of a person with a hopeless disease

If people close to you are going through a stage in which a loved one suffers from a serious illness and without healing, or if you are in this situation yourself, keep these guidelines in mind to deal with the situation.

1. Recommend psychotherapy

Putting yourself in the hands of a competent psychology professional is the first recommendation that can be given to any family member of a sick person, since through psychological therapy they will improve your psychological health and will give you tools to manage your emotions in a functional way, which does not lead to disorders.

A psychologist will be of great help when it comes to expressing everything that makes you feel the illness of your loved one and will provide psychological support at all times in the face of the bad experience that the whole life is going through. family. And it will also offer treatment to those who have already developed psychopathologies.

In addition to that, psychological help also serves to provide the relatives of any patient with useful strategies and guidelines for behavior that psychologically and emotionally benefit the person who is in a disease process. And all this in a personalized way and adapted to the characteristics of each person and/or family, in individual or family sessions.

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2. Encourage expression of feelings

The expression of feelings is a basic need in this type of difficult situation, and for this reason it is essential that the person can express all kinds of feelings and emotions related to the disease your relative.

This expression of feelings is of great help for the person to let off steam and feel better, since in the family context, they often do not do so because they feel guilty if they are "emotionally weak" or because they consider that such expression of feelings does not help the sick person.

To make it easier for the family member to express their feelings openly, the use of the emotional labeling technique is common, a therapeutic practice widely used in consultations psychological consisting of identifying one's own or others' emotions through specific words that can be integrated into meaningful sentences, in order to conceptualize them concrete way, understand them and be able to be aware of the limits of their scope and the suffering they can give rise to, losing the fear of the ideas behind those terms.

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3. Share chores and care

Another of the classic ways we have to help people whose relatives may have serious illnesses is encourage everyone to have time to rest physically and mentally after providing the daily support your family member needs.

This break can be achieved, for example, by establishing shifts to go to the hospital and avoiding that all responsibilities fall on one person.

By dividing the work and care between more than one family member, we will ensure that the whole family can rest throughout of the week and we will avoid psychological alterations caused by an excess of work and attention to the family sick.

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4. know how to disconnect

Disconnecting from time to time is also highly therapeutic for people with sick relatives and to achieve this there are many useful relaxation techniques that can be trained and taught by a professional psychologist.

Some of these techniques can be Mindfulness or Full Attention (to frequently get rid of obsessive thoughts), meditation (practice can help us relax and be in balance and calm with ourselves) and many other activities such as yoga or breathing controlled.

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5. Deal with the subject of death, which is not a taboo

In cases of sick relatives, it is common for the subject of death to become a taboo subject in the family environment; however, psychology professionals recommend talking about it in a natural way to encourage the expression of feelings about that issue and not fall into attempts to block thoughts related to this concept so important.

In psychological therapy, the expression of feelings related to death is usually favored, once again using the practice of emotional labeling, a therapeutic mechanism that helps us to identify our own emotions on a specific topic, to understand them and express them.

Death is a subject that should not be avoided but should not be obsessed either relatives of people with sick relatives, should be treated naturally and whenever the person wishes to do so.

6. Ask other people for help

Another of the classic recommendations that we can make to friends and relatives of sick people is to ask for help from other loved ones, in case they need it.

We all have a close circle of friends and family who can help us in times of greatest difficulty, and when we are suffering for the health of someone there is nothing more comforting than the emotional and sentimental support of a loved one who in shop. At the end of the day, loved ones are there for that.

7. bet on honesty

In cases of illness it is always recommended not keeping the issue secret from people with strong emotional ties to the patient, since this type of management can only lead to problems and subsequent conflicts of all kinds.

This type of conflict of a psychological nature in the face of the concealment of an illness is usually pressure emotional, stress or anxiety, both in the sick person and in those who have been hidden from them. illness.

On the contrary, the most common recommendation that is usually made in these cases is to always be honest. with the illness of the family member and communicate it to those who have a relationship with it, provided that this is so. want.

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8. train social skills

Psychology professionals are also very useful for training all kinds of social skills in family members and friends who want to interact with the sick person, attending and favoring their needs and needs at all times. requirements.

A psychologist will teach us to practice a role of co-therapeutic support towards the sick family member, training non-invasive communication tools, that they serve as support for the person who is having a hard time, respecting their privacy at all times and that they contribute to not altering the environment.

9. Encourage to ask the psychologist all the questions you have

In cases of sick family members, their loved ones find themselves in a situation for which they are not prepared and harbor a multitude of questions, fears and concerns at all times.

It is important that all these questions are formulated before psychology and health professionals and that all fears are addressed from the root, so as not to suffer excessively. Even questions that do not have a clear answer, because they are formulated and raised, help to order ideas and hypotheses.

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10. The importance of free time

As indicated, physical and mental rest is of great importance for relatives of sick people; That is why we must always try to have a moment of rest and free time for ourselves.

This implies allowing ourselves throughout the week to play sports or a favorite pastime, have social relationships stable and healthy, and also carry out all kinds of activities that allow us to disconnect from the suffering that we are going.

Are you looking for professional psychological support?

If you want to start a psychotherapy process, contact me.

I am a Clinical and Expert Psychologist trained in the care of adults and adolescents, and I can assist you in person and online by video call.