Marie and Nick

Marie cares for her son, Nick, who has bipolar disorder and a drug dependency. Marie was struggling to cope, and approached Carers ACT who referred her to services available for families of people with drug dependencies and assisted her to get the respite and supports she needed.

Marie's son Nick has bipolar disorder. Nick also has a drug dependency. He was hospitalised two years ago and during that period she was alerted by a social worker to Carers ACT.

Until her son was hospitalised, Marie had not identified as a carer. After Nick was discharged, Marie phoned the Carer Advisory Service at Carers ACT for help for herself. She attended a Keeping Families Connected (KFC) program which provides information about mental illness and drug and alcohol use, how to access community supports and work with mental health professionals, as well as develop self-care strategies. A guest speaker from Directions ACT attended KFC and Marie became aware of the services available for families of people with drug and alcohol dependencies. She has subsequently joined a support group with Directions.

Nick lives at home and continues to be affected by his mental illness. The caring role has dominated Marie's life since Nick's diagnosis, and has impacted on her ability to work full-time. She has been able to negotiate reduced work hours with her employer. This has impacted on her household income, so Marie sought assistance from Care Financial Counselling Inc on how to manage her budget.

The caring role has also impacted on Marie's health and wellbeing. Last year Marie felt in need of a break. She was supported by the Mental Health Foundation to access residential Respite Care for herself. She also enrolled in Mental Health First Aid and Mental Health and Substance Abuse courses offered by CIT Skills for Carers. From time to time, when she is not coping with her caring responsibilities, Marie accesses counselling services through Carers ACT.