The stigma of mental illness and suicide

My cousin, just ten months younger than me. is bi-polar.he was nearly 50 before being diagnosed. We've always been close and it continues in old age.I've worked with many nurses with mental illness. Diagnosed and treated they are friends, colleagues, and good neighbors.

i appreciate your candor and courage in discussing your mi, liddle.thank you for that.i've had major depressive disorder my entire life...with lots of anxiety.then dx'd with traumatic ptsd in 2004.i just wish *normal, mentally healthy* folks would walk 1 day in our shoes and understand how impermeable many of the meds are...that some of us, just never, ever find the right combo, and live a life of quiet resignation.i've tried every antidepressant out there, still go to therapy (sev'l yrs now), have had ect...and sometimes, just wait to die.i talk with God atc, and have conceded that my life is going to be like this until i leave earth.i've accepted it and my faith remains unshakeable...that for unknown reasons, this is what my life is supposed to be.as for suicide...phew...lots of harsh judgments out there.i consider suicide incredibly desperate and beyond tragic.i don't see it as "selfish".or, if it is, the selfishness cannot pale in contrast to the futility and despair the person is feeling.perhaps if mental illness wasn't so stigmatized, sufferers would try to obtain the care they so desperately need.there is no immediate cure for mi.at best, we can try to manage our symptoms the best way we know how.but until services and support are readily available to all in need, millions will continue to suffer...and lead their lives ultimately in a haunting desolation.i am grateful however, that despite how i feel, i am a woman at peace...and know that in good time, i will find the purpose and truth of what it all is supposed to mean.until then, i do not complain and remain blessed with all He has given me. i've said it before and will say it again:it really is, all good.leslie

Liddle, I was raised Roman Catholic. I think most people know about the Catholic belief on people who commit suicide. That being said, I have had a suicide attempt before. I am not into the church aspect of spiritual beliefs as much anymore, but I do believe in God. This God I believe in, He is the same God that created me and my mental illness (mental illness has a biological and environmental basis; therefore, if He created me, then he created my mental illness. It is not a spiritual thing). I personally believe He gave me a mental illness for a reason. I do not think I have a mental illness due to being evil, not praying enough, or not being a good person. I do think people with mental illness can recover and have wonderful lives. I do have some really rough days; do not get me wrong...days where I just sit there and not just cry, but sob. However, maybe God gave me a mental illness to have a wonderful purpose in life--to be a voice of change; to know how to be compassionate towards my fellow man who, too, suffers from illness, especially mental illness; to be creative and appreciate the little things in life.

wish_me_luck, i just loved your post, all of it.such a remarkable attitude, and i agree with you 100%.God bless you...as it seems He did.leslie

Thank you, Leslie. You may not like me that much when I throw this thought out there...in the days after the shooting at Sandy Hook, when all the mental health information was coming out about Adam Lanza and there were nasty comments made about people with mental illness (not here, but in the news page comments); I couldn't help but think to myself--there were 20 children and 7 adults killed, including the mother. That adds to 27 people--statistically speaking, one in five people have/will have some sort of mental illness...that means, if those kids were alive today, then some of those kids killed might have grown up and had a mental illness. I just think it's weird how society views people as "innocent", "having so much potential", "having their whole lives ahead of them", etc. and having so much worth as a person; then, bam...they are diagnosed with or disclose they have a mental illness, then their worth goes to zero and they are viewed as "dangerous", "crazy", "lazy", etc. I realized that death was permanent when I was in second grade--I was like 7 years old...the first time I ever wanted to die/kill myself? When I was 7 years old...elementary school kids sometimes think about suicide (a few attempt/succeed at it), it's not only teenagers and adults.

Quote from leslie :-Dhave had ect...

the following story is sort of r/t the topic:when the company i worked for changed corporate hands, the new owners immediately hired a new mgmt team.one of the very first actions they took, was to make one of our (severely mentally-challenged) residents a dnh.she was already a dnr.i asked why they had persuaded the mpoa in agreeing to this new directive.what it essentially amounted to, is this pt had a fdg tube, was 86, and had no quality of life.when this pt was first admitted to our facility, she was violent and aggressive.with lots of love and attn, she became affectionate and social."ruthie" loved to watch her barney-the-dinasaur videos, would sing, and loved interacting with anyone who paid attn to her.to me, she did have a decent quality of life, as she was happy.anyways, the bottom line to me was, they made her a dnh because a severely mentally-delayed person has no qol, OR,because she was devalued as a person in gen'l.stuff like this happens too often.i sometimes wonder who truly have the mental disorders.and you are 100% correct, that children can definitely be depressed.i speak from experience.great input, wish_me_luck.leslie

Quote from DeLanaHarvickWannabeWhen I was a tech, I worked in the only facility in the state that did ECT treatment. I know all about it, but I've never been able to ask anyone what it was like or if it helped. If you're comfortable, can you go into a little more detail about it?

Quote from wish_me_luck However, maybe God gave me a mental illness to have a wonderful purpose in life--to be a voice of change; to know how to be compassionate towards my fellow man who, too, suffers from illness, especially mental illness; to be creative and appreciate the little things in life.

add. note: This is long and convoluted because I would really rather write this, than do laundry. haha!Quote from VivaLasViejasI often wonder the same thing, if I was given this thing as a gift rather than a piece of rotten luck. It sure doesn't feel like a gift.....but then when I write, or do a really good job on something, or help someone else who's worse off than I am, I think to myself that I'd probably never have been able to do it if I didn't have this cross to bear. Who knows? Definitely something to ponder.....

Two things.... One, I'm the guy that wrote the article. When I wrote it, I was actually incensed that the only time MI gets covered is when a celeb dies, or goes to rehab. The second thing is, I was humbled by the fact that my little "rant" actually ended up getting multiple shares shares on Facebook, Google +, and twitter as well. It seems it was shared here also, and I've read what you have had to say about your experiences as well. I hope you don't consider this an intrusion... none of this will be seen nor shared by any means with the "outside world" as an FYI... I myself am a very private person.However, since I am here, and have read your comments, I'd like to enter my 2 cents if I may... I would doubt seriously that a God would purposefully debilitate a creature with any illness. That being said.... If we are in fact created in a God's image, then that God would have emotions as well. It would logically follow that some might feel those emotions more strongly than others . I tend to believe that is more likely the case with bipolar at least; it isn't so much always a bad thing as an uncontrollable one. I have moments of pure empathy for clients, or for children, or for injured animals. Moments of Joy and Love that transcend any drug, and emotional pains that burn worse than any hell. The strength of these emotions without medications completely overwhelm any and all logical thought. I had a really smart friend once that told me bipolar was the next step in human evolution. While that concept might be true, it isn't a ride I can handle without help. In any case, it is nice to know I am not alone. That there ARE others out there trying to cope and make it daily in the "real" world as well. Good luck to you all. Hope my article helped you as much as it did me

Quote from BrettThomasTwo things.... One, I'm the guy that wrote the article. When I wrote it, I was actually incensed that the only time MI gets covered is when a celeb dies, or goes to rehab. The second thing is, I was humbled by the fact that my little "rant" actually ended up getting multiple shares shares on Facebook, Google +, and twitter as well. It seems it was shared here also, and I've read what you have had to say about your experiences as well. I hope you don't consider this an intrusion... none of this will be seen nor shared by any means with the "outside world" as an FYI... I myself am a very private person.However, since I am here, and have read your comments, I'd like to enter my 2 cents if I may... I would doubt seriously that a God would purposefully debilitate a creature with any illness. That being said.... If we are in fact created in a God's image, then that God would have emotions as well. It would logically follow that some might feel those emotions more strongly than others . I tend to believe that is more likely the case with bipolar at least; it isn't so much always a bad thing as an uncontrollable one. I have moments of pure empathy for clients, or for children, or for injured animals. Moments of Joy and Love that transcend any drug, and emotional pains that burn worse than any hell. The strength of these emotions without medications completely overwhelm any and all logical thought. I had a really smart friend once that told me bipolar was the next step in human evolution. While that concept might be true, it isn't a ride I can handle without help. In any case, it is nice to know I am not alone. That there ARE others out there trying to cope and make it daily in the "real" world as well. Good luck to you all. Hope my article helped you as much as it did me