Mental illness and owning parrots

[Talven]

I was unaware of this thread but I'll throw in my story. Well I won't get into all the details but I am Bi-polar and have had issues with it for the past 30 years. I'm sure there are a few other issues lumped in but I just kind of ignore that.

I haven't been able to hold down a job in over 20 years. There are days where I wake up so depressed I question the point of waking up. But I have my pets and I have responsibilities.

Each of my parrots seem to have some sense of my mental state and will respond to me differently. On the days I start really depressed some are goofier, some are quieter and some are more affectionate. A few hours with them and my mood is better. They seem to have an idea on what will help the most.

A good example is my wife's bird Echo. We don't really get along the best. I have a few scars on my fingers to attest to that. Generally we ignore each other but on my bad days he is a different bird. He goes out of his way to get my attention by strutting on the back of my wife's chair or on the play gym. Once he has it he starts chattering away at me like he is lecturing me. For some reason it annoys the heck out of me and I will argue back. Sounds strange [I cry mentally ill!] but the interaction helps and he knows it.

Of all the different animals I have kept over the years, animals that would normally live in groups have had the most affect on my mental health. In my opinion they seem to have a better understanding of what to do to help.

 

[birbsRcool]

I don't have any mental illnesses but i do have adhd medicine, everything has to be repeated 5 times unless i say some statement 3 times, and i do be restless a lot, i say Pikachu really helps calm me down, and i think like if something happens and you're sad, your bird just deletes that sadness But the thing is, if you don't think you can take care of yourself, you probably can't take care of a bird... no offense if that is you, but it's best for you and the bird...

 

[Talven]

But the thing is, if you don't think you can take care of yourself, you probably can't take care of a bird... no offense if that is you, but it's best for you and the bird...

Sometimes when you feel like you can't care for yourself having someone who is totally reliant on you for everything forces you to care for yourself so you can care for them. Love can be a powerful motivator. Not always but for some it helps.

 

[Terry57]

But the thing is, if you don't think you can take care of yourself, you probably can't take care of a bird... no offense if that is you, but it's best for you and the bird...

Sometimes when you feel like you can't care for yourself having someone who is totally reliant on you for everything forces you to care for yourself so you can care for them. Love can be a powerful motivator. Not always but for some it helps.

I could not agree more with this. Having my birds who rely so completely on me has kept me going more times than I can say. It can definitely be a strong motivation that keeps you active and moving forward because your love for them propels you.

 

[birbsRcool]

But the thing is, if you don't think you can take care of yourself, you probably can't take care of a bird... no offense if that is you, but it's best for you and the bird...

Sometimes when you feel like you can't care for yourself having someone who is totally reliant on you for everything forces you to care for yourself so you can care for them. Love can be a powerful motivator. Not always but for some it helps.

I could not agree more with this. Having my birds who rely so completely on me has kept me going more times than I can say. It can definitely be a strong motivation that keeps you active and moving forward because your love for them propels you.

True! I just realized!

 

[Jazzop]

I have no particular stance on this topic, as it hinges considerably on the individual person and pet involved. However, I would like to point out that most mental illnesses are defined with respect to a patient's conformity/interaction with typical human social norms, often as defined by what >66.66% of people do. Just because someone has difficulty in the human milieux, does not imply that they are unfit for the care of animals.

 

[wrench13]

I know Salty helps block out the voices in my head. I recommend getting a particularly loud parrot if thats a problem. Nothing out shrieks a cockatoo or macaw going full blast.

 

[birbsRcool]

I know Salty helps block out the voices in my head. I recommend getting a particularly loud parrot if thats a problem. Nothing out shrieks a cockatoo or macaw going full blast.

And i thought my cockatiel was loud...

 

[BirdyBee]

...

 

[SailBoat]

I am not sure about the category thing, but do not believe that it really matters as Pippen provided you a reason to get-up and out-and-about! What matters and Parrots have a long history of being just that reason that many need to provide focus. So, Pippen is a winner and that is all that really matters, right!!

 

[Squeeing_Onion]

“What matters and Parrots have a long history of being just that reason that many need to provide focus. “

I love how you worded this!

 

[bonitabird59]

I wanted to start a new discussion today.... about mental illness (in people) and owning parrots.

The posts I have found about this topic only seem to refer to parrots being depressed, but today I wanted to ask those who suffer from mental illness -- depression, anxiety, bipolar, PTSD, other mental disorders, etc. -- how has owning a parrot affected your illness/disorder?

Let me start off by saying I know this is a delicate subject for some, and very private for others. Mental illness can be difficult for a lot of people to talk about, but it is so important because it has affected so many people. I only ask that we all remain respectful of others as they reply and this thread remain a positive place to learn of other's experiences and hopefully will help those affected learn how to cope when things seem overwhelming.

So...how has owning a parrot affected you? Has it helped you? Or hindered it sometimes? Are there any tips you can give others to make ownership easier while managing a mental illness?

I am a firm believer that animals greatly help with depression and PTSD, but would love to hear the struggles you may face every day. I'm sure there are days some feel overwhelmed and feel as though the responsibility of caring for our birds can be overwhelming. I personally do not suffer from mental illness but know many that do and own animals. So please, share your thoughts and experiences, I would love to read and learn.

As someone with Bipolar and OCD, I can say in my experience its helped but it also has its bad times. Example: Bonita, my amazon I grew up with, was the love of my life. She gave me motivation, purpose, and was an amazing companion. She kept me in a great state of mind constantly, but when she passed it sent me into the worst depressive episode ever. I didnt get out of bed for about 2 months and everything collapsed for me. But then.... I got Jello, my GCC, and I've been a lot better. Not back to my full self, but significantly better. With having OCD though, I get pretty worried and overly sensitive to things that could potentially hurt my birds. I take something like "teflon isnt good for birds" and my brain morphs it into "any smells at all will kill your birds". So I dont cook at all anymore. Same with laundry. I refuse to run my dryer without every window open, every fan going, air purifiers, everything. I get urges to check in on my birds via camera every couple hours because I convince myself somehow the gas turned on and theyre all dead. Or cooking a grilled cheese will result in everyone going into respiratory failure.

Not super sure how to end this- but yeah- having birds helps a lot with mental illness but for me has also made it worse?

 

[bonitabird59]

To be clear- I am not a big fan of doctors and thus have never seen one about my anxiety issues so I have no "official" diagnosis, but it doesn't take a PhD to know I have horrible anxiety and have had it most of my life. I have become better at controlling it as I've gotten older. I also likely have some form of mild OCD.

Kiwi generally mirrors my moods- i.e. if I'm calm, he's calm, if I'm anxious, he's anxious... He is not the "comfort animal" type, he's freaking out right there with me. I have actually found this quality about him to be very helpful. Save the (very rare) disagreement between me and my husband or actual life issue, most of my anxiety stems from fictional problems my brain invents. I have a lot of issues with the order of things in our home. With Kiwi's mood changing with mine though, seeing him freaking out over nothing helps me see how I'm freaking out over nothing. It helps me start going through my list of logic and reasons why the kitchen or attic or whatever does not in fact need to be reorganized for the umpteenth billion time because it is already in (by anyone else's perception) already clean and in (near) perfect order already. Or why I don't need to start throwing stuff we actually use out because I feel like we live in a hoarder home when in reality we have probably less stuff and FAR better organizational systems than 90%+ of the population as-is.

This is exactly how I feel almost constantly with Jello, being someone who has OCD. You put it into perfect words.

 

[BirdyBee]

As someone with Bipolar and OCD, I can say in my experience its helped but it also has its bad times. Example: Bonita, my amazon I grew up with, was the love of my life. She gave me motivation, purpose, and was an amazing companion. She kept me in a great state of mind constantly, but when she passed it sent me into the worst depressive episode ever. I didnt get out of bed for about 2 months and everything collapsed for me. But then.... I got Jello, my GCC, and I've been a lot better. Not back to my full self, but significantly better. With having OCD though, I get pretty worried and overly sensitive to things that could potentially hurt my birds. I take something like "teflon isnt good for birds" and my brain morphs it into "any smells at all will kill your birds". So I dont cook at all anymore. Same with laundry. I refuse to run my dryer without every window open, every fan going, air purifiers, everything. I get urges to check in on my birds via camera every couple hours because I convince myself somehow the gas turned on and theyre all dead. Or cooking a grilled cheese will result in everyone going into respiratory failure.

Not super sure how to end this- but yeah- having birds helps a lot with mental illness but for me has also made it worse?

If you ever feel like your mental health is worsening and you are struggling to cope, you can always seek help from a mental health professional

I can relate a bit with the mental health getting worse, I don't have OCD or BP disorder so I can't relate to that, but losing one of my birds makes me depressed for at the bare minimum one week where I just cry and have no motivation for anything. Oh, and I'm irritated by everyone and everything and just want to be alone until I'm stable(of course not all people will respect that )... all the typical grief symptoms. I also worry for my birds and if I care for them well, or what will happen when I move out of the home eventually.

 

[Briburd]

I have diagnosed bipolar disorder and ADHD but manage it well with medication and therapy. I still have a mood swing pattern but of way less caliber now. I’ve had animals my whole life but only recently have I become a bird mom. Mojito is a GCC and to be honest I chose a green cheek conure because all jokes aside they are sort of little ADHD bipolar berbs. So naturally he and I are a total vibe. We are constantly active and honestly I’ve noticed I can be too active for him sometimes (Yes it’s possible 😜) because he will go to my fiancé when he wants to chill and take berb naps. When I’m UP Mojito gives me something to focus on rather than get lost in my own thoughts but also keeps me busy which is honestly perfect. When I’m down he gives me purpose and motivation. The fact that his two favorite phrases are, “Love you,” and “Gimmie kiss, muah, thanks” brings me so much joy EVERY SINGLE TIME is a natural daily does of medicine in itself. My dogs and cat also help me in similar ways but overall want to be dogs and a cat still. For Mojito it’s like he doesn’t want to just be a bird he wants to be a human. He wants to do everything I’m doing and I can just see him
observing and learning even copying me. It’s because of this he makes it almost impossible to feel alone. There are times when no matter how much love and support I receive from my SO, dogs, cats, friends, I still feel so alone. Mojito makes it pretty impossible to feel alone. He is literally constantly reminding me I am not alone basically refusing to let me be alone. This can also drive me crazy but I can’t imagine life without him now. I love the heck out of that little guy.