I'm just recovering from a bad bug Been shivering, sweating, coughing up lovely stuff! etc Last night I thought I was going to collapse I felt so ill.
Anyway, there's been a case on the News where we don't know the full story yet but it reminded me of how I turned the corner in 2001.
Mothers who care for disabled children.
So often it seems social services fail them. Also though the mothers themselves feel it's their responsibility to care so they feel they don't want to be a burden to others and also fear their child will be taken into care.
However, when the stress of caring and feeling isolated becomes too much, just as happened in 2001, the mother ends up taking her own life together with their childs.
Having looked after my wife for 18 years, to a degree I can understand how they must feel. My wifes illness drove me to self harm and taking overdoses coming close to ending it all because I couldn't see any future or any escape. I felt totally alone with no support and no one even to listen to me so I ended up talking to the samaritans.
When I heard the case in 2001 when they both jumped off a bridge, I realised I wasn't the only one suffering in this way. In 2006 there was another identical case and now it appears there could be a similar case although I know the truth is unclear at present. I also remember a case not long ago where the mother took the lives of her grown up disabled twins because caring for them simply became too much.
I know it's down to social services to provide adequate support which is now what my wife and I have been receiving since 2003 after I pushed them to help us but these cases are still happening which is a needless loss of life.
When I was ill, I felt I couldn't turn to carers helplines or groups because I felt the vast majority of members were elderly. Also, I felt I didn't fit in because of my anxiety and so they wouldn't understand how I felt.
It is Absolutely Vital that people under so much stress don't feel alone and that they feel they have someone who understands who they can talk to. I feel there is a big loophole in the system or these cases wouldn't keep happening.
All I needed was someone to talk to or somewhere I could offload like on here. It's only in places like this that I feel comfortable and I feel perhaps that others in my situation would feel that too.
Sometimes we feel there is nothing practical that can be done or be offered by others but a simple comforting voice knowing that we're not alone I believe could be a life saver. I wish more people knew of this site because then maybe more lives would be saved.
The question is though, how does a comforting voice reach out to those who are suffering alone who are desperately in need?