Dealing with
mental illness is not easy. As a child growing up, I remember making
snide remarks about people who suffered from this affliction. Another
memory deals with the family "secrets" - relatives who suffered from various
psychological ailments. My family occasionally joked about not wanting
to inherit the "family curse" from the same genes that must have stricken
them.
My mother was
a psychologist, so I was no stranger to psychoanalysis! She constantly
questioned the motive behind every action. I remember sending her
a picture that my son had drawn (when he was 4) and having her call me
on the phone to see if he was okay. She was alarmed because he had
drawn a purple sun, but he only had three colors. So, for the most
part, in my youth I did not take mental illness seriously.
Now in the
middle of my life, I realize that mental illness is a very serious problem
in our society. Everywhere I look, I find people who suffer from
depression, anxiety attacks, schizophrenia, bi-polarism, and obsessive
compulsive disorder. I am constantly amazed at the number of people
I meet that engage in self-destructive behaviors: self-harm, eating
disorders, suicide attempts, alcoholism, and drug abuse. I was appalled
to discover that 15% of the mentally ill commit suicide. I am certain that
mental illness must have been prevalent for a very long time, but like
many Americans, I was blind to the immense outbreak of mental illness.
It is obvious that mental illness is one of the greatest health care emergencies.
It is the purpose
of this world to provide you with information that will bring awareness
of mental illness to the foreground. The sheer number of mentally ill wandering
the streets, taking space in our jails, and locked away in hospitals insists
that we all address this issue. Almost no government moneys is allotted
for discovering a cure to mental illness. Research shows that over 5 million
Americans over age 17 will experience some form of severe mental disorder
during their lifetime. More mentally ill people are hospitalized than all
the people suffering from heart disease, cancer, and muscular dystrophy
combined. Outstanding links and resources will be provided, and I
will provide updated information whenever available. |