We certainly got people talking in response to the article Does Your Partner Look Like Your Opposite Sex Parent? While researchers at the University of Pecs in Hungary were busy finding statistically significant links between the similarities in appearance between your father and your partner if you are a female, and alternatively, your mother and your female partner if you are a male, readers at Families were conducting their own anecdotal experiments!
Thanks to all contributors, both public and private. It seems that, in general, we are mortified to think that we have chosen someone who might possibly look like their opposite sex parent, but emotionally and biologically it all makes sense, as explained in this recent study from Hungary. A fascinating topic!
We also looked at the disheartening phenomena that, despite years of intense public education and awareness, depression still survives as an illness with an attached stigma in general society. Again researchers, this time in Australia, have found that one in five people would chose not to work with a person suffering from depression.
We can be optimistic here and rejoice in the fact that 80% said they would accept a depressed person in the workplace. However, the remainder who do not accept depression as a real illness that can strike anyone, make it that much more difficult to be upfront about how we are feeling. Ironically, the failure to disclose and thus be possibly supported at work means that productivity drops, so the continuing failure to recognize and accept depression and other emotional illnesses has a negative effect on those people who reject the sufferer as well. So in this case, neither party wise. You can read about this in Depression Is Still a Stigma.
With this topic in mind, we then looked at Telling People About Your Mental Illness. Clients often ask “should I tell or should I keep it to myself?” and it is up to each person to decide for themselves who they should talk to about their mental illness problems and who the information is best withheld from. But it is important for each sufferer to be clear as to the reasons for disclosure. Some people are happy to tell everyone, others are much more circumspect. So, in order to assist the latter group, we looked at tips on how to go about disclosing to those who need to know.
Finally, in Setting Boundaries When You Have a Mental Illness we looked at the importance of having a healthy set of personal boundaries when others may use the fact that you have a mental health condition to their advantage.
Contact Beth McHugh for further assistance regarding this issue.
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Related articles:
Does Your Partner Look Like Your Opposite Sex Parent?
Setting Boundaries When You Have a Mental Illness
Telling People About Your Mental Illness