Stepping up the mental health discussion

I couldn't agree more with your article. Society should be more open to mental illness than it is. We need an overhaul of the mental health system in the USA.

YES! YES! YES!We need to insist on a true mental health system in the United States. All people need access and encouragement to get all needed healthcare.Many people are suffering who could feel better with professional help.People could be productive with adequate mental healthcare.A very few could be helped before they hurt themselves of hurt somewhere else.I'm not a mental health/psychiatric nurse. Just someone who wants to help us start making it happen.

Back to back yesterday, I browsed two links on facebook - one showing a bunch of celebrities who had died by their own hand (Robin Williams being the first listed, of course, but many others I'd never realized were even gone), and then a link to veterans with PTSD featured in this absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking photographic book that has not yet been released. These issues do not discriminate. And they are tragic.This Jarring Photo Series Captures What PTSD Really Looks Like - BuzzFeed NewsClick through the links in the article if you're interested in supporting the artist.

I'm a longtime member of Allnurses who has written a number of articles on this same subject. I also live with bipolar 1 disorder so I have firsthand experience with mental illness and its stigma. Thank you for bringing up this topic and being a champion for mental health---the more people talk about it, the less scary it is.For those who are interested, March 30 is the second annual World Bipolar Day. It's a good time to raise awareness of not only bipolar, but all mental illness. The date was chosen because it is the birthday of Vincent Van Gogh, who is thought to have suffered from what used to be known as manic depression. Thanks again for this article.

I think it would be really helpful to seek opportunities to organize to have speakers with mental illnesses. Case in point: I have ADHD. Everyone thinks they know all about what it's like to have ADHD and may even know other obvious "facts", like it's a made up disorder for careless jerks, or that it's not a real disability. Partly because the description of mental disorders tend to be so simplified. Here's a list of symptoms for ADHD courtesy of NIMH, a perfectly reputable website:Children who have symptoms of inattention may:Be easily distracted, miss details, forget things, and frequently switch from one activity to anotherHave difficulty focusing on one thingBecome bored with a task after only a few minutes, unless they are doing something enjoyableHave difficulty focusing attention on organizing and completing a task or learning something newHave trouble completing or turning in homework assignments, often losing things (e.g., pencils, toys, assignments) needed to complete tasks or activitiesNot seem to listen when spoken toDaydream, become easily confused, and move slowlyHave difficulty processing information as quickly and accurately as othersStruggle to follow instructions.Children who have symptoms of hyperactivity may:Fidget and squirm in their seatsTalk nonstopDash around, touching or playing with anything and everything in sightHave trouble sitting still during dinner, school, and story timeBe constantly in motionHave difficulty doing quiet tasks or activities.Children who have symptoms of impulsivity may:Be very impatientBlurt out inappropriate comments, show their emotions without restraint, and act without regard for consequencesHave difficulty waiting for things they want or waiting their turns in gamesOften interrupt conversations or others' activities.

People suffering from mental illness don't just feel "out of sorts" or "have a bit of crazy in them". People suffering from mental illness are often extremely debilitated and ostracized. Until mental illness is treated as a disease that often needs and deserves medication it will always be brushed aside. People cannot talk away mental illness any more than they can talk away heart disease. Yes, counseling and psychotherapy helps, support and talking and being kind to yourself almost always helps when you are sick, but why the stigma against the meds? I don't get that at all.

I think people get hung up on the labels attached to some meds. Who wants to take something called an antipsychotic? And thanks to Hollywood legends, who doesn't know that lithium is used almost exclusively for manic depression? I agree with the above poster that medication is necessary, at least in most cases of serious mental illness; but therapy is also beneficial, along with mindfulness, exercise and a healfhful diet. Some people do just fine without medication. I knew a few of them, and I am continually amazed at how well they manage their lives for the most part. I am not one of them, however, so as much as I sometimes resent having to take meds to be "normal", I do it because I must. I don't like being on multiple antipsychotics. I don't like taking five different psychiatric medications and being reminded twice daily that I have a mental illness. But getting hung up on the issue is unproductive and doesn't change a thing---it's just my reality and that of millions of other mentally ill people. It'll be great when society catches up.

Quote from VivaLasViejasI think people get hung up on the labels attached to some meds. Who wants to take something called an antipsychotic? And thanks to Hollywood legends, who doesn't know that lithium is used almost exclusively for manic depression? I agree with the above poster that medication is necessary, at least in most cases of serious mental illness; but therapy is also beneficial, along with mindfulness, exercise and a healfhful diet. Some people do just fine without medication. I knew a few of them, and I am continually amazed at how well they manage their lives for the most part. I am not one of them, however, so as much as I sometimes resent having to take meds to be "normal", I do it because I must. I don't like being on multiple antipsychotics. I don't like taking five different psychiatric medications and being reminded twice daily that I have a mental illness. But getting hung up on the issue is unproductive and doesn't change a thing---it's just my reality and that of millions of other mentally ill people. It'll be great when society catches up.

Quote from ShelbyaStarI think it would be really helpful to seek opportunities to organize to have speakers with mental illnesses. Case in point: I have ADHD. Everyone thinks they know all about what it's like to have ADHD and may even know other obvious "facts", like it's a made up disorder for careless jerks, or that it's not a real disability. Partly because the description of mental disorders tend to be so simplified. Here's a list of symptoms for ADHD courtesy of NIMH, a perfectly reputable website:Sounds pretty straightforward, no? Clearly, these kids just need a good spanking. But then you go to read this article, and it gives a much more complete and accurate picture-11 pages of it- of what it's like to live with ADHD and shows MUCH more clearly that it's not really a choice or an excuse for bad behavior: http://allnurses.com/nurses-with-dis...ky-951199.htmlAccess to compelling personal experiences is what we need more of. This is what it ultimately takes to show that it isn't something that is something that you can just snap out of or is just a scheme from psychs and pharmacists to make more money.

Uggghhhhh point in case..... Just got an email from my grandmother detailing the "latest research" on brain boosting foods proven effective in treating ADHD. There is an active campaign against using medications to treat this legitimate condition which is a known neurobiological disorder which is known to respond best to medications when the symptoms warrant them (and generally, they do). Any parent of an ADHD child (and I'm sure anyone with ADHD) KNOWS that the ADHD child/adult truly suffers with it. But time and time again, the parent of a child with ADHD can get told by "well-meaning" people that medication is wrong. I wonder if these people would share oppositional opinions so freely if my son suffered from hypertension or hypothyroidism. This is frustrating. So, so frustrating. Why exactly do people feel they have free reign to share their unsolicited advice on any of this? I don't get it.

Quote from ixchelUggghhhhh point in case..... Just got an email from my grandmother detailing the "latest research" on brain boosting foods proven effective in treating ADHD. There is an active campaign against using medications to treat this legitimate condition which is a known neurobiological disorder which is known to respond best to medications when the symptoms warrant them (and generally, they do). Any parent of an ADHD child (and I'm sure anyone with ADHD) KNOWS that the ADHD child/adult truly suffers with it. But time and time again, the parent of a child with ADHD can get told by "well-meaning" people that medication is wrong. I wonder if these people would share oppositional opinions so freely if my son suffered from hypertension or hypothyroidism. This is frustrating. So, so frustrating. Why exactly do people feel they have free reign to share their unsolicited advice on any of this? I don't get it.

[FONT=Open Sans, verdana, sans-serif][COLOR=#000000]I couldn't agree more...as nurses we can work to help end the stigma of mental illness. I'm just unsure of how to go about doing it. I originally signed into allnurses today to reach out to other nurses working with community psych teams to share experiences; what works, what doesn't, how to make the job more reasonable while providing best quality of care. Driving home from 8 day stretch of work I counted up my time and realized I had put in 102 hours. Between staff out on vacation/extended sick leave and remainder of staff being overwhelmed and just kinda "checking out" it has been quite a doozy of a week. Like many nurses when called upon I will sacrifice my own wellness to safeguard the health of those in my care. Am I really doing anyone any favors though?...no. Like many who work in the MH field all I'm really doing is throwing a teeny tiny band-aid on the bigger issues that surround mental health in this country and around the world; stigma, educational outreach and underfunded programs and treatment. The clients we work with are considered to have "chronic, severe mental illness" and they are amazing survivors! The conditions we work under to provide support to them is substandard at times and ultimately effects the care we provide and yet we are one of the better funded programs! This is unacceptable. I love and respect the nursing profession and have found my niche within it. I would love to spend the remainder of my nursing career where I am but don't know how long I can last at this pace. Bringing the rest of society on board to end the stigma of mental illness and realize that proper funding could go a long way to decrease the suffering it causes would be a blessing for all involved. It would also strengthen the health and well-being of our communities and the world at large. Until then we are all holding on out here...sure could use some reinforcements! [/COLOR][/FONT]