my mom's mental illness is breaking my family apart due to a language barrier
My parents immigrated to the U.S over 20 years ago, and because of the struggles they faced here, my mom developed schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder. Part of this comes from the isolation she felt due to her being a stay-at-home mom while my dad worked long hours, and neither of them taught me and my sister Nepali, which added to her frustration and sense of disconnection from her Nepali roots. We went to Nepal as a family last summer, and since then I have been learning how to speak Nepali.
This year, my dad booked a trip to Nepal to celebrate Tihar and bhai tika with his family. He was really excited because he hasn’t been able to celebrate Tihar with them in over 30 years. This trip meant a lot to him, especially since many of his relatives are old, and it might have been the last time they could all be together.
A few days ago, though, my mom was talking to her sister in Nepal, and they were talking about how my dad’s family would harm or murder him because he lives in America and has more money than his relatives (Which is funny because my family is lower middle class in America and my relatives in Nepal make more money than my parents). This pissed me off because her sister fully supported her crazy thoughts knowing my mom is mentally ill. I'm not sure where her hatred of villagers comes from. She says they’re barbaric and sound uneducated and informal when they speak. My dad’s family is from the village, while my mom was born and raised in Kathmandu. I think her bias against villagers plays a role in her schizo thoughts.
Now my dad canceled his trip because of her very dumb fears and prejudice against villagers, and I feel heartbroken. I was really looking forward for him to finally have the chance to reconnect with his family on a holiday like Tihar. It’s so hard dealing with her mental illness and how much it affects our lives.
I feel like mental health and elitism are overlooked in Nepali culture, and it's frustrating not being able to communicate how I feel to my Mom because she can barely understand English and I can't speak advanced enough Nepali for my feelings to be communicated to her. I need help telling her that her mindset is ruining our family.
Any tips for telling a conservative middle-aged woman her mindset is holding our family back?
to clear up some confusion:
My Mom can speak some English, so I communicate with her in English
My Mom does take medication and talks to a therapist once a month about her medication and her hallucinations
My Mom is professionally diagnosed
My Dad did plan on going to Nepal alone
Hope that helps to clear the confusion.
edits: clearing up confusion