So the heat is bothering you……
by Susan Moreno on Jul. 20, 2009, under HealthImagine dealing with something just as overwhemling and constant as the Tucson summer heat for more than just a few months a year? Imagine having to deal with a mental illness that is part of every day with no hope of a break or a crisp autumn day to ever refresh you outlook?
That is what it’s like for some people living with ” mental illness” or, as I prefer to say biologically based “brain disorder,” because after all, that’s what these illnesses are. People with Bi-polar Disorder, Schizophrenia, Depression, Obsessive/Compulsive disorder, Anxiety/panic disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder. Borderline Personality Disorder and yes, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder all experience changes in their brains that most of us will never have to tolerate. They are not caused by bad parenting or character flaws and I hope and pray that one day we will know exactly what causes these illnesses and exactly the best way to treat and prevent them. For now we need to do what we can to support this population and not stigmatise them because they were unfortunate enough to carry the gene or the predisposition, or the mis-firing or overproducing chemical or whatever it is, to cause them to be vulnerable to an illness that causes more disability than any other.
I’m not a doctor, or a therapist (although I had my share of therapy), or a case manager or a clinical director or any professional trained to work in this field, but I am a parent of an unbelievably gifted son who had his life torn from him because of a terrifying illness called schizophrenia. As is common, his disorder didn’t manifest until he was approaching 18 years old……..a time when most young people are anticipating an exciting and rewarding future. My son, Daniel, had planned on attending Harvard. Then the bottom fell out.
So, here I am, almost four years later. He is gone and I miss him every day. I don’t want anyone to have to go through what he went through. I don’t want another family to live through what we did. There are so many things to talk about, so much information needed to disseminate, so many stories – both tragic and uplifting – to share with what, at times, can be an uneducated, callous population that continues to sneer and snicker at people living with mental illness. Would you ever laugh at a person with cancer or diabetes? It’s not their fault – either.
Hopefully this blog can help to discourage unlrealistic views and expectations for this most vulnerable population. I’m not asking for your sympathy, just your empathy for people with a brain disorder and your willingness to learn about and discuss one of the most devasting illnesses effecting our community. 1 in 4 people are effected by mental illness at one point in their life…….That’s over 250,000 people, just in Tucson! It’s time to bring it out in the open and not hide behind shame and embarrassment.
So, I don’t mean to scold or to sound like I’m venting my anger. I got over it a long time ago. I’m here to write about many different issues that face these people and their families. With the right treatment and support, mental health recovery is possible. I’m amazed by the journeys many of the people I have met have walked, yet they continue to positively and pro-actively face the future.
No ethnic group, socio-economical group, or cultural group is immune. It is an equal opportunity disorder worldwide. And, it’s been around for ages…..Many people you have heard of suffered from some kind of brain disorder…….Abraham Lincoln, Beethoven, Einstein, Tipper Gore, Terry Bradshaw and Jane Pauley just to name a few. Chances are you or someone you know is currently living with one of the disorders mentioned above.
It’s time to talk. Let me know your thoughts, ideas and comments. In the future I’ll be providing information about local organizations, events, legislation, treatments and general topics related to mental health.
