What exactly is a mental illness? I asked myself this question
seriously when my brother and mother were first diagnosed a few years
ago with Bipolar I and SchizoAffective Disorder. Shortly after, I was
forced to reflect on this question once more after my own diagnoses:
Bipolar II.
A lot of times, the first ideas that come to mind for the average person of the mentally ill are various images of "crazy" they have acquired from movies such as, Shutter Island, Donnie Darko, Psycho, Girl Interrupted etc. These movies portray the mentally ill in such exaggerated ways that they create a horrible stigma for them.
The Medical Dictionary defines mental illness as, "Any of various disorders characterized chiefly by abnormal behavior or an inability to function socially, including diseases of the mind and personality and certain diseases of the brain. Also called mental disease, mental disorder."
A definition I find more digestible is from the website of an organization called NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness, "Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life."
The great news is that it is that mental illness help is possible. Many recover and live productive lives once finding the right resources going through the right treatment.
Besides seeking out a psychiatrist or a psychologist (the latter is medication oriented), joining support groups, or finding more resources such as a local NAMI, we must also seek out understanding and compassion for the mentally ill. Knowledge is the key.
People with mental illnesses are suffering from symptoms or experiences beyond their control. Many people get angry at a depressed person who won't get out of bed, but wouldn't feel the same towards a person with a broken leg. These examples may seem like totally different scenarios, when in actuality they are both physical issues. The second scenario is just less apparent.
With depression, for example, the electrical activity (alpha rhythms) in the frontal lobe of the brain is either very low or non-existent, while other areas of the brain are over active. You can find pictures of a depressed brain vs a healthy brain in many books, or through an internet search. The contrast of the colors representing the activity of the neurons is astonishing! You can actually see what a depressed brain looks like! Check out positron emission tomography scans from Mark George, Terence Ketter, and Robert Post, Biological Psychiatry Brand, NIMH, Bethesda, Maryland and see for yourself! New research has been favoring the "yes" answer to the much debated question, "Is there really such thing as a chemical imbalance that causes mood disorders?" I could go on and on about neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and norepinephrine, and how when they are not being properly received by the synapse it causes depression. I could go on about how medication works in the scientific sense, but I'd rather talk about hope. I urge you to look up this information on your own, because you cannot have hope without understanding.
So, what is a mental illness? To a person with the illness fear, guilt and confusion are usually the underlying unconscious answers. These bad feelings dominate their lives. They are dreading and fearing their next episode; they are guilty about how they live their lives and affect the lives of their loved ones, and they are confused about why this is even happening. Why me? Why can I hear voices others can't? Why am I ecstatic one moment, then crying hysterically the next?
I used to get angry at my mom. I used to be disgusted that she couldn't get out of bed and help my dad make the money our family desperately needed, but the more I read and learned, the more I understood that she had a "broken leg" and needed support to heal. She needed understanding with all of her internal chaos, and now I am happy to say that through talk therapy, medication, and a dramatic procedure we had to resort to called ECT (Electro-Convulsive Therapy), she is almost back to herself. She is on her way to recovery. I have my mom back and she is getting better everyday.
Remember, if you or a loved one has a mental illness, you do not have to accept the stigma that these movies, books, and ignorant perceptions have thrust upon your situation. Join groups that fight against stigma, create your own organization or club, raise awareness, research others who have mental illnesses and are leading productive lives. Become inspired by them and learn from them. I can bet you most of these people have accepted their diagnoses and decided to receive help in the form of treatment, even if it means taking medication. I was very apprehensive about medication, but I discovered that just as diabetes must be treated for life, so does my Bipolar II.
I'll leave you with a quote from Nietzsche, "One must harbor chaos within oneself to give birth to a dancing star," and one from Aristotle, "Why is it that all men who are outstanding in philosophy, poetry, or the arts are meloncholic?"
So get out there, and learn. Start on your path to discovery, healing, and greatness!
A lot of times, the first ideas that come to mind for the average person of the mentally ill are various images of "crazy" they have acquired from movies such as, Shutter Island, Donnie Darko, Psycho, Girl Interrupted etc. These movies portray the mentally ill in such exaggerated ways that they create a horrible stigma for them.
The Medical Dictionary defines mental illness as, "Any of various disorders characterized chiefly by abnormal behavior or an inability to function socially, including diseases of the mind and personality and certain diseases of the brain. Also called mental disease, mental disorder."
A definition I find more digestible is from the website of an organization called NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness, "Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person's thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life."
The great news is that it is that mental illness help is possible. Many recover and live productive lives once finding the right resources going through the right treatment.
Besides seeking out a psychiatrist or a psychologist (the latter is medication oriented), joining support groups, or finding more resources such as a local NAMI, we must also seek out understanding and compassion for the mentally ill. Knowledge is the key.
People with mental illnesses are suffering from symptoms or experiences beyond their control. Many people get angry at a depressed person who won't get out of bed, but wouldn't feel the same towards a person with a broken leg. These examples may seem like totally different scenarios, when in actuality they are both physical issues. The second scenario is just less apparent.
With depression, for example, the electrical activity (alpha rhythms) in the frontal lobe of the brain is either very low or non-existent, while other areas of the brain are over active. You can find pictures of a depressed brain vs a healthy brain in many books, or through an internet search. The contrast of the colors representing the activity of the neurons is astonishing! You can actually see what a depressed brain looks like! Check out positron emission tomography scans from Mark George, Terence Ketter, and Robert Post, Biological Psychiatry Brand, NIMH, Bethesda, Maryland and see for yourself! New research has been favoring the "yes" answer to the much debated question, "Is there really such thing as a chemical imbalance that causes mood disorders?" I could go on and on about neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and norepinephrine, and how when they are not being properly received by the synapse it causes depression. I could go on about how medication works in the scientific sense, but I'd rather talk about hope. I urge you to look up this information on your own, because you cannot have hope without understanding.
So, what is a mental illness? To a person with the illness fear, guilt and confusion are usually the underlying unconscious answers. These bad feelings dominate their lives. They are dreading and fearing their next episode; they are guilty about how they live their lives and affect the lives of their loved ones, and they are confused about why this is even happening. Why me? Why can I hear voices others can't? Why am I ecstatic one moment, then crying hysterically the next?
I used to get angry at my mom. I used to be disgusted that she couldn't get out of bed and help my dad make the money our family desperately needed, but the more I read and learned, the more I understood that she had a "broken leg" and needed support to heal. She needed understanding with all of her internal chaos, and now I am happy to say that through talk therapy, medication, and a dramatic procedure we had to resort to called ECT (Electro-Convulsive Therapy), she is almost back to herself. She is on her way to recovery. I have my mom back and she is getting better everyday.
Remember, if you or a loved one has a mental illness, you do not have to accept the stigma that these movies, books, and ignorant perceptions have thrust upon your situation. Join groups that fight against stigma, create your own organization or club, raise awareness, research others who have mental illnesses and are leading productive lives. Become inspired by them and learn from them. I can bet you most of these people have accepted their diagnoses and decided to receive help in the form of treatment, even if it means taking medication. I was very apprehensive about medication, but I discovered that just as diabetes must be treated for life, so does my Bipolar II.
I'll leave you with a quote from Nietzsche, "One must harbor chaos within oneself to give birth to a dancing star," and one from Aristotle, "Why is it that all men who are outstanding in philosophy, poetry, or the arts are meloncholic?"
So get out there, and learn. Start on your path to discovery, healing, and greatness!
Check out this mental health advocacy organization for hope and resources: http://www.nami.org/
Here is a link to a song I wrote about the feelings I've had going through my mother's issues, my brother's, and my own: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3fov4pWSgU Thanks!
Here is a link to a song I wrote about the feelings I've had going through my mother's issues, my brother's, and my own: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3fov4pWSgU Thanks!
