MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES

As an advocate for people with disabilities, I would be remiss in my duties if I did not include Mental Illness among the many diseases which have a crippling affect on individuals.  In this day and age of advanced technology and with all the knowledge and information available to us as a society, mental illnesses must not be swept under the rug or relegated to the family attic.  The Victorian view we hold of people with mental illnesses is not precise due to scientific advancements.  It's old, feeble and inaccurate. And because of this view, there is a stigma attached to the mentally ill which impedes their efforts to ask for the help they so desperately need. In most cases, mental illness can be treated with medication, just as diabetes and high blood pressure.  In others, treatment is effective through counselling, psychoanalysis, therapy and/or medication. But our most effective treatment for mental disease and illness is education, education, education.  There is no excuse, in my humble opinion, for people to go untreated because of a mental illness in this day and age.  I am a person who has a mental illness.  I'm bipolar (manic depressive).  In 1990 I was diagnosed with clinical depression and treated with Prozac.  Luckily, Prozac worked for me within one month of treatment.  By 1995 I had undergone multiple surgeries, personal setbacks and began going through extreme mood swings.  From euphoria to irritability to severe depression -- all within a relatively short period of time.  My daily behavior changed considerably, i.e., eating, spending, sleeping habits.  I wasn't able to concentrate when I was manic and I physically felt hyper. My mind raced, I experienced outrageous and repetitive thoughts and ideas which at the time, seemed plausible but in reality were absolutely off the wall.   When the flipside came, I was paralyzed by the depression.   That's the only way I can describe the 'down' side.   I lacked the energy to simply get up to go to the bathroom.  Thankfully, I had the resources and support available to me to get the help I needed My bipolar condition is now controlled through medication.  There's therapy available should I need it, but since my illness stems from a chemical imbalance, I don't visit the therapist as much as I did when I was first diagnosed.  For more information on Bipolar Disorder I highly recommend National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).  Their website is extremely informative, educational and has excellent links to many other sites.   Most mental illnesses are treatable.  However, if you're feeling Suicidal at this very moment, I urge you to READ THIS FIRST.  Help can also be found at: Befriender's International Or call 1-800-SUICIDE (in the US).

Mental Health Links:

All About Depression

Depression Quiz/Questionnaire

National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

BPD Sanctuary

Borderline Personality Disorder, "BPD"

American Psychological Organization

American Psychiatric Association

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