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Article published Oct 5, 2008 Mental Illness Awareness Week begins today
Mental Illness Awareness Week begins today. You might wonder just why the topic is so important that it has a week dedicated to spreading the word about it, so I'll tell you.
As a consumer of mental health services in the past, I know firsthand just how debilitating a mental illness can be. I know what it's like to be so fatigued that I could barely drag myself out of bed in the morning. I know what it's like to feel so anxious I couldn't leave the house. I know what it's like to have an almost palpable burden weighing down my spirits and interfering with the things I needed to do.
I also know firsthand how it feels to get help for clinical depression and to have that burden lifted. In my case, medication and therapy helped me get back into the world so I could take care of myself, my children and my home and go back to the things that had given me pleasure before. The black and white of depression gave way to a crayon box full of life and color.
When I was approached about doing a series of stories on various aspects of mental illness, I was pleased to agree to do so. That series begins today with the main story in this section on postpartum depression, which is how my dark journey began. A story will run each day through Oct. 11.
I share my story so that others who may feel embarrassed about being "crazy" -- and yes, you will hear that word from some who can only be described as ignorant jackasses -- will seek help and do what is necessary to take care of themselves. Don't let them stop you. You're worthy of respect and you're worthy of good health, both mental and physical. It's OK to take care of yourself.
Some information provided by the Mental Health Awareness and Suicide Prevention Alliance at Blount Memorial Hospital from the Centers for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov) shows that those of us who have mental disorders are not alone. One in two Americans has a diagnosable mental disorder each year, including 44 million adults and 13.7 million children. Mental disorders are disabling, just as much as cancer or heart disease in terms of premature death and lost productivity.
We seek help for cancer, we seek help for heart disease -- why do we not seek help for mental disorders? According to the CDC, 80 to 90 percent of mental disorders are treatable using medication and other therapies, and research has improved our ability to recognize, diagnose and treat these conditions effectively. But, of those with a diagnosable mental disorder, fewer than half of adults get help and only a third of children get help. That amounts to a lot of people suffering needlessly.
Yes, I am one of the many people with a mental disorder. Through medication and therapy, I survived. I got my life back. It was not an easy task, but it was doable. I no longer take medication but if I need to again I will. Like the young woman mentioned in the postpartum story, I'm not going back to that dark place.
You don't have to be there, either. Call your doctor and make an appointment. Step into the light. It's much nicer out here.
Linda Albert is Women's Times editor and a staff writer for The Daily Times. Her column runs every Sunday in the Women's Times section. You may contact her at 981-1168 or e-mail linda.albert@thedailytimes.com.