Express Yourself ~ Words Have Power

Have you ever heard someone say something and it keeps replaying in your head for hours or days later?

I heard someone speaking about an event that she is planning.  In her enthusiasm, she said “We check everyone out.  We don’t have anyone on crazy meds.”

W  o  w.

I get it.  There are some people who have issues beyond an administrator’s skills and it is important to keep everyone safe.

However, who determines which drugs are on the “acceptable” list?  Are all mental disorders considered “crazy” or only the presumed “simple” ones (as if) like anxiety and panic attacks?  Does a past history, kept functional and positive with continued treatment, count against a participant?

Perhaps it hit too close to home or this person has never had any kind of mental health issue impact them in any way.  But, for those 400 million plus worldwide who have, compliance, commitment, and courage are critical to recovery and healing.

When we continue to add labels of shame and stigma, people continue to fight alone.  They would rather stop taking their pills than ask for help.  If you have heard anyone crashing into mania and psychosis, you know that the first question is “Are you taking your meds?”

There is no magic pill and it takes a lot of trial and error to find a combination that an individual can live with and lots of advocacy and self-awareness.  Monitoring moods and triggers is a way of life.

Mental health disorders are caused by numerous factors including genetics, drug reactions, pregnancy, situational events, brain disorders, major illness, hormones and  numerous other tragedies.  People don’t gain attention because of their mental illness; They withdraw even further into fear and vulnerability.

Words have power and how we use them determines who we can support and encourage or who we will lose along the way.

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https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/express/

Thank you for stopping by. I hope that you enjoy your visit and I’m so glad that you are here.
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A Call to Arms – Mental Health Access

I don’t like to get political with my posts.  It is more important for me to represent a more empathetic and supportive viewpoint.

However, in the aftermath of the Las Vegas massacre, and yet more political posturing about gun control and constitutional rights to bear arms, I have yet to hear about improved mental healthcare access.   Please add this topic to the crisis responses and discussions.

Millions of people have been impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.  Terror attacks have taken place (and continue to do so) around the world using guns, cars, trucks, knives, and other implements…at concerts, on streets, at schools.  Men, women, and children of all ages are impacted.

The aftermath of such violent, horrific, and unstable events, leaves a trail of wounds and scars.  In the US, insurance coverage parity is lacking between mental and physical health care. To the millions struck with Trauma, Panic Attacks and Anxiety, Grief, Depression, and PTSD in light of recent disasters, they are one and the same.

Many people that I have met do not seek mental health therapies because they cannot afford the out-of-pocket expenses.  Provide reduced rates for subsidized or free therapy; add affordable and easily accessible mental health care providers to urgent care centers.  Lobby insurance providers and our politicians.  Resources and coping skills are critically stretched to the breaking point.

The ramifications of these traumatic past few weeks have yet to be fully felt, but “echoes” will continue for a long time.   Let’s stop making it an issue that is “someone else’s problem.”  What proactive steps can be taken to lay the groundwork?  Can we create healthy environments that care for all  of peoples’ needs before it’s too late?

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Take Action on Advocacy Issues.  Donate to a Mental Health Charity.

http://www.nami.org

 

 

 

A Glimmer of Light

The gratitude of seeing the miraculous, a glimmer of light, in the darkness that has paralyzed mind and soul…..

Holding my breath before it turns away

A silent fervent prayer that the healing continues for the heart and spirit

and that the medication continues to work.

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Loving yourself, or someone else, with depression breaks your heart.  Keep going.  Sending you prayers for healing, strength, and glimmers of light in the darkness.

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Depression – It’s not all in your head

Education about mental disorders is still woefully low compared to those who suffer its effects.  Whether you, or someone you love, has depression, despite the soaring numbers of those afflicted, each individual feels desperately alone, ashamed, afraid, and overwhelmed.  Sometimes it is chemical, but it can also be situational or genetic; While precariously keeping it together, a major life change can trigger genuine mental and physical symptoms.  Whether you chose the wrong job, the wrong person, served in the military forces, cared for the elderly, had a family history of mental health issues, the death or estrangement of a loved one, and other vast and devastating experiences of daily life – symptoms are real and identifiable.

Social, psychological, and biological causes, combined with the social stigma can literally kill.  Mental disorders affect 350 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, and more than half receive no treatment.  In my work, I meet with so many affected individuals or relatives, afraid to seek out help or unable to afford the care they desperately need.  Education, accessibility, health insurance parity, and affordable medical care are critical to saving lives and families.  Communication and the safety to express genuine feelings and concerns, without retribution, is critical to asking for help.  It is not a weakness and no one seeks to be disabled by a mood disorder.  There are legitimate health risks at every age.

Saving your life, or that of another, is an act of bravery.  It is not cause for shame, it is an accomplishment to take action.

It is a brutal fight, taking all of your strength to rise again, with personal trust and confidence eroded.  Disorganized thinking, difficulty concentrating, or remembering basic facts are part of the cognitive dissonance that depression causes.  Multi-layered therapies appear to have the best rate of success.

Education is the tip of the iceberg.  Even if you are unable to seek help, or interact with others, the ability to take a free and anonymous mental health screening is a brilliant self-assessment tool.  Being self aware and sensitive to your own individual needs can begin the process of healing and receiving help in an overwhelmingly isolated and painful situation.  It takes months to recover one’s sense of self, or at least heal enough to gain the energy for perspective.  There is no magic pill, but developing coping skills and mechanisms, means that even if those daily steps are slow and tiny, they are moving forward, one at a time.

http://screening.mentalhealthscreening.org/hyho

https://psychcentral.com/lib/how-can-i-help-someone-in-my-life-whos-depressed/

https://www.verywell.com/how-to-help-someone-with-depression-1065117

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Thank you for stopping by!  I hope that you enjoy your visit and I’m glad that you are here.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/educate/