Thom Bierdz’s account of his brother’s struggle with schizophrenia is horrifying for anyone to read, let alone for someone who has firsthand experience with serious mental illness. The families lack of access to resources or information, a parents desperate and often lonely attempts to be a caregiver, the gradual descent into self medication with drugs and eventual imprisonment, is sadly enough, a common story. However, some facts need to be emphasized. Schizophrenia is a rare mental illness; under 1% of the population is diagnosed with it. The bulk of people with serious mental illness are usually the victims of violence, not the perpetrators. In 2010, most states have a support and information for families in this situation.
Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life. 1 in 5 persons will have mental illness at some time in their lives. The most common illnesses are anxiety disorders, which affect over 40 million adults in the United States. The next most common is depression, followed by bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
What causes mental illness? There is no single cause of mental illness. Instead, there are a number of causes that can generally overlap:
• Chemical imbalances in the brain
• Stress and everyday problems
• Exposure to troubling events
• Genetics
• Or a combination of all of 4 of these factors
The best treatments for serious mental illnesses today are highly effective. 70 -90% of people reduce their symptoms & improve their quality of life. Treatment can include a combination of medication, psychotherapy & social supports
The most troubling fact about mental illness is that 2 out 3 people affected don’t seek treatment for it. This is because of stigma, and a lack of information and access to resources. When we use hurtful names and stereotypes for someone trying to recover from mental illness , we take away their ability to hope for a better life. When we ridicule people with mental illness we take away their ability to get an education, find a job, or have a meaningful relationship with someone. When we make fun of someone’s child, spouse or sibling who has a mental illness, we isolate the family socially and take away their ability to be part of the community. People with mental illness have always, and continue to enrich our lives. Here is a short list of people who have contributed a tremendous amount and who also had a mental illness: Abraham Lincoln, Judy Garland, Billie Holiday, Winston Churchill, Vincent Van Gogh, Janis Joplin and Marilyn Monroe.
The concept of recovery from mental illness was once ridiculed, but is now a real possibility for millions of people all around us, who have a mental illness and live a meaningful life in a community while striving to achieve their full potential. These people can be our co-workers, neighbors, friends, family members, or even ourselves.
There are many community based resources for people affected by mental illness and their families, and one of the most important ones is NAMI. The National Alliance on Mental Illness is a coalition of grassroots groups around the country that provides support, education and advocacy in order to improve the lives of people with mental illness. NAMI members are people with mental illness, as well as family members, caregivers and friends of those affected, and they have emerged as a powerful force in changing the mental health system to reflect the needs of families and individuals. For example, insurance parity for mental illness on the federal and state levels was achieved through NAMI grassroots advocacy.
NAMI offers several educational programs that can help cope with the experience of dealing with mental illness, including the Family to Family Education Program and Basics, both of which provide information and tools for caregivers, friends and family of someone with a mental illness. Programs like In Our Own Voice train and empower mental health consumers to present their own stories of recovery to any kind of community audience to break down the stigma surrounding mental illness. Hearts & Minds is another program that gives people on psychiatric medications the information and tools they need to achieve complete wellness by focusing on integrating physical and mental health. Connection provides weekly peer support groups for people with mental illness, becoming a powerful and effective tool to realizing that you are not alone.
To learn more about any of these programs, or educate yourself, seek support or learn how to advocate effectively, visit www.nami.org.
