My dad, in his 60s, seems to be depressed. He is deeply unhappy and anxious, and he's also become angry and bitter to the point of a total personality change, mostly with my mum. She is miserable, and me and my siblings are so worried about both of them, especially because Dad refuses to get any help or even have a conversation about this. What, if anything, can we do here?
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posted by smockpuppet
on May 18, 2013 -
11 answers
Two nights from now I will be back living with the parents on the other end of the country. Help me turn this into a positive experience. What worked for you?
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posted by signondiego
on Apr 29, 2013 -
9 answers
I am currently finishing up my exchange in France where I've had awesome experiences and faced life-changing learning curves. Now I'm returning home to my extremely estranged parents who have been fighting all my life--deep, disgusting trenches of arguments that seem never-ending.
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posted by rhythm_queen
on Apr 28, 2013 -
48 answers
I believe that my parents are about to make a terrible financial mistake by purchasing a house for my sister. When I bring up my objections, they assume it is because I am jealous and they get defensive. How can I express my concerns in a way in which they will listen, and not just brush my concerns off?
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 29, 2012 -
33 answers
My relationship with my dad is crap. I can't articulate why. I'm already in therapy, but my therapist is on vacation and I won't see her again for another few weeks. Help me out, if you can, in the meantime.
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posted by anonymous
on Jan 23, 2012 -
26 answers
Regarding family and friends, how have you been able to let go of dark/problematic pasts, and moved forward?
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posted by anonymous
on Nov 18, 2011 -
15 answers
My dad is 63. He's been diagnosed with pancreatitis, but there are a whole host of complicating factors, for that and for everything else. I'm at pretty much the end of my tether. Some advice?
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posted by anonymous
on Oct 17, 2011 -
5 answers
This is a long question about what to do with a troublesome parent. It's less a "what would you do" and more a "what is the right thing to do" question. This is the longest question I have ever asked. I'm sorry.
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posted by TomMelee
on Aug 11, 2011 -
29 answers
How I deal with my toxic living situation until the end of August? I'm an adult child of a mother with PTSD and a father who suffers from untreated addiction and depression. Both my parents have very short tempers. I am unable to move out until August when I leave the country for a new job. I arrived home in April from a completed job overseas. I wanted to see my family---hoped they had changed---foolish me. Now I'm stuck for the entire summer.
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posted by thatgirl1985
on Jun 27, 2011 -
27 answers
How do I stop having extreme anxiety when I think about the fact that I live 1,500 miles away from aging parents?
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 25, 2011 -
21 answers
How do I talk to my mother about her depression, especially when I'm trying to create better boundaries but simultaneously plan for my family's future?
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posted by Madamina
on Oct 25, 2010 -
9 answers
How can I maintain some optimism about my child's future, given the crappy crappy world we live in?
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posted by anonymous
on Feb 24, 2010 -
45 answers
I've become enmeshed in my parent's problems to the extent I feel it's holding me back in life. How to get out? (Long)
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posted by anonymous
on Feb 22, 2010 -
11 answers
The short version: mom's morphed into a reclusive, depressive, heavily-medicated, quasi-narcoleptic shell of a woman. She's given up on life and herself. More disturbingly, she's burned holes in hundreds of household items (carpets, floors, computer keyboards) after falling asleep while smoking. It's a recipe for tragedy(s) - fires, skull fractures, etc. We want a better life for her (or hell, any life at all, given the fire hazards). What can we do?
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posted by julthumbscrew
on Jan 8, 2009 -
24 answers
Have you ever explicitly told your dad, or any parent, that for your own emotional well-being you need time away from them? Have you ever wanted to? Is there any way to do this? Details inside.
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posted by Ash3000
on Dec 28, 2007 -
30 answers
I think I may have some sort of depression, but my parents don't really believe in mental health care for that. What do I do? [a bit long]
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posted by anonymous
on Jun 16, 2007 -
37 answers