Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Mental Illness
I work at a psychiatric facility. I love it. I love the patients who are here. I give and get lots of love and hugs. Mental illness can happen to anyone. ANYONE. A good number of our patients have degrees from Doctrate on down. Alzheimer's does not discriminate, nor does manic depression, bipolor disorder, or schizophrenia. What can you do when someone you love is mentally ill and will not get help? Nothing. Wait. Hope. Pray. Now of course, I am speaking of someone who is NOT a minor. If you have a minor child who you suspect is suffering from mental illness, GET HELP NOW,(cutting, cycling manic behavior with severe fatigue, auditory or visual hallucinations, chronic(continuous) sad mood). I suspect that someone I love is mentally ill. At 22 years old he has the worst case of anhedonia(the inability to feel pleasure in anything, including the things that used to give you pleasure such as food, sex, shopping, hobbies)I have ever seen. He cycles up and down. I asked him last week if he would please get evaluated and diagnosed. "No drugs" says he. I get that. I also see that he has absolutely no joy in his life.I am trying to get a chance to ask him if he is having any hallucinations, auditory or visual. He is honest and would tell me the truth. There has just not been a private moment to talk. He is not a danger to himself or others, for now. So, our hands are tied, for now. I hope it doesn't get tragic before we can get him to seek help. I also hope that mental illness will someday not carry the stigma it does now so that those who suffer (and I DO mean suffer) from it can openly seek help.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Hey there, Kim. I very much relate to what you are saying here. I have family who have struggled their whole lives with manic depression. The whole bipolar thing is such a conundrum. When they're manic, they think they don't need help, and do all sorts of "out there" stuff, and then when they're depressed, they have to deal with the consequences of all that manic behavior, but don't have the will, or the mental clarity, to cope with it. They have been tweaking my sister's meds forever, trying to find the right balance, but it's hard, and boy is she miserable. Her son has many of the same problems, compounded by all the craziness he grew up with, and it's really a wretched situation. Wait. Hope. Pray. That seems to be the only prescription for the rest of us, watching our loved ones suffer. I'll pray for you and yours.
In Him, Kat
p.s. Sorry you didn't get to see the light show, either. God needs to schedule these things in August, for our convenience!! :-)
Hey Kim. I just wanted to wish you and yours a very merry Jesus' Birthday. I hope you are recovered, and can enjoy the day fully.
Blessings in Christ,
Kat
Bongiorno, Kim, Gabe's friend from Mississippi... Sí?
-Arron
I asw your blog... And you're teh only medical transcriptionist I know from California... :-)
Post a Comment