Final Project

Having a mental illness is something that is hard by itself. But having to watch your dad have a mental illness while also trying to be a kid is something that nobody should deal with. Here is a short clip of Heather Vanderlaan talking about having to give up things for her dad.

While talking to different people I started to see it was not just physical things they had to give up. It was a feeling they had to give up.

There is a moment of relief when the family member or loved one gets diagnosed or has a name for what is going on. But the relief always seems to come too late. The family has already fallen apart and the only person that can put it back together is the one that just got diagnosed.

I talked a lot with Heather about what it was like to be in her shoes. She talked about how even though her dad had gotten better with time, she still struggled with how his mental health affected her. He had done everything that needed to be done to help fix his relationships but she was still left dealing with the aftershocks of what she went through.