Mental illness is an ailment that is far more prevalent than many people believe. From depression and anxiety all the way to severe schizophrenia, psychological differences manifest themselves in a multitude of ways.
My guest, Lisa Thomas, has generously offered to share her story and experiences in an effort to help extinguish the stigma so often associated with this all-too-common ailment.
This, my friends, is one really good way to start changing the world…
What I Would Do To Change The World Submitted by Lisa Thomas
I would try to improve and eliminate the stigma of Mental Illness,
specifically Bipolar disorder. I would work with mental health
organizations to gain public acceptance. I would focus on helping those
with a mental illness find balance and a sense of well-being through
effective strategies and methods used to improve the quality of their
lives everyday.
Bipolar disorder is often referred to as “manic depressive disorder”.
This disorder involves wide mood swings between two poles: mania and
depression. Manic being characterized as having periods of extreme
energy, euphoria, elevated, expansive, and irritable mood swings,
sleeplessness, heightened sexual desire often becoming promiscuous,
restlessness and rapid speech and at the other extreme clinical
depression. In more extreme forms bi-polar illness can include
psychotic symptoms which can lead to severe problems and can be life
threatening. The symptoms of depression include excessive sleeping,
lethargy, anti-social, sadness, loss of interest, weight gain,
hopelessness, worthless, pessimistic, difficulty concentrating and in
extreme cases can lead to thoughts of suicide.
You might be wondering why I am passionate about mental illness. I
suffer from Bi-Polar Disorder, a mental illness I will live with for
the rest of my life. I was diagnosed 8 years ago, I’m 51 years old,
divorced and a mother of two adult children. I live a very well
balanced life emotionally and physically. I consider myself one of the
lucky ones. Why? I have never experienced the extremes of Bi-Polar
disorder that many people deal with daily. Mine has been manageable and
has allowed me to lead a healthy, productive life.
I have managed to maintain a balanced life in conjunction with
medication and 5 years of therapy. I also have an supportive network of
friends, family and co-workers who are there to support me when I need
guidance or advice. I keep a very close watch on myself day to day. I
have learned through reading, research and from organizations
including; National Alliance for Mental Illness(NAMI), Depression
Bipolar Support Alliance(DBSA), Mental Health America(MHA), American
Foundation for Suicide Prevention(AFSP), National Institute of Mental
Health(NIMH), and The Anthropedia Foundation have helped me learn how
to maintain a healthy lifestyle. These are non-profit organizations
that give support and guidance to help those of us suffering with a
mental illness. For me it is imperative to be proactive and
knowledgeable about your illness to become healthier mentally.
I discovered I had Bipolar Disorder several years after my divorce in
2002. I had a very stressful time for a few years and was experiencing
many ups and downs. I had been in therapy before the divorce and slowly
my therapist and I saw the signs of Bipolar Disorder.
It started with short periods of depression which I related to the
divorce and the struggles of being single and alone. However, I would
then become a bit energized not sleeping, (which I also contributed to
insomnia due to menopause) then a little too much drinking, spending
and agitation and anger. I had extreme periods of euphoria and a
feeling that I was invincible.
As time progressed I would find myself depressed for months at a time
and it was debilitating. There were times I would stay in bed for a
month or more, not shower, not talk to anyone but my children. Lucky
for me my kids were grown and not at home to see me in such distress.
Even though they knew things weren’t good, I hid as much of my illness
as I could.
The mania or highs were intoxicating. I was very productive and felt
extremely intelligent, at these times, it was a great feeling, but then
I never recognized the destructive behavior that was occuring at the
same time, overspending, drinking too much, and making impulsive
decisions. There were those times when I would dip so far into the
abyss that I wasn’t sure I would ever come to the surface. Suicide is
definitely thought of at those times. Many people in this situation
make reckless decsions including sucide, this not at all uncommon, I
was never suicidal because I was too afraid of the idea and I was
determined to rise above the illness and gain control. I had been on
medication all through these times however, medication is a slippery
slope. The right balance is not always easy to attain and retain. I had
to be diligent about my illness and learned to stay on top of things.
The slightest dip either way would automatically indicate a call to my
Doctor for a visit and together we would come up with another option. I
managed to rise above all the struggles in my life due to being
bipolar. I charged forward to start a new chapter for myself and my
future.
Bi-Polar Disorder is common and present in our society, 80% of the
people who are homeless, alcoholics, drug addicts and criminals are
bi-polar. They have no means or wherewithal to seek help and the
bureaucratic red tape makes it hard for people to get the drugs and
counseling needed.
This is a complicated disease with many unknowns which can take years
to diagnose and get the proper balance of medication. Mental illnesses
are common; they affect almost every American family. It can happen to
a brother, sister, grandparent ,mother, father, aunt, uncle, son,
daughter, friend or co-worker. It can happen to people of all
backgrounds and ethnicities. It can occur at any stage of life, from
childhood to old age. Mental Illness is a disease; like heart disease
or diabetes the symptoms lay dormant in our bodies and manifest over
time brought on by years of stress, and most importantly genetics.
The incidence of mental illness are rising,1 in 3 of us will suffer,
about 5% to 7% of adults are diagnosed with a serious mental illness
and a similar percentage of children, about 7% to 9% have a serious
emotional disturbance. That means millions of adults and children are
diagnosed every year with a Mental Illness.
Mental Illness is doesn’t have to be a weakness. It can give you
strength, spiritual growth and empowerment. This is a disease not a
state of mind. People that suffer with Mental Illness make a lifelong
commitment to stay mentally and emotionally healthy. The diagnosis of a
mental illness comes with the challenge to live a balanced life.
Through education, research, awareness, strategies and simple practical
approaches and methods we all can learn ways to improve our individual
mental health.
Commitment, acceptance, strength and self awareness are powerful tools
that we can incorporate along with strategies and methods that are
simple, practical and effective to achieving mental and physical
well-being.
Their are 3 strategies I have came to learn through my research about
mental illness and have learned to incorporate these into my everyday
life. These methods and strategies are scientifically proven practices
by an organization called The Anthropedia Foundation. The Anthropedia
Foundation has helped to introduce a new approach to health and
happiness. It is an effective approach to improving one’s mental health
and teaches how to take charge of your life and well-being, it is
called The Science of Well-Being.
The Anthropedia Foundation was started by a group of doctors and
professors. They have come together to create educational resources and
personal development tools that are simple, practical, and powerful.
These strategies are important for all people not just those with
mental illness.
The goal for everyone is happiness, peace and contentment. The
ingredients for a life of happiness according to Anthropedia are love,
hope and faith. The 3 practices that all people should try to achieve
to become happy are:
1). Working in the services of others
2). Letting go
3). Growing awareness
Incorporating these 3 practices and learning the concepts of
cooperativeness self -directedness and self-transcendence will bring
you closer to a life of well-being. Love, hope and faith will fill
your life everyday.
1). Cooperativeness: see others point of view, agree to disagree, non-judgmental
2). Self-Directedness: take responsibility for yourself and don’t
blame others, be self reliant
3). Self-Transcendence: faith,that which goes beyond us, belief…such as ethics, divine presence, morals, humanism and compassion
Through proper medication, therapy, education and a self-directed
approach mental illness can become a disease that is manageable.
Managing the fear, the self doubt, the denial of mental illness leads
to a balanced life filled with happiness, love, peace and contentment.
Realization, recognition and acceptance of ones’ mental illness is the
first step to improving mental health. Reaching out and being
proactive, seeking out a psychiatrist, therapist, support from family
and friends and making a commitment to yourself to live mentally
healthy is most important. This commitment to yourself needs to include
using medication that is prescribed. Medication is absolutely the
pivotal ingredient for anyone with a mental illness. Awareness and
communicating any changes with your doctor and therapist. A good
support group, connecting with mental health organizations and staying
educated, coming up with a strategy and action plan designed to achieve
a well balanced life for the long term. Anticipating that change will
happen and being prepared to handle that change when it arrives is
truly necessary to manage the day to day challenges of having a mental
illness. When the pieces of the puzzle come together it will offer an
ongoing improved sense and way of thinking, feeling and acting.
What would I do to change the world? I would help educate and teach
people how to better manage their lives. I would create a organization
that would give people the one on one help needed and access to create
a lifestyle that is manageable. I would teach each individual the
skills and tools to become independant, self-reliant and self-confidant
which will lead to an overall sense of well being and a fulfilling life
forever.
If you would like to guest blog on this topic “Solving the world’s problems”, please contact me: robin@robincain.com
NOTE: Shameless self-promotion permitted to some degree 🙂