Research shows that young adults with mental illness and their parents experience many problems. This has been facilitated by mental illness and the negative aspects associated with the same. In fact, young adults with mental illness are viewed as burdens to their parents and the society. Thus, their relatives, neighbors and even other family members do not like to be associated with them. Equally, this has seen their relatives and other family members neglecting them. This also encompasses parents of young adults with mental illness.
Parents are not likely to neglect young adults with mental illness. Furthermore, they have the obligation to provide care to young adults with mental illness. Thus, whenever young adults with mental illness are neglected, their parents are also neglected. This has resulted in social network and personal loss for young adults with mental illness and their parents.
Young adults with mental illness need special care and treatment. This can be offered by parents, family members and relatives. However, relatives and even family members get bored leaving the parents as the appropriate people that can take care of the young adults with mental illness. This means that parents will sacrifice their time to be with young adults with mental illness. Some of them will even quit work to provide proper and decent care to the affected persons.
Resigning is a form of personal loss. Parents of young adults with mental illness cannot receive monthly salaries after resigning. This will reduce their level of income and will even lead to poverty. Equally, some might opt for fewer working hours than usual so that they can have ample time to take care of young adults with mental illness. This will decrease their income levels, and it will be difficult for them to provide basic needs for their families.
Additionally, some of the parents of young adults with mental illness might be entrepreneurs. There is the likelihood that they might not carry out their entrepreneurial activities. Also, that will contribute to social network and personal loss.
The other perspective of personal loss encompasses the young adults with mental illness. Young adults with mental illness depend on their parents for basic needs. They do not have the ability to work to meet their basic needs. It is a form of personal loss for the young adults with mental illness because they cannot be trained so that they can take up employment opportunities. In fact, they remain dependent on their parents for the rest of their lives.
Social network loss can be viewed from many angles. It involves communication within the society. Human beings are social beings, and they are entitled to associate. Associating with family members only can be boring. Thus, people reach out to their neighbors, relatives and other members within the society.
However, social networking amongst young adults with mental illness is a challenge. Most people do not like associating with young adults with mental illness. Above and beyond, young adults with mental illness are discriminated against by other members of the society because of their mental conditions.
This means that they do not have friends. It is a loss because they do not have the means to reach other people apart from their parents and some of their family members. Young adults with mental illness get bored talking to the same persons every day. The situation deteriorates because members of the society are not willing to talk, spend time or associate with young adults with mental illness.
Moreover, members of the society might not want to relate with the parents of young adults with mental illness. Also, relatives of the affected family isolate themselves from the family and could not want to engage in matters or activities that could associate them with the affected family.
In some cases, young adults with mental illness are not visited by other people. There are even other members of the society that talk ill about the affected families. Some hold the view that mental illness is a curse. This sees to it that segregation between the young adults with mental illness and their parents proliferates within the society.
Equally, creating new friends is difficult for young adults with mental illness and their parents. This leaves the parents of young adults with mental illness depressed and hopeless. They might not be willing to make friends or associate with other members of the society because of the stigma associated with young adults with mental illness.
In summary, young adults with mental illness and their parents experience many social network and personal losses. These affect their activities and relations with other members of the society. Thus, it is a challenge to all members of the society. In fact, young adults with mental illness and their parents need support from all members of the society.