Is anyone else in your family disabled?

Biblioklept

Just wondered how many of us also have disabled family members or conditions that are hereditary? 

Does it help you feel closer to them as they understand you more?

I wish growing up that I'd been surrounded with more people like me

janer1967

No I'm the only disabled person in the family they do support me but don't really understand what it's like to live with a disability 

66Mustang

Just me with diagnosed issues but we suspect that several elderly family members had OCD but it wasn’t diagnosed back then, it was just called being clean or particular. Same with social anxiety, it was just called being quiet.

bg844

I agree. Years ago you’d get the sarcastic comment such as ‘what’s wrong with you again!’ and a chuckle. Glad it’s taken more seriously nowadays, although I do think far too many people play on MH to get out of situations but it is a tricky situation. 

A few in my family suffer with physical disabilities, like me. Almost all of us have some sort of back issue too, just one of those family things haha.

Biblioklept

I'm the same that lots of my family probably have similar conditions but aren't diagnosed. Most the older generations don't believe in things like mental health and autism / ADHD etc. Lots of the younger generations like my siblings' children have been diagnosed now though. 

66Mustang

I agree, it’s much better that valid mental health issues, which are just as serious and debilitating as physical ones, are taken seriously. I often wonder how I would cope if I lived even 70 years ago with people not understanding. e.g. national service. I wouldn’t trust myself with a gun knowing the nature of my obsessive/compulsive thoughts about losing control. However they’d have made me take one and it would end up putting all my fellow soldiers at risk!!!

That said I agree that some use mental health to get out of situations. I guess it’s another “card” that some have access to, a bit like playing the “race card” or “gender card” to get out of a situation. I try to think before there’s something I don’t want to do: “is it my issues making me not want to do this, or is it just something I don’t want to do?” If the latter I will force myself to do it. As an example, I can “get out” of driving on the motorway because I find it hard but if we need to go on small roads I will always offer to do the driving, even if I don’t want to.

It”a funny how you say about the older generation not believing in mental health as I experience this quite a bit though absolutely not malicious. One of my grandparents refused to believe I had autism as to them I was perfect and there was nothing “wrong” with me. That said I have also had plenty of older people who are perfectly understanding and accepting.

thara9643

No and I’m going to explain why. My cousin had denial (not a protected impairment as I checked). Whenever I talked to her she told me the most ridiculous lie. Her stupid mother was no better and no I don’t believe in denial as it seems to be a exempt disability. Contrary to popular belief disability is not always a good thing. And to sum up severe learning difficulties like denial and lying are not and should never be protected by any law. I’m not being hypocritical either. 

Tori_Scope

I'm not sure I quite understand what you mean @thara9643. Would you mind explaining a little more about what you mean? Is your cousin in denial about being disabled?

thara9643

Tori_Scope said:

I'm not sure I quite understand what you mean @thara9643. Would you mind explaining a little more about what you mean? Is your cousin in denial about being disabled?

Yh which is a shame

just4once

my uncle is and his two sons my dad in denial but we all know four of my children and me all under the asd umbrella though different varieties have been diagnosed over the years from pda to bi polar to Asperger’s some polar opposite’s some similar 

rhi68

My daughter is disabled and one of her disabilities was passed down by me 17q12 microduplication the other was a de nova 

OverlyAnxious

Just me in my immediate family.  I grew up with two older relatives having physical disabilities, though it didn't really help them understand my issues which were largely mental until more recently (although physically debilitating).

I have an unconventional family tree, though it seems that mental health issues were common in both sides of my real family tree...but not spoken about.  It's only the last few years I've been made aware, and had to read between the lines in some cases!

Karen7788

Autoimmune diseases run in my family and also heart disease. 

Biblioklept

OverlyAnxious said:

Just me in my immediate family.  I grew up with two older relatives having physical disabilities, though it didn't really help them understand my issues which were largely mental until more recently (although physically debilitating).

I have an unconventional family tree, though it seems that mental health issues were common in both sides of my real family tree...but not spoken about.  It's only the last few years I've been made aware, and had to read between the lines in some cases!

It's so hard when mental health issues are kept as such a taboo, it's the same in my family. I was diagnosed with ADHD and autism as an adult and I can see so many traits in family members too but the majority don't talk about these things and some don't believe they even exist as conditions.