It was a terrible tragedy that happened in Arizona. It doesn't make sence. People have been killed there,and that's horrible. A young man shot many people,and some of them died,and some of them are hanging on for their lives.

In the last few days they have been talking about mental illness in the news. Their words have been very cold,and condesending towards the mentally ill. I saw the Charlie Rose show this morning,and they where coldly talking about mental illness right to our faces.

This made me sad,and angry. Most people with mental health challenges are gentle,caring people who are fighting for their lives,and wanting to be accepted by society. Then you have sloppy news reports like what I've heard. It's like the dark ages again.

They haven't been really constructive about anything to do with mental health.

I may be mistaking,but aren't they telling people to report people who are struggling with mental health. Calling us loners,and etc.,etc.

It's all sad. BF

Dear Friend,
I bet that most of the people on tv talking about this have family members or friends who have mental illness. Our condition shows up in lots of families and neighborhood.

Do you have anything else to watch instead of the news for a while? I think that in a few more days, the tv folks will move on to something else.

I hope that you are ok.
M.

I might as well not watch the news again for a week,or so. It's a painful mixture right now. BF

Steve I hope you listened to The Diane Rehm show on NPR yesterday. She had an excellent panel discussing mental illness that included a father of a young man suffering with this and how difficult it has always been to find help for him.

I've tried to find the podcast for it to link it for you but so far, no luck. It was yesterdays program 1-11-11.

you can listen to it here Steve...http://thedianerehmshow.org/audio-player?nid=13570

The Diane Rehm show is good. Here is the link. http://thedianerehmshow.org/

I think it is difficult to get both psychiatric AND medical care for people with brain dysfunctions (like bipolar and schizophrenia) is stigma. She should do a show on that - stigma in the medical community and the entire health care
system making obtaining meaningful help very very difficult whenever mental illness is involved. Here are links about that - although I feel ambivalent about some of it.
http://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/
http://changementalhealthlawsinky.blogspot.com/
http://itsnotmental.blogspot.com/

Thank you Alffe. I listened to the whole show. They where people who where trying to find a solution,and bring forth information to help those with mental disorders,and the general public. Thank you for this. BF

Thank you Jaspar. It is extremely hard to get the proper treatment. My Case Manager quit with out telling me that she was looking for a new job. They told me at the region in which I was getting help that they are looking for a new Case manager. Before that,my councillor resigned several months ago. I still have a Nurse Practitioner in the next county. BF

All of the talk lately about Mental Illness can be hard to take...

It took me a while to not take it personally... but that is what I had to do.

I listen to the news comments and mentally/emotionally have to put the news in it's place... Yes, I do have a mental illness but they are not talking about me... they are talking about the mental illness that I happen to have.

The news tends to talk in generalizations and they tend to group everyone with a mental illness in one bunch.

Just because I have a mental illness does NOT mean that I am like the person who brought up the topic of conversation to begin with... It DOES NOT mean, that even though we may have the same diagnosis, that I am going to act or react that same.

Even though we live with a mental illness we still have the choice to live right from wrong.

Now don't get me wrong... some mental illnesses make it difficult, if not impossible, to know right from wrong.

I tend to believe that those people are not getting all of the medical help that they need. I believe with the right medical intervention, it is possible to be taught right from wrong.

It may take counseling and medications to get our mental health on an even keel but that too is a choice... we have the choice to get help or not. What we do with that choice can mean all the difference.

Please take the news reports with a grain of salt and know they are not talking about you.... they are talking about the illness.

I am Abbie... I have Bipolar and other mental health related diagnosis... I am not BP or any of the other diagnosis.

Stay strong...

Abbie

Steve,

i also find these generalizations sad the way that they are used on the media and unfortunately many people out there do take what is said for poured gold, and pour into the mold the media shape for them....

thank you Alffe and Jaspar for the links i haven't got to hear the show yet (just awake about to go to work here) but i will catch up.

Abbie thank you for the reminder that we, for ourselves, have to plug forth and remind ourselves we aren't the labels they are carrying on about, and we aren't what comes out of the media molds. yours was a lovely post.

it's just too bad what gets said over the media is what contributes to us having to worry about "coming out" ... whether it will damage our work, our relationships etc...... SUPERSIGH.


~ waves ~

society will never get it...IMO.
I tried to be upfront with an orthopedic doctor about my illness, I had documented all of my illness attacks, episodes and hospitalizations.
She read the sheet of paper and that was all she could talk about was my hospitalizations, she did not believe me about my shoulder...I went to another ortho and never told him about my bipolar and was treated well.
I just recently applied to be a hospice volunteer. did not tell them that I was bipolar...I don't want the stigma, not any differential treatment or judgement.....only my pdoc and tdoc and mdoc know...and a few close friends....and of course my family.
bizi