1. It’s time to sweep out the bad sound of the words “Mental Illness”. Are we living in an enlightened time or in the Medevial time?
2. Mental illness is an illness just like any other illness and is nothing to be ashamed of - or to judge. The brain can get ill just like the rest of our body.
3. Persons that suffer from mental illness are humans just like the rest of us, it’s just that they happens to have the misfortune to inherit mental illness or develop one because of other factors trigging it. It could be you or me!
4. They need all our support not judgement, because they’re dealing with a very tough situation. They’re not getting the right help or acknowledge and on top of that without the same respect than the rest of us.
5. I grow up with a father with Schizophrenia of Paranoid type from posttraumatic stress because of his bad experiences during the war. At that time, the treatment was even worse. He got electric chock treatments too. A lot of strange things. They pulled out all his teeth and he never got any replacements. As a kid I just accepted it, as a teenager I was ashamed, as a grown up I felt sad and sorry for him.
6. A person close to me went in to a deep Physochis because of a very stressful unhappy life full of problem during many years. This person won’t recognize how bad it is and were locked in to be keept safe and got medicine. No other treatments, no conversational therapy and were let out after not even two weeks. Without any safety net. No following up that the person continue to take the medicines, nothing. This was not at all long ago. I don’t call that treatment or care, I call that human storage and careless!
7. Because of the points above, I’ve come in contact with the treatment of such illnessess, but I really don’t call it treatment. Not in this country and I suspect that it’s about the same in the rest of the world. They are sadly put aside, sometimes just behind locked doors. It’s amazing that we haven’t come further in the research about mental illness and especially the treatment! I call it a scandal.
8. I’m very chocked over the fact that they’ve begin to use a kind of electric shock treatment again. They now call it Electroconvulsive therapy, but frankly I can’t see how it could be a therapy when it’s an electrical currentis that is passed through the brain to cause a controlled seizure, which lasts for 20 to 90 seconds. They say that this procedure probably works by a massive neurochemical release in the brain due to the controlled seizure… What I hear is that it can result in a terrible memory loss that is permanent. I wonder if there really exists a sufficent documented following-up?
9. Do you know, really know what the different kinds of mental illness really are? How you get it, the symptoms, if there is a cure and so on? I recommend you to read a little about it. You may become surprised, enlightened and maybe a little frightened.
10. If you know more about it, you may discover that a person you know, probably have a mental illness or is on the way to get some. If we know more about mental illness, we can catch some cases earlier, before it get to the worst. It would be so great to not have to bring out the sharpest artillery like medicines with heavy side effects or electric chock treatment.
11. Another thing that worries me is that there is so many young people today that got panic attacks or anxiety disorder. Why is this increasing so fast? How is this going to evolve in the future? We need to learn how to prevent mental illnessess just like any other illnessess before it’s too late for the next generation.
12. Kudos to Brony at Parenting with a mental illness that started to create awareness of what it is like to have a mental illness and to show others that they are not alone. She is trying to reach 100 new people, to generate 100 comments to celebrate her 100th post. Go to Bronys 100th post and show your support by leaving a comment!
13. I send 13 billions ♥ hugs out in the blogosphere to those who lives with mental illness!
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This was a really good post. People really need to talk about mental health issues more openly.
And they do the electric shock treatments here as well. Under the new name of course..
Lifecruiser: Thank you H&B2. Lets hope that it will be. This is just an expression from me, but think of every one started to?
a very thought provoking topic and one that needs to be talked about in the open. the more we do, the less isolated this issue will be and the less sterotyping there will be. at one point the same prejudices were felt over people with other illness, like cancer or aids.
i have been on prozac for 9 yrs. i know i cannot come of it. my brain needs that extra help and i’m grateful that i have my 30 mg daily to take. i still have to do the work, popping pills doesn’t take anything away but it does make it possible for me to do the work. i no longer drowned in the horrible pain and sorrow.
I accept your hug and i send one back in love to thank you for your acceptance and understanding.
Lifecruiser: You’re welcome Chana. I admire your braveness ever day. You’re a fantastic person that has earned our respect thousands times around! You go girl! Hugs
I like this list…I just have to say that some people use mental illness as an excuse to be obnoxious.
Lifecruiser: Thanks shoshana. Well, I think it can be difficult to separate the one with mental illness and the plain obnoxious one sometimes too. Mental illness shall not be used to an excuse for bad behaviour, but how to draw the line, how to know what’s what? That can be a very tricky task as I’ve seen it. The more we learn about mental illness, the less is the risk that the wrong people can get away with this behaviour if they’re “playing” with it. Shame on them for doing it. And there is this myth too that all persons with mental illness can be aggressive or dangerous in some way. That is not true! It’s very individual as with other illnessess and different depending on what diagnosis you’ve got.
Compliments on your subject! I hope a lot of people take this to their heart. I know it’s a difficult issue for those who haven’t come across it in their close vicinity, but there are so many prejudices that have to get out of the way…
My TT is about ideas to supercharge your life.
Lifecruiser:Thanks Tink
I hope so too. that it makes them thinking a bit more of it at least. Your T13 sounds interesting indeed, I’ll pop over later!
I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder when I was in my fourties. Needless to say because this was pretty much unknown when I was growing up it was the cause of many bad decisions and much frustration on my part. There has been a lot of controversy about the physiological reality of ADD and the resulting prescription of Ritilan. Now this is not as serious as many mental disorders however my early years were fairly dissapointing and after I started taking medication my life changed radically for the better. I can understand how devistating it must be to a person with a serious mental problem.
Lifecruiser: Wow, that must have been very hard to get the diagnosis so late! I know this very well, since a close relative to me is diagnosed ADHD (and could have been helped with medicine but refused to take it). This is another topic that needs to be resolved too, you are in almost the same situation and I don’t know why since it’s known since so long back in time now. They tend to sweep these things under the carpet which is not acceptable at all!!!
Great post.
Thank you so much for speaking so honestly about mental illness. It’s so sad that more people don’t realize that mental illnesses are diseases, just like diabetes or cancer.
Electric shock therapy is scary, but apparently it can really help those with certain types of mental illness who haven’t been helped with other therapies. I’m not a psychiatrist or therapist, so I don’t know enough about it.
Again, thanks so much for this post.
Lifecruiser: Thanks Caylynn. When it comes to electric chock therapy: it’s a very crucial part of the body you’re treating here, with very severe side effects if anything goes wrong, so I think that there is way too little documentation and research done to be experimenting with.
Great TT! Very thought-provoking
Lifecruiser: Thanks TC, that’s the purpose ofit yes. To wake up people and start to think and talk about those issues.
Great TT and thanks for stopping by on mine. ECT is indeed one of the best documented treatment methods in *All of medicine*, not just psychiatry.
If done right, it is a very efficient method with significantly less side effects and much faster success than medication. When you’re in a deep depression, getting out of it in 2 weeks with ECT versus 2-3 months with medication can be a life saver.
I’m sorry you had such bad experiences with psychiatry - I’m glad to be working at a hospital (in Sweden) where we try to not demonize mental illness anymore and not just work with medication. We use acupuncture, massage, and many other “new” treatment methods with great success.
I have to say though - without ECT, our suicide rate would probably be through the roof. It’s one of the most misunderstood treatments out there, sadly.
Lifecruiser: I’m sorry, but I just can’t agree with you. As long as there is these cases with permanent memory losses I find it too risky to be used as it is.
I don’t know how it is where you work, maybe it’s better there, but from the patients view this is a huge risk and it’s used even on cases that isn’t that severe (I’ve seen it) and where it could have been other measurements done before that to avoid it.
And what about all the earlier measurements? I haven’t heard that they exist. And I’m not talking about pills now! Nothing is solved with pills other than very temporarily.
Would you take this risk if it were you that were ill? Have you talked to people that have experienced permanent damage after the treatment?
Even the councelling therapy is a joke for me - if they even get one. I haven’t seen or heard anyone helped from it, on the contrary. I’m sure that there are some good instances, but there is far too many bad ones, sadly enough.
What’s missing the most is to catch those cases in an early stage or to actually PREVENT mental illness, not much is done in this field.
I think that these illnesses are becoming more and more understood now more than they were in the past. I have a granddaughter that is only 14. She has been diagnosed so far with bi-polar. I have been so concerned with her. She is a beauty too. She goes up and down in her moods. She has been this way since she was a toddler. Such a worry for her parents and of course for us too. She is finally on medication but she is still having problems. I can understand a little of what you are talking about. Good that you brought this to your post today..Thanks..Sandy
Lifecruiser: Oh, I’m sorry to hear that Sandy, it msut be tough for all of you. It’s somehow more sad when it’s kids and youngsters, they haven’t even got a chance to live a life yet. I hope she will get better of handling it though.
Mental Illness is a reality and yes you have pointed out that people with one are usually viewed as someone to avoid and ignore! I come from a family of people with severe depression. None of us have ever been hospialized but we do have our days. My Grandmother would get so down she would sit in her chair and just fuss and mutter under her breath for hours. My mother would take to her bed for days! Me I use to get angry and throw things then cry aot. I finally decided not to be like that and went to therepy. Found someone who understood and worked with me. I know what the signs are and what triggers it. I know that I will probably be on an antidepressant for the rest of my life, for sure as I travel through the change! But I am not ashamed nor do I feel l should be. It is no different than having a bad back, or psoriasis.
As for our children my son has inhereted the same depression and when we were working on getting his diagnosed for ADD he went through a very bad spell. Scared me something awful. But he too spent a lot of time in therepy and has learned to deal with his depression and does quite well. But we do need to educate those around to understand the signs and work with not against people with a mental illness.
This is a wonderful post for present the facts and making others aware!
Thanks for stopping in and leaving all those wonderful comments. Hope you day went well!
Lifecruiser: I’m so glad that you’ve learned to handled it better. It must have been tough to grow up in your family! *whistles* You’ve come a long way and done a good job I’ll say! I’m impressed, really I am.
My day has been tough, but not any of these problems. Just dealing with cheering up my old Mom that was a little bit sad at the elderly home and talking about her health with the nurse there…. That’s another story. Pheew.
and it really is an illness. We’re not just “sad”. I refer to a particularly bad bout of depression as “when I was sick”
Lifecruiser: Yes, it’s sure needed to be bringed out in the air!
Thank you so much for this wonderful post.
Together we can make a difference to reduce the stigma.
Lifecruiser: Yes and I do hope that more people will come forward or speak about this, as it’s increasing as it seems. A sad development.
Wow. Nice list…hopefully it will bring more awareness and change.
Happy TT!
Lifecruiser: YEPP
As I beging my internship at a community mental health agency I’m concerned by all of the diagnosis of ADD and ADHD and the kids being put on drugs to “control” it. No one stops to ask what behaviors might be contributing to this, like excessive TV watching, an impatient society, lack of physical excercise, normal childhood energy, etc.
Also, anxiety and panic disorders are common, again treated with medications and studies show that the meds work better than talk-therapy. So this just re-enforces people’s beliefs that a pill will cure them. Yet no one addresses why so many cases of anxiety and panic.
One thing that gives me a lot of hope in going in to this field is that people have an incredible, natural ability to heal themselves and be resilient to the most horrific experiences.
I could wax poetic on societal attitudes toward mental health. It’s frustrating and as you so aptly put it “Medieval”.
Lifecruiser: You’re having so healthy opinions on these subjects, I can only nodd, exactly my thoughts too. No one seems to be research about the real causes of it, how to really PREVENT mental illness. As usual they’re taking the way they think is simple - the pills - which really isn’t that simple they think it is!
And that can be added about a lot of other deseases too, for that matter….
A great list! Thank you for sharing! Those are some new ways to look at that.
Have a great Thursday!!
Lifecruiser: It should be natural and abvious to look at it this way.
I honestly think it’s just a matter of degree and that we all have a varying degrees of mental disorder. I mean aren’t most of us obsessive compulsive, depressed, manic from time to time to different degrees. My dad suffered PTSD from the war too. He dealt with it by drinking.
Mine are posted.
Lifecruiser: I guess we’re all a bit crazy hah? *lol*And I love that fact since I hate the thought of every one being copies of each other!
I have people close to me that suffer from mental illness. THANK YOU for posting like this. I LOVE Brony’s blog, too. Very good post. You’re right, there’s no reason we don’t talk about this more.
Lifecruiser: I can’t understand why not? It’s just an illness like every one else. It’s about time we step up and prove us belonging in this enlightened time.
I accept your opinion on this, but yes, I have seen lots and lots of patients helped with ECT, meds and therapy.
Just as many other diseases, some mental ones can be cured with pills. Some can’t. I’ve seen both happen.
And yes, I would choose ECT as a treatment for myself. In fact, there is a study that shows most doctors would. I have had a depression, so I have thought about it in depth. (And I was helped by therapy that time, by the way.)
Lifecruiser: As I accept yours
As in everything, there is two sides. I’m glad you had some good therapy - I would love to know where, because there is a problem getting it around here.
Unfortunately I’ve only seen the bad sides and since I’ve problem to believe things I haven’t experienced it will be tough to convince me
I still think that the side effects are too severe to be ignored. I would never agree to this kind of treatment for my self or any person dear to me. There simply must be other ways to go - especially in an earlier stage!
This is such a “touchy” subject. I remember when my mother would discourage me from mentioning my Depression and Anxiety to anyone and there was a fear that if you got treated on “The Company Health Plan” that it would get back to your boss and this would somehow get you laid off.
I think it’s important to get the subject of mental illness out in the open. So many people still have negative views about it and think that you not only shouldn’t talk about it but that you are weak to admit that you need help or need medication or therapy. Many people think you’re either “damaged”, “stupid”, or should just “suck it up”.
I know I’ve tried many times to explain how my brain works to my father and several friends and while some get the malfunction, others have told me “Well the rest of the world functions fine so why can’t you?”
It’s posts like this one and Brony’s blogs that give me hope. I try to be honest myself at my blog too and write about my therapy and my illness. More people who write about our lives and conditions and support each other online and find each other means more people will eventually understand, I think.
Lifecruiser: Well, it’s that ashame and hiding fact that may have contributed to sweep this kind of illnessess under the carpet for so long. Out in the open with it, no fuss any longer. It must have been awful for you, to not be able to mention it or talk about it freely. I hate that thought!
I suppose a contributing factor may be that people are soooo afraid of mental illness that they prefer to not acknowledge that it exists. And that’s just plain foolish, since it’s the absolutely opposite that would be the best to not be afraid of it. the more we know, the more success in researches, the less to be afraid of.
I can appreciate the comments by “The Shrone” concerning ADD. I must add that I grew up before TV (yes, kids, there was a time before TV) in a loving family in a rural community. Lots of excersize and normal kid stuff and still somehow found myself with ADD. I heard recently that it may be the effect of being exposed to cigarette smoking as a fetus which sounds reasonable as my Father was a heavy smoker.
Lifecruiser: Hm, cigarette smoking you say? I can’t confirm any experience of that since the person I know with it is adopted.
A very thoughtful 13.
A good friend of mine was manic-depressive. They did not have the treatments available back then that they do now. It was only 25 years ago but you’d think it was a hundred. It’s awareness that makes all the difference.
Thanks for sharing,
Frances
Lifecruiser: Yes, I know. I’m glad that they have come somewhere, but I still don’t think it’s enough. there is too much suffering out there.
Mental illness and disoders,Psychosis can disrupt some ones life,family desruption,friendship,study and work,Other problems may occur or intensify such as unemployment,depression,substance abuse,breaking the law and causing injury to him/herself.In addition,delays in treatment may lead to a slower and less complete recovery.The public needs to be educated.
There is a stereotype of those with mental illness as behaving in bazarre ways being unkempt and dirty,and being dangerous to be around.Those with depression are often further labeled as mallingering.
Thanks for sharing .
Wish you well
Lifecruiser: Thank you zingtrial. It’s just that “delays in treatment may lead to a slower and less complete recovery” that I detest so much, I think it could be discovered and treatened much earlier than most cases do today and that’s not acceptable.
I got my therapy in Germany, and I was very very lucky that I found a great therapist - she was perfect for me and helped me a lot.
Oh, and I’m sorry if I gave the impression that I would just give ECT to anyone - it’s patients with deep depressions (we’re talking persons who won’t get up and won’t eat or drink) or who for other reasons haven’t responded to other therapies. We don’t take the side effects lightly.
We work a lot with our patients to find out what the “early signs” are just for them - so that if they get another depression/mania/whatnot, they will be able to come in early, so that they might not need meds or ECT. We have our nurses do lectures in schools, so that as many teenagers, teachers and parents can know the early signs for depression, psychosis, and other problems. It’s great to see that our work shifts more and more in that direction - that we can be there before “the damage is done”.
Lifecruiser: That early signs work is something we never have heard of, sadly enough. I hope it will spread more
Hi there! Thanks for stopping by my site.
I also heartily applaud your TT. Just a few words about your post and my experience. My ex-wife was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, a severely disabling illness. Characteristics of BPD are severe depression, self-mutilation, and suicide attempts. BPD is so severe that experts estimate that somewhere between 10 and 15% of all people diagnosed with BPD will successfully commit suicide within 5 years.
My ex has went through countless combinations of drugs trying to find something that would make her feel better. However, the most successful treatment of BPD is a type of therapy called Dialetical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), which re-teaches the patient life skills that you and I may take for granted. Medication is viewed as a stop-gap measure only, never meant to cure BPD.
My ex was so depressed and suicidal that doctors at one point were considering ECT. Here in the states, ECT is viewed only as a last resort, and not a mainstream approach to curing certain types of severe illness. With BPD reporting a mortality rate of 15%, ECT may be viewed as the only option when the patient’s life is in grave danger. As you said, the side effects of ECT are widely documented, and (I believe) is a horrible thing to endure. I wish I had an easy answer as to whether it beats death or not.
Thanks again for your post. And yes, I have visited (and linked to) Brony’s post on her site.
Lifecruiser: Thanks Bubba. I deeply appreciate that you’re sharing these experiences with us, with so much details. Especially that about DBT, it sounds very promising
What a great list!
Lifecruiser: Thanks Janet. I think. It’s great to bring it forward in the open. I hope that more people will!
My mother is mentally ill, she refused to stay on her medications… she always quits them. It’s hard for me to talk about sometimes. She was diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder and is bipolar. I agree that mental illness is nothing to joke about. I am horrified that they are using shock treatment again, I know my mother said her memory was altered because of this. I am biased on this subject, since my brothers and I had a very difficult childhood (thats probably putting it mildly), but that was just our mom, we didn’t know she was ill… we just thought she was really mean and cruel.
Not to speak poorly of those who have mental disorders but I just don’t understand the cycle of “I feel better, so I am going to quit my meds. Even though I became very ill the last time, I know thi time will be different.” Because of this, and her behaviour after she quits her meds, me and one of my brothers no longer talk to her anymore. She refuses to take responsiblity, and all her problems are everyone elses fault… she has told us it’s our fault she is “crazy”, and/or has had a relapse.
Sorry about the long comment :O) I think your list was very informative. I haven’t read much of your blog YET, but you seem like a good hearted person. Happy TT, and thanks for visiting my blog! :-)))
Lifecruiser: No need for an apology for long comments over here
Wow, that sounds like you had a very tough childhood. That is a big worry and problem to solve, to get them to keep take their medications. The health care instances don’t seem to have any solution of that yet. In some cases they go to control visits and they keep track of their medicines and I have heard of home services, but that is very difficult since the one with the mental illness very often deny the illness.
It must be very tough to hear from her that it’s you fault, but I do hope that you don’t listen to that?! It’s NOT your fault. And don’t feel guilty for breaking with her either, you have the right to your lifes too and as a human being we can only cope with a certain amount of difficult things.
Don’t let her drag you down with her!
*sending you some extra strength*
First of all, how funny is your header image?!?!?! ROFL!
Living with mental illness must be a really tough thing for people espeically since it’s such a controversial subject.
Lifecruiser: Thanks Kailani
Yes, it really is tough for them, I really don’t envy them.