A Balanced Life

September 5th, 2008 | by admin |

A Balanced Life
By Tom Smith
Sep 5, 2008 - 8:37:45 AM

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9 Strategies For Coping With the Mental Health Problems of a Loved /> (HealthNewsDigest.com) - A BALANCED LIFE: 9 Strategies for Coping with the Mental Health Problems of a Loved One (Hazelden, Sept. 2008) by Tom Smith is an indispensable resource for the families and friends of the nearly twenty million Americans who suffer from serious chronic mental health disorders*.

*National Institute of Mental Health

It is the book Tom Smith wished existed when his teenage daughter, Karla became deeply depressed. Tom and his family took her to doctors, admitted her to mental health facilities, and scoured books and articles, but they couldn抰 find the right resources to help. In A BALANCED LIFE Smith provides a step-by-step guide for families with mental health illnesses. Through the Karla Smith Foundation, which Tom Smith and his family founded after Karla took her own life, he has researched the very best methods for supporting a mentally ill person抯 ultimate goal to restore (or get for the first time) emotional, mental, spiritual, and behavioral balance. The nine strategies teach family and friends to:

assist a loved one in developing healthy self-esteem
accept mental illness as a fact of life
identify early warning signs that precede a more difficult phase of the illness create a supportive network of family and friends

The nine strategies may seem easy to learn, but implementing them requires a thorough understanding, as provided in A BALANCED LIFE. For example:

Strategy #1 ?Help our loved one find and continue to take the medication needed for a balanced life.

While the intention seems easy, applying it can be tricky. From getting an accurate diagnosis, the right prescription, money to pay for the often exorbitant costs of medicine, and having the patient follow through on a daily basis, there are challenging, but not impossible obstacles. In A BALANCED LIFE, Tom Smith addresses each challenge with wisdom, insight, helpful examples, and invaluable advice.

Strategy #4 ?Assist our loved one in developing a healthy self-esteem

Defining self-esteem is the first step; keeping it balanced is the second. While many with mental illnesses are in need of minimizing their negative self images, others have unrealistically positive self-esteem. While it is always important to support the dreams of a loved one, it is also essential to help them distinguish between achievable dreams and self-destructive fantasies. In order to gain self-esteem, mental health patients are in need of unconditional love ?care, respect, forgiveness, and understanding. In A BALANCED LIFE Tom Smith details how loved ones can offer unconditional love even in the toughest circumstances.

Each chapter of A BALANCED LIFE details one of the strategies for coping with mental illness, including commentary, real-life stories from those who have implemented it, and a series of questions for personal reflection and group discussions. Together the nine strategies provide support for families and friends of loved ones struggling with mental health problems.

In the preface to A BALANCED LIFE Tom Smith writes:

揇uring the seven years my family struggled to cope with Karla抯 bipolar disorder, we received very little guidance. . . no one attempted to understand or clarify our frustration, concern and fear; we had no manual that suggested ways to cope厀e wish we had had these nine strategies to guide us.?

Now the over 100 million friends and family members of people who suffer from chronic mental health disease, have access to solid advice for bringing balance to their loved ones lives, through the wise and supportive guidance in A BALANCED LIFE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Smith is the cofounder of the Karla Smith Foundation (www.karlasmithfoundation.org), which supports parents and loved ones of mentally ill people. The foundation was named after his daughter, Karla, who suffered from bipolar disorder before eventually taking her own life.

A BALANCED LIFE:

9 Strategies for Coping with the

Mental Health Problems of a Loved One

By Tom Smith

ISBN-10: 1-59285-662-4

ISBN-13: 978-1-59285-662-6

$14.95 paperback