After decades of advocates pushing for awareness about and of mental illness, mental health, and suicide prevention, lately, I've been noticing a shift - a push back to stigmas of yesteryear. It almost feels like big pharma and ancient attitudes are having a psychological war while those who really need the help and attention are in the center, being pulled apart.
If you go to the doctor and mention you've been a little sad and down or anxious, more than likely you're walking out with a prescription for anti-depressants and Xanax. If you happen to catch a sermon you may hear how there's no such thing as mental illness, and that it is the devil at work - just pray more and give your life over to and follow Jesus. I've actually heard words like that a couple of times within the last few months. It took everything inside me to sit still and bite my tongue - maybe I should not have stayed quiet.All of this is a reflection of the division in our country - the divisions along political party lines, race, gender, and religions. We've turned into an all or nothing society - all segments are preaching either march lockstep or be left behind. I fear we're heading into a modern dark age and there is no going back unless those in the middle of the battles walk away from social media short attention spans and actually do something about it all.
Yes, I believe we live in an overdiagnosed pill-popping world.
I believe we've gotten soft in that every pain or rite of passage now is considered treatable with medication- knee-jerk reactions of get that runny nose into a doctor.
We've have got to wake up or else we are going to fall off that cliff from a world out of balance.
Mental illness is as real as tonsilitis. It needs to be treated but just like throwing a handful of pills at every sore throat a person may have doesn't necessarily mean those tonsils were infected in the first place.
It is the same as you wouldn't tell a person in the middle of a heart-attack just to pray without trying to get them medical assistance.
Balance, we've lost sight of seeking a balance.
Words are important. The messages leaders put out there can bring about death or save lives. But lately, it is my opinion, most of the leaders getting all the attention - be they political, religious, or otherwise - are self-serving with the almighty dollar providing the script coming out of their mouths. The more followers they have, the more money they take in... A vicious cycle of true evil.
So, let's talk about a topic people would rather not face, I tend to like those types of topics - mental illness and better yet, mental health.
According to the American Psychiatric Society:
Mental illnesses are health conditions involving changes in thinking, emotion or behavior (or a combination of these). Mental illnesses are associated with distress and/or problems functioning in social, work or family activities.
Mental illness is common. In a given year:
nearly one in five (19 percent) U.S. adults experience some form of mental illness
one in 24 (4.1 percent) has a serious mental illness
one in 12 (8.5 percent) has a substance use disorder*
Mental illness is treatable. The vast majority of individuals with mental illness continue to function in their daily lives.
Mental illness does not discriminate; it can affect anyone regardless of your age, gender, income, social status, race/ethnicity, religion/spirituality, sexual orientation, background or other aspect of cultural identity. While mental illness can occur at any age, three-fourths of all mental illness begins by age 24.
Mental illnesses take many forms. Some are fairly mild and only interfere in limited ways with daily life, such as certain phobias (abnormal fears). Other mental health conditions are so severe that a person may need care in a hospital.
There are many different types of mental illness - too many to list. The brain is a rather complex organ, much of which is yet to be understood.
Suicide is often the final symptom that someone has been suffering from mental illness. Much like cancer left untreated, mental illness, without proper medical intervention, can- in fact- kill.
As for Mental Health...
Praying can be beneficial and strengthen the will of someone who has faith in a higher power, but to suggest it will cure their illness altogether does a disservice much like prescribing pills do for a person experiencing a bad day. Again, this is only my opinion.
Sure, I am a person who believes in miracles and believes I have witnessed more than a few. I've been known to pray and gear those prayers of good health to St. Padre Pio. I learned about him when I was young and constantly ill, I felt a bond because as a child, he too, was chronically ill.
I understand that not everyone holds the same faith I do - mine is one that cannot be summarized by the doctrine of any one religion. It has come with age and years of personal soul searching from the unique experiences in my life including being raised as a Catholic to appreciating and finding bonds in other belief systems. I guess you could call it a melting pot of hope.
And for those who may not own a faith of their own...Having a strong support system is valuable to anyone dealing with an illness. Knowing that others care about your existence and that you are loved, can and does aid in healing.For anyone who knowingly suggests leaving a severe condition untreated without medical intervention, saying it is the work of the devil or 'just' in someone's head, places a crown of shame on someone who is ill especially when there is no improvement, even after all those prayers.
Unfortunately, with mental illness, that stigma is felt by the entire family and often carries over into future generations. How many families do you know out there who refuse to talk about a relative who took their own life or was committed away to a mental institution? I know quite a few.
And that, to me, is not only silly but is why those with mental illness are exploited by both religion (some) and big pharma. They're vulnerable and quite frankly, innocent victims many would like to forget about.
Could this be why there is no real outrage or real coverage about all the resources being cut to actually help those experiencing a mental health condition? Google it and find out just exactly what is happening.
Society, wake up - we're turning our backs on our neighbors and loved ones - placing their future into the hands of evil, those too greedy with agendas to actually care.
Balance - we need balance.
There is also the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 1-800-273-8255
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