The plight of people with mental illnesses in America

[NMMNG]

Mental illness is an equal opportunity affliction. It knows no socioeconomic, racial, gender or age boundaries. It does not discriminate on the basis of one’s education, job, sexual orientation or religion.

Mental illnesses exact a significant toll on Americans, and are much more prevalent than many believe. An estimated 26.2% of Americans ages 18 and older–about 1 in 4 adults–suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. (1) These can include mild transitory bouts of Depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the onset of a new illness, or the resurgence of an old one. The most serious and disabling conditions affect about 2.6-5.4% of adults over age 18 and 5-9% of children age five to seventeen. (2) Roughly 45% of individuals have two or more mental illnesses, meeting the criteria for co morbidity. (1)


Afflicted individuals may only experience minor, occasional interference with their day-to-day routines and need minimal interventions, or they may suffer debilitating symptoms that completely disrupt their lives and require ongoing intensive supports. Whatever their needs, those with mental illness have a wide variety of therapies to choose from. Medications, individual therapy, group therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, self-management techniques and more. The important thing is to get help–not only is the economic cost of untreated mental illness in the US roughly 100 billion per year, (2) but the costs to the afflicted individuals is far higher. Unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness, impaired relationships, inappropriate incarceration and suicide. More than 90% of people who commit suicide have a diagnosable mental illness. (2)

As many as half of individuals with mental illnesses also have a co morbid substance abuse problem. (3) There are various reasons such individuals drink alcohol or use cocaine, marijuana, heroin, sleeping pills, opiate painkillers or other drugs. They use them to dull the pain of depression, to take the edge off a manic episode, to get some sleep after days of sleeplessness, to quiet the voices in their head, to finally feel something. For any number of reasons they “self-medicate” with such substances, and possibly become dependent on them.

There are stumbling blocks that prevent people from obtaining treatment for mental illnesses. One of the biggest is the cost. It is estimated that in 2000 the US spent $83.1 billion for costs associated with depression and $63.1 billion in 1998 for costs associated with anxiety disorders. (4) Many health plans pay for mental health costs on a different scale than they do for somatic costs. For example, they will limit the number of visits a patient may make to a mental health professional in a given year and/or the co-pay for mental health appointments will be higher than for somatic appointments. Right away the patient is given a disincentive to seek treatment, particularly if they are on a tight budget.

Another difficulty those with mental illness face when contemplating treatment is stigma. Unlike other afflictions in our society–cancer, arthritis, multiple sclerosis–mental illness is still seen by many as a dirty, shameful disorder, a defect in character A diagnosis of a mental illness (even minor Depression) can haunt a person years down the road if they wish to get a gun permit, get custody of their children, or testify as a witness in court. People with mental illnesses are not unaccustomed to having their rationality, their intelligence or even every slight mood change questioned once their “label” is known to others. So the patient may avoid seeking treatment out of fear of having an “official record” that they actually have a mental illness. For an in depth treatment of stigma visit Stigma, Media Ethics and Mental Illness.

Once past the barriers, however, patients have a good chance. With the best treatments available today between 70 and 90% of individuals have a significant reduction in symptoms and improved quality of life. (2) Combining pharmacological and psychosocial interventions typically produces the best results.

Some individuals require inpatient services to manage the severity of their symptoms, either short-term or for longer periods of time. There are private facilities, which tend to provide higher quality services (particularly the ones for the elite, wealthy patients). Then there are the state facilities. Recently NAMI, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill released its report card on state services to the severely mentally ill in the US. The US as a whole got a D. No states got an A, five got a B, 15 got a C, 19 got a D, and 8 got an F. All in all, not a good report card.

Treatment of the mentally ill has improved vastly since Rochester hid his wife in an attic room and blamed her nocturnal behaviors on his servant, Grace Poole. Nonetheless, we still have far to go. Very, very far to go.


____________________________________________________________________________________________________


Notes/References

1. NIMH The Numbers Count
2. NAMI About Mental Illnesses
3. Dual Diagnosis and Mental Illness
4. Toll of Mental Illness on US Businesses and Organizations

[Cooley Hurd]

1. K&R - the silence on this issue is deafening...

Thank you for posting this.:thumbsup:

[NMMNG]

2. You're welcome

It's an issue near and dear to me for many reasons. Thanks for the recommendation. :hi:

[Cooley Hurd]

3. My family has dealt with varying degrees of emotional illnesses...

...almost all of it suffered in silence because of the stigma attached to it.

Two family members would be alive today if only they sought help.:(

[NMMNG]

4. I'm sorry to hear that

I suffer from mental illness, as do my two sisters and my mother. Fortunately we all have benefitted from treatment but we know the sting of stigma well.

In a society where nobody would dream of belittling a person with cancer or a broken leg, many people don't think twice of cracking jokes about the mentally ill, calling them "loony","crazy" or other hurtful names, and making them the subject of vicious taunts. If a person stated that they had diabetes who would dream of telling them to "just snap out of it", yet people with depression are told that constantly. A friend of mine once stated her theory of depression: "People grow up and realize they have to work for a living, and that's why they get depressed".

Yes, people can be really unkind.

[ClintonTyree]

7. Same here........

I know first-hand how painful and difficult it is to watch someone you love go through this. My ex-wife did seek help, well, she didn't have much of a choice, we committed her. After she was discharged she continued to live in denial about her condition, again, because of the stigma society attaches to anyone who suffers from this. When she was on her meds everything, while not fine, was manageable. When she refused to take them because the witch-doctor du jour told her she didn't need them (the Tom Cruise type) she'd relapse and be hospitalized once again. This see-saw battle went on for over 10 years. Then she was diagnosed with Leukemia. She died 6 years ago. What a painful life she lived. No one deserves a life like that, all that suffering.

Yeah, so I have issues with the way mental illness is addressed (or most often, NOT addressed) in our country too. And I'll never be able to forgive Ronald Reagan for his stance on it, opening the doors of the mental health facilities and pushing all of the patients out into the world without any support "to save money" :grr: . I'll piss on his grave someday for what he did.

[bobalu]

16. "pushing people out of mental hospitals"...Yes, and that did seem

to mysteriously coincide with the "homeless phenomenon"...As a baby boomer...I can well remember the time when there WAS no "homeless problem"....Sure there may have been the odd "hobo" here and there, but tens of thousands of people on the street?...NO way!...That scenario was described to us as something that only existed in poor third world cities like Calcutta, for instance.

Most people my age and older thought it was a "temporary" problem which would end with a political/economic solution. I'm sure there are young DUers here who don't remember a time when there WAS no "homeless" situation!....It was a different America.

[NMMNG]

21. Nearly one quarter of homeless people have a mental illness*

It is criminal what our society fails to do for them all to save a few dollars.









* http://www.usmayors.org/uscm/homeless/hhsummary.html

[LisaLynne]

17. Many people still do not realize what Reagan did.

A friend of a friend did a photo essay along with her dissertation and took pictures of all the abandoned institutions in just New York state. Some of them still had files in the offices -- that's how quickly they were closed up. It's sickening and should be Reagan's "legacy" instead of a bunch of airports and stuff with his name on it. That man was evil.

[nashville_brook]

20. see my post below -- direct Reagan connection

there was a 20/20 on the subject of horrible in-patient care in the 80s. it won a bunch of awards and did a lot to fuel the fire in the Reagan administration. given what we know now bout the manufacturing of consent throught the mass media -- and given that these tactics were just being developed by Reagan's team back then, i would say this is a text-book example of the first wave of fascism we are seeing now. people reacted tothe 20/20 segment -- or rather, the administration acted by emptying out residential programs. my family experienced this. we did everything we could to keep a dangerous mental patient off the streets and there's nothing left but wait, watch and worry for the day i read where he's finally been caught doing something truly horrific.

actually, i got an email this weekend from friends in melbourne who thought he was responsible for a triple killing down there.

that's one side of the issue... the other, as someone mentions above, is that nearly everyone needs some emotional therapy at some time in their lives and insurance doesn't cover that either. rather, the task of managing emotional health issues falls to general practitioners who can nothing but prescribe a pill.

we already live in Norquist's Post-Drowning Brave New World. it's time to re-build. we've got a big mess to clean up.

[Behind the Aegis]

8. Help

I am sorry to hear about your loss. However, it speaks to the bigotry in our country. If you're "sad," then "buck up!" If you are "angry," then "get over it." If you are "confused," then "get perspective." Any of that sound familiar?

The only reason I can type this is because I believed the "hype." To kill yourself, slit your wrists across the wrist (that is what they show it in the movies). Well, that is BS! That is not the way to do "it!" I won't say what the second attempt was.

You and I have the power to stop others from taking their lives. We can do it by making sure that people KNOW that mental illness and distress are real issues!!!

[H2O Man]

5. People with mental illness

are more like to be the victim of a crime, than to commit a crime.

This is a great OP. Thank you.

[Behind the Aegis]

6. Crazy is as crazy does.

Well, my subject line is what most would like us to believe. People think of mental illness as "talking to yourself in the street" and "severe actions." As your post says, there are more people who are "crazy" than many would like to admit. It is not a 'nice' thing to think that people are not "well in the head." However, many people suffer, daily, from a variety of mental illnesses. The saddest thing is most go undiagnosed. They are too afraid, or don't know, to go to a doctor.

The real issue is that many fail to see the world has become so much smaller. We are all exposed to issues, that a 100 years ago, we wouldn't have known. The advent of the internet and the 24 hour news sources, well, they produce reactions that many would not have experienced 100 years ago, even 50 years ago. How many people reading this post saw a plane slam into the World Trade Center? How many have seen that image over and over? Now, how many saw the bombing on Pearl Harbor? How many have seen the assassination of Lincoln? These constant assaults on us take their toll. The only ones who don't seem to mind are those desensitized to violence, another problem we as a people face.

Mental illness is real. Many still don't want to believe it. Many want to say that it is "in all of the minds of the afflicted." Well, I say that denying mental illness is "in the minds of those who are too self-absorbed!"

[mhr]

9. Mental Illness Is To Health Care As

Katrina Is To Disaster Relief.

If poor black people in New Orleans can be treated as witnessed, then those with mental illness will fair no better.

[Vinca]

10. Complicating the issue is the lack of health care for those afflicted.

Insurance policies, if you're lucky enough to have one, might cover 30 days of inpatient care . . . might! Some things can't be controlled in 30 days, so individuals are left on their own. A very sad incident just happened in a town next to mine. A very intelligent man with impressive academic degrees suffered from bipolar disease. One night he began ringing doorbells and telling people he was running for political office. Police were called and stopped to talk with him. The poor man bolted for the river, seeming to think he could walk on water. It's winter in the northeast and very cold. He died within minutes of hypothermia.

[SPKrazy]

42. 30 Days? Not Consecutively nt

[whatelseisnew]

11. Excellent point about self-medication

Many people don't understand the need to self-medicate. This is a good description:

They use them to dull the pain of depression, to take the edge off a manic episode, to get some sleep after days of sleeplessness, to quiet the voices in their head, to finally feel something. For any number of reasons they “self-medicate” with such substances, and possibly become dependent on them.

k&r

[BiggJawn]

13. That's why I drank so much in my last episode.

Meds weren't helping, so it was a BIG bottle of White Zin EVERY night. The depression finally lifted, and I quit. Completely.

For some reason, I have no desire to drink this time around.

[NMMNG]

22. Thanks. This is why I get so irritated when people assume that

I get so irritated when people assume that alcohol and substance dependence are a choice. Even one DUer made such a claim to me recently, stating that "Nobody chooses to have schizophrenia, druggies and alcoholics choose to be what they are". :eyes:

In reality, most people become addicted as a result of attempts to escape pain.

[BiggJawn]

12. "Did you remember to take your pills today?" This from a former boss.

His idea was that once I was "on pills" I should never show a flicker of any emotion, thus any sign of life would get that "question".

My insurance allows me to see my therapist every 3 weeks, and the co-pay is more than I pay my PCP, who I could see every day, no questions asked, if I needed to.

I've been told to "Get over it", "Snap out of it", "Jeebus Crisco, guy, Life's hard for EVERYBODY! What makes *YOU* so special?" yada, yada, yada.

Trying the third med in a year, either I get no benefit or too many side-effects.

Oh, did you know Prozac can trigger anger? That explains some things...

Diabetic, Hypertensive, Depressed.... Gee, I could be on "Oprah".

[NMMNG]

23. Of course.

Once people know you have a label, any sign of anger or agitation from you is cause for alarm. "Don't rile the whacko", they all think to themselves, "who knows what s/he might do".

Of course, any of them can slam things, swear, shout and what not without anybody thinking it abnormal. But you sigh too heavy and they swarm upon you wondering if you need to take a walk to cool off, or go back to the doctor to have your meds adjusted. :eyes:

Gah!

[BiggJawn]

33. I was actually reported as a "potentially lethal employee" to HR.

When I found out about that, I KNEW my career was in the toilet, swirling around and around....

[NMMNG]

45. Whoever reported that has a potential lawsuit on their hands

If they can't back that up with hard evidence.

[BiggJawn]

46. Yeah, well, I left that hell-hole.

Not worth it. This is the boss who used to surf gay porn on my computer after hours. With HIS log-in.
If I had been fired, I would have pursued action.

[NMMNG]

48. I don't blame you

Some battles aren't worth fightning.

[BiggJawn]

49. Sun Tzu would have agreed.

I did not have the High Ground.

[kineneb]

26. good article you should read

in the most recent Diabetes Forecast; it was on the high incidence of depression in people with diabetes. I finally got Hubby to get on Prozac(generic) a number of years ago, and it has really helped even out his mood. Also, keeping blood sugars down will help with the anger issues; Hubby would get really angry at everything when his glucose levels were too high.

[Ladyhawk]

27. Interesting. I had major depression long before I had diabetes, though.

However, you're right about glucose levels. I'm a bitch on wheels when they're too high.

[BiggJawn]

32. I saw that.

I've got a history of depression that pre-dates my Diabetes, though. My first episode was almost 20 years ago.
I don't think it's the diabetes this time, though. I was abused by my ex-wife, and I'm having lots of problems dealing with "Post-911 Murka" and Big Brother...

Sugar's under control though!

[IndyOp]

14. Every time we fight for a progressive government policy

Every time we fight for a progressive government policy - better education with smaller classroom sizes, better laws to protect women from abusers, better labor laws, national health insurance, low cost college loans, strict adherence to human ethics at home and abroad, prison systems that offer a real chance for redemption, funding recreation and the arts...

Every ONE of these enlightened policies PROMOTE MENTAL HEALTH, thus reducing the risk & severity of mental illness.

Every mental illness is brought on by life stressors -- some are unavoidable, such as becoming an adult -- but all can be lessened by a secure social safety net. And, some, like the post-traumatic stress disorder our troops will return home with - are entirely preventable.

I teach Introductory Psychology (that and $5 will get me a cup of coffee) and this semester, for the first time, I taught Social Psychology before Abnormal. I can no longer, in good conscience, teach about depression, anxiety disorder, substance use disorder and so forth without constantly reminding myself and my students about the social factors that have profound effects on our mental health.

[NMMNG]

24. All excellent points

And unfortunately under the current administration we are moving in exactly the opposite direction. :-(

[peacebuzzard]

15. Mental illness is probably the most financially devastating disease.

[The Witch]

18. Thanks for keeping the issue alive.

I'm proud to have worked on antistigma campaigns in my life. It's so important to help people have a good quality of life.

[nashville_brook]

19. this is a SOCIAL issue, not just a family issue

used to be that we understood this. when mentally-ill people have no access to treatment they wind up on the street as a THREAT to other, non-mentally ill people.

i have a distant relative who was institutionalized before he was a teenager (circa 1979). when he was a CHILD he was a threat to himself and other people. i'm not talking about depression or simple manias or delusions -- he was/is full-on aggressive psycho with a sub-80 IQ. he spent his teen years bouncing from psych wards and foster homes where he was mistreated by equally psycho born-again christians. upon turning 18 -- at the end of the Reagan administration -- guess what happened? OUT ON THE STREET.

he lives on the street in Jacksonville, Florida -- close to the hospital and foster homes that he recognizes 'as home.' his mother died recently and his father is probably either dead or in prison.

but, he has a "social group." co-morbid drug use? oh yeah! there's PLENTY of people who can think of reasons to have someone like this around. because his IQ is so low and his mental state is so fractured, he will do almost anything for anyone. read between the lines here folks -- he's been massively abused and runs in those circles.

here's a fairly recent incident.

http://firstcoastnews.com/news/news-article.aspx?storyid=44912

this isn't just about keeping families pretty and happy -- there are massively damaged, unmedicated people who ARE A THREAT TO SOCIETY. Homeless. In survival-mode. Drug-addicted.

Your worst nightmare.

Used to be that we made sure people like this weren't a threat to SOCIETY at large. guess we don't have money for that anymore. wouldn't wnt GOVERNMENT INTRUDING on anything, would we?

[NMMNG]

25. People with mental illnesses are no more a threat to the public

than anybody else. The notion of the "crazed knife-wielding psycho waiting to attack" is just another stereotype that needs to die a much needed death.

Furthermore, your broad-brush statements about people with mental illnesses based on your experiences with your distant relative are no more valid than if I were to assume all men were jerks just because the guy who cut me off in traffic was.



Unfortunately, the public believes the mentally ill are dangerous and need to be watched carefully. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, a recent survey conducted in California found that 83 percent surveyed believed the mentally ill are dangerous. In reality, though, less than 2 percent of mentally ill people are dangerous, according to the institute -- a figure no higher than the incidence of violence in the general population.
http://www.bangorinfo.com/RRR/stigma.html

Carter said there are many myths that the media can perpetuate or break depending on their portrayal of the mentally ill. "The most damaging and persistent myth is that mentally ill people are violent," she said, explaining that only about 3 percent of mentally ill people are dangerous when not using medication.
http://www.medill.northwestern.edu/medill/inside/news/carter_says_coverage_of_mental_health_needs_to_improve.html


The perception that mentally ill people are violent is a common one. In reality, studies have shown that they commit violent acts no more often than a random sample of their peers, if they do not abuse alcohol or drugs.
http://www.geocities.com/stargazers_here/mental_illness.html

[kineneb]

28. Mental health issues are only managed

never cured. I live with depression and its effects every day. I currently am on the max dose of Cymbalta, after 40mg of Paxil stopped working. I have around ten years cumulative memory loss due to depressive episodes, and my short-term memory is unreliable. Some days, I feel lucky to just function at a minimal level.

What people do not understand is that mental illness does not go away, that one never gets "well"; some days are better than others, and sometimes whole months are totally lost. Depression and bipolar disorder have to be managed, just as diabetes is managed. And mental illness does not improve with age, the cycles get closer together.

There is a history of mental health issues in my own family: great-grandma was a suicide- she drank a bottle of carbolic acid after what was apparently a long period of depression. She left a grieving husband and two small children, ages 4 (my grandmother) and 2.

[NMMNG]

31. For the vast majority of sufferers that is the case

In some instances individuals, such as those with mild depression may be completely asymptomatic following treatment. In such cases they may be considered "cured". However the bulk of people who have mental illnesses have chronic or recurring symptoms, and require ongoing treatment. It is for these people that life can be a great challenge, particularly if they do not have the support of family, friends and others around them.

[raccoon]

35. Amen to that, Buffy,

" It is for these people that life can be a great challenge, particularly if they do not have the support of family, friends and others around them."

In recent years I have really come to realize how much the SUPPORT of family, friends, and others can make a big different in how adverse circumstances affect us.

[kineneb]

40. family support is very important

Hubby asks me every morning if I have taken my meds. Sometimes it is annoying, but I have been known to forget, so I don't mind too much. He and most of my friends are very understanding and helpful.

My parents do not understand, and I have actually got the "pull yourself up" lecture from my stepfather. I don't go to them for other than financial support.

[fleabert]

29. thank you. my mom has manic depression- and I am not ashamed of her.

I am pissed off that even though her doctor forbids her from working due to her illness, she cannot get Disability. Because she hasn't worked in over ten years, she cannot get any of the money that SHE PUT INTO SS during her working years (age 16-38). There should be no time limit for claims on disability for the mentally ill. She had no idea that her doctor's refusal to grant his approval of her working meant she could collect- as soon as she knew, she filed. and was denied. twice.

I wish she could deduct the time she was in manic, psychotic episode, since she would not have had the capacity to file at that time anyway- she'd qualify then.

fucked up system.

[NMMNG]

30. That is bullsh*t

A person should be able to collect on what they put into the system--after all, that's what it's there for, isn't it? Screw time limits and all that crap. If a person needs it they need it. Our government makes people jump through so many hoops trying to get what is rightfully theirs (and often refusing it in the long run) while wasting so much on useless things it makes me want to :banghead:.


On edit: If your mom is not able to get SSDI, she may still qualify for SSI (Supplemental Security Income). There are many clients where I work who don't qualify for SSDI for one reason or another, and they get SSI instead. Here is their website. Hopefully they can help.

[mdmc]

36. thanks for the op

peace and low stress

[fleabert]

39. thank you for the link.

I have tried to convince my mom to get a lawyer, but she can't afford one. she spoke to a gov't one (free) and they told her she had no case and would never get approved- ever. The fox is guarding the hen house there...assholes. She is also afraid of the stress of a legal pursuit of her benefits, stress is a huge trigger for her, and is the reason her dr. forbids her from working. it's a vicious cycle.

thanks again, I will pursue the link you provided. :hug:

[The Flaming Red Head]

38. What’s even worse is if they get the checks and they aren’t in their name

I know a young lady who collects SSI and works as a hotel maid, somehow another (ex-friend/ I could never call him friend now) managed to get her checks given to him as her care taker (he doesn’t work) anyway they found out that because she had been working for many years on the side, that she was due back pay, a lot of back pay $27,000. So this dip shit (him not her) gets the check in his name because of her mental illness and low IQ and he takes her money and spends it on a ski boat, two dirt bikes, and a pick up truck, (she can’t drive and they can’t even afford the gas for the boat) mean while she works and pays all his bills with her pay check and SSI and the last time I ran in to her she had to borrow 5 dollars from me just to buy lunch at work and this was one month after the $27,000 in back pay.

I almost think she could have managed the money better than he did.

I confronted him with it (I’ve known him for over 10 years and have never seen this kind of behavior) he sneered at me and said that I was just a hateful cunt and that he was Brenda’s paid representative and could do what he wanted with her money. Breaks my heart. She could have put a down payment on a trailer and some land and then used the SSI or Maid money to pay the mortgage and now it’s all gone.

[NMMNG]

41. Representative payees are supposed to account for what they do

with the funds they receive on behalf of a disabled person. They are not allowed to do what they want with the person's money, but are supposed to spend it on that person's care and personal needs/wants. It is never to be spent on the rep-payee. Turn this guy in--anonymously if you don't feel comfortable doing so otherwise. He deserves to have his rep-payee rights taken away and be prosecuted. He is slime. :grr:


The toll free number for SSI is 1–800–772–1213

[kineneb]

43. she Can get disability

If she can medically document her case, re-apply and keep at the system. Most disablity cases are automatically rejected, and you must keep filing appeals to get her approved. Be sure to get a hearing before the judge, and bring friends who can testify to her disability.

A friend of ours went through this process because he has multiple personality disorder(courtesy of an abusive family). The judge approved his case when told that our friend would have to be re-trained on the job every time he shifted into a different personality- about every half hour, at that time.

We will be helping our god-daughter get disablity. She is just 18, but is unable to support herself, and in fact, was not able to complete high school due to her bipolar issues. Even though she is bright, she has many days when she is barely functional.

[fleabert]

47. thank you. I have told her the same thing, but

she does not want to pursue it, due to the stress of it all- she doesn't want to go into episode during the process. I wish her psychiatrist would push a little harder and support her more to help. I know I would stand by her side the whole time, but she is terrified of seeing a judge and the barrage of questions a hearing would entail. It's digusting that the system fails her so badly- automatic, repeated denial strikes hardest at those least capable of dealing with it- and those are the most deserving of approval.

pisses me off to no end. She has been told too many times by lawyers that she would be denied no matter how many times she applies that she has given up. :-( but I keep trying.

[opihimoimoi]

34. I happen to think 50 to 65 % of us are a bit delusional but are

walking about thinking we be normal..just an observation

[Thirtieschild]

37. Public tours of the "insane asylum"

In 1952, in Austin for an Interscholastic League contest, we toured the insane asylum, as it was called then. There must have been tour guides, although I don't remember them specifically. What I do remember - and shudder at - is staring at people who stared back with dead, unseeing eyes. This must have been before medication for psychosis. Barbaric, but that's how the world worked in the halcyon days of the early 50s. About the same time I remember touring a reformatory in Kansas, once again walking down a corridor and staring at the young men in their cells. They must have felt like animals must feel at the zoo, particularly back then, when there were just cages, no natural settings. At least I didn't attend a public hanging, as my father did in 1910, when he was six.

Btw, I take medication every morning for depression. I'm amazed by people who are obviously depressed, who won't treat it, who don't - won't - understand that a depressive needs anti-depressants just as a diabetic needs insulin. Both are chemical.

[NMMNG]

44. That was indeed before antipsychotics

Thorazine, the first antipsychotic medication, was not introduced until 1954. Up until then the most "modern" treatment for Schizophrenia was insulin coma therapy, and prior to that (in the 1930s) it had been ECT (Electro-convulsive Therapy).

Interesting you should use the word "halcyon". Halcion is the brand name of a benzodiazepine drug. ;-)


Btw, I take medication every morning for depression. I'm amazed by people who are obviously depressed, who won't treat it, who don't - won't - understand that a depressive needs anti-depressants just as a diabetic needs insulin. Both are chemical.

I agree. Some people feel they are being "weak" by taking medications for a mental illness, or don't like the idea of being "dependent" on medications for a mental health issue. Would they feel weak or dependent on medications if they were taking them for high blood pressure or diabetes? The stigma really gets in the way when it comes to mental health, and only causes harm.

[MrMonk]

50. "in the halcyon days of the early 50s"

I didn't realize that they had Halcyon in those days.

(There's a pun in there.)

[EFerrari]

51. from "Blood on the Clownsuit"

(mods: posted by permission)

LIGHTs up 30%

Fuck Christmas. I hate Christmas. I was born on Christmas Day. Screwed on presents my whole childhood and that still bothers me, ridiculous isn’t it? Hey, you can’t compete with Jesus. My mother was born on December 5th and she hates her birthday. My wife was born on December 10th and she hates HER birthday. My sister died on December 3rd. My father died on December 7th. On Christmas Eve, 1996, in front of my wife and stepson, I threw our 10- foot Christmas tree out of the living room window, which wasn’t open at the time. I was yelling “Fuck Christmas! If I can’t have a good Christmas, nobody will!” Never get an Irish Catholic judge when you throw the Christmas tree out the window. I spent my 40th birthday in the San Francisco County Jail. I’ve always had trouble with Christmas.

LIGHTS UP 70%

I love the stage. I was onstage at age four, the year I saw the Three Stooges live and said, “That’s what I want to do with my life!” I love being on stage. I wish I could sleep up here. Only comedians have such low self esteem that they need to be elevated with lights on them and talk uninterrupted for an hour while everyone else is forced to sit in the dark and listen. If you’re heckled, the heckler is removed. You don’t get that in real life.

I have always felt it was my mission from God to make people laugh – not to laugh myself, to make other people laugh. I was already in the theater at 16 – the first play I did, I met my wife but, that’s another story. Been doing comedy thirty years. My total time on stage would add up to about 70 days or about 5000 shows. There aren’t enough shows in a day for me. I’ve done seven in a day, 21 in a week. I could work every night. It’s real life I’m uncomfortable with. I have OFF stage fright.

TURNS ON RECORDER, TURNS TO AUDIENCE.

For the record, let me tell you that I am mentally and physically disabled. I’m sure you’ll give me the benefit of the doubt and believe that I am not eliciting sympathy, begging for attention, or negative bragging. It’s just that I have spent every day from Valentine’s Day, 1994, living with all of this, being told about it, freaking out after I was told about it, feeling worse once I knew, and trying to conquer it with programs, therapy, medication, doctors. I feel it is better to admit I have illnesses and disorders rather than continue to believe that I am a fat cokehead has-been, a big ugly loser, or an asshole. All of us will admit to and come to terms with grave, serious, embarrassing and humiliating problems, write books about them and go on Oprah, but no one ever wants to be called an asshole.

I am in recovery from alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, LSD, peyote, mushrooms, clean if not sober, without any bitterness or regret. I did so much “partying:” for 22 years that I never have to do or take anything again.

I am under a doctor’s care for diabetes, high blood pressure and “morbid obesity”. I LOVE that term. My doctor is always pissed at me. I have that effect on people.

My psychiatric diagnosis is Borderline Personality Disorder. I hate that name. Borderline Personality Disorder. It sounds like you are on the border between nice guy and asshole.

When my doctor told me I had depression, I thought, how can I have depression? I’m a comedian! There is an old story from the Italian Renaissance in the 13th century. A man goes to a doctor and says, ˆI cannot laugh, I have no sense of humor. Life is a horror to me and I'm going to jump off the bridge.” The doctor says, “Go see the great clown Pagliacci, the funniest man in the world. He can make a dead man laugh.” The man says, “Doctor, I am Pagliacci.”

I have Attention Deficit Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, which means the few things I do pay attention to scare the shit out of me. You have to have a big fucking persona to hold all of that shit and still be able to tie your shoes and get food to your mouth.

See, if Depression is a box of cereal, Borderline is the Variety Pak! Let’s see what we have here: Addiction Loops. Maximum Oat Impulsivity. Sugar Frosted Seasonal Affective Disorder. Depression Os. Honey Bunches of Anxiety. Got milk?

I take 25 pills a day, down from my regimen for years, Remeron, Lexapro, Neurontin, Geodon, Klonopin, Glucophage, Glyburide, Lopressor, Norvasc, melatonin for sleep. I have been on Zoloft, Paxil, Wellbutrin, Lithium, Xanax, Risperdal, and a dozen others that didn’t work. My meds have been changed a hundred times. My pill minder has 35 compartments and is bigger than the one my 80-year old mother uses. This is a close to a health diet as I get.

I’ve been to Alcoholics Anonymous. I’ve gone to Marijuana Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and Cocaine Anonymous. I’ve been to 300 AA meetings. I’d like to go daily for the rest of my life. I love AA – you tell people the shitty, stupid things you did and they applaud you for not doing them TODAY. I have had a probation officer, a marriage counselor, and many other therapists and psychiatrists, and I’m still standing. I have now had more therapy than acting training. I have my own personal recovery army.

I have taken myself to psych wards, mental hospitals, mental health clinics, a halfway house. Apparently, I was crazy but not crazy enough for my insurance to cover it. According to Blue Shield, I was just fine.

When I was seven my parents took me to a shrink. I think someone at Happy Hours Hill School told them they had to do it. The doctor said to my parents ”You both have to come in with him next time.” My mother looked at him and said, “That's ridiculous.” And that was the end of that.

* * *

(Oh, no it wasn't. :toast: )

[NMMNG]

52. Wow, that is one amazing story

What a wild and harrowing ride this person has had (and is still having). It sounds positively overwhelming.


Apparently, I was crazy but not crazy enough for my insurance to cover it. According to Blue Shield, I was just fine.

In that situation I would have threatened to pay those bureaucrats a visit just so they could reassess their opinion of my need for coverage. They probably would have fully reversed their opinion. :rofl:

[EFerrari]

53. LOL! We use that one. It works!

:rofl:

[NMMNG]

54. Sad but true

The publics' fear of people with mental illnesses can be used to one's advantage when pressed to the wall. I've been tempted to use it myself when afraid for my safety.

[EFerrari]

55. Our pharmacy was, ahem, fudging their paperwork and so

some meds Doug needed weren't available when he needed them because nothing had been approved.

Eventually, I told them that they were placing us in physical danger and that I'd have the hospital send the bills directly to them.

They really annoyed me but I can't blame the pharmacy. They're between a rock and a bigger rock.

[NMMNG]

56. "They're between a rock and a bigger rock."

That's how many people with MI feel on a regular basis, with all of the hoops the system puts them through. :-(

[varkam]

57. Wonderful

I'd recommend the post if I could, but I'm too late. I think your words put, very concisely, the state of the mental health field in America today. I grew up with mental illness myself, and many of my loved ones were also afflicted. There's really not much more that I can add, in the words of Fellini - I don't really have anything to say, but if it's all the same, I'd still like to say it.

There is certainly a stigma attached to mental illness, though I think it's getting better. But still it persists, many people think that people who are depressed just need to get out more, take vitamins, exercise (e.g. Tom Cruise). That might help for someone who's just kind of down, but people who say that have never lived with or known someone with clinical depression. It's like your whole world is broken. Everything is a deep, dark blue and nothing you do will ever make anything better. Jogging ain't fixing that.

But more than that, what I wanted to say was this - many times, the difference between mental illness and physical illness is that, if you have back pain or a cold, you know why you have it. You know why your back hurts - you got in a wreck 12 years ago. You know why you got a cold - campus is like a friggen petri dish in the winter. Lots of times, people with mental illness have no idea why they hurt. They have no idea why all they do is lay in bed or why they get no enjoyment out of their favorite activities anymore. They couldn't tell you why they have to check the lock on the door 12 times, no more no less. They can't tell you why they think the FBI is closing in. They can't tell you why they're addicted. What I'm getting at here is that the etiologies for mental illnesses are often times much less well understood than the causes for physical illnesses. Genetics? Environment? An interaction between them? Unresolved conflicts with your mother? Dysfunctional beliefs about the world? Pick your practitioner, pick your cause. Psychiatrists might tell you that your depression is due to an imbalance of serotonin and norepinephrine whereas a traditional psychoanalyst might want to explore how your relationship was with your parents.