We all need someone to lean on, so make the most of your supporting cast. Family, friends, treating team, carers, support groups, consumer and carer organisations can all offer ongoing and invaluable help, focus and direction to aid your recovery.
For some, family can be a valuable support system, helping you with the day-to-day so you can focus on your recovery.
Finding the right psychiatrist is important to your recovery. Don't be afraid to talk to your case worker if you feel you're not being listened to or understood.
"The other thing that I found invaluable was the support of my mother, who did and didn't get where I was but throughout the whole process - and throughout the whole 20 years that I've been struggling with this - has never been anything other than kind and loving and supportive."
If you're a mental health carer, there is a range of support available to help you, including workshops, one-to-one support and the Mind Australia carer helpline.
Your recovery will often involve collaborative treatments and interventions by your treating team, which might include your GP, psychiatrist, case worker and others.
Finding a support group is one way to connect you to recovery strategies that have worked for people with similar experiences to your own.
We believe in a collaborative approach to care, which may involve your treating team working with your family or carer to give you the support you need.
"There were not a lot of support groups for PTSD that I found a few years ago when I went, but I found the people were on the same page as me, I could understand what they were talking about and how I was feeling was a very mutual feeling. It was also very well run, very responsible ... they knew what they were doing. It was someone who was also a peer and she happened to be a psychology research student doing that but she'd also experienced PTSD herself. We'd meet weekly, talk about how our life was going and share any tips that helped us and didn't help us."
The RMH Prevention and Recovery Care (PARC) centres can be an effective way for people to transition out of (or to avoid going into) long-term inpatient care. PARC centres can support you to focus on yourself and your recovery.
A good psychiatrist can empower you to make your own decisions about your mental health and your recovery.
Carers and family members can be useful for sitting in on meetings with the treating team and translating difficult language or concepts.
Mutual support between peers, whether they're friends or family members, can be a valuable recovery strategy.
My biggest support network is my friends because a lot of us have our own mental health conditions and we support each other, so it's never 'I need help, you're helping me'. We work together to grow, and we exchange our own tips and tricks and we just look after for each other."
Your support networks can share helpful strategies for recovery so you can grow together.
Some find that sharing their story and struggles with those close to them provides some relief and understanding as to why someone is struggling.
We provide a media service from 6am to 10pm each day. Journalists are welcome to contact our media advisor on-call via the RMH Switchboard on (03) 9342 7000.
During business hours, journalists can email mh-communications@mh.org.au. We do not respond to emails outside business hours.