Random thoughts...

[Theli]

I feel mental illness/mental health has an unfair stigma attached to it, that though we have made progress bringing it to light in the past few years, we still have a long way to go.

[Brian861]

It's been a long and interesting last couple years for us, since it has all come out. From her leaving home for 6 months, to all the different ways we've tried to work through. But....things have turned better since the end of last summer.

My wife and I can truly echo what I have in bold. As tough and frustrating as it can be, it's been a learning experience for all of us.

Very glad to hear things have gotten better for you all. After all, the family at times suffers just as much as the person with the disease. But I guess that can be said about most if not all ailments. Hard lessons for sure that no one ever wanted to have to learn. Frustrating says it all. Tons of that with mental illness.

[Brian861]

I feel mental illness/mental health has an unfair stigma attached to it, that though we have made progress bringing it to light in the past few years, we still have a long way to go.

Indeed we do, Danny.

[mhatchett]

My best thoughts with Y'all.

[c marvel]

we still have a long way to go.

That is an understatement. My one sister has battled what has been termed depression for almost thirty years now. When I saw her again Sept. '15 during a trip home I was shocked at how her overall condition/health had deteriorated. I had trouble containing my emotions when I saw what had transpired since my last visit. Two years ago she was doing quite well and was happy. My mom did the best she could to help and care for my sister before mom died about nine years ago. My sister is now officially a ward of the state where my family is from. I've come to believe that the mental health professionals in that industry (For lack of a better term on my part) and now the state officials have both failed. My sister is still my sister, but than again she is not the same person I once knew.


Cap

[Tommy]

These stories are getting to me. I'm very thankful you guys are sharing. My late brother was schizophrenic. He was fired from his job at WalMart many years before he was diagnosed but we knew there was something very wrong with him. Before I was born, my sister made a comment to him about his drinking too much and he tried to strangle her. Another time he cornered my mother in the laundry room of our house and repeatedly slammed her against the wall and then would hug her and cry and then go back to slamming her against the wall. When I was younger my father owned a mobile home park and my brother lived in one behind our house. One night he was playing his music very loudly at 2 am and my father went and told him to turn it down. Thirty minutes later my brother came to the house and beat the shit out of my father in front of my mother, my sister (different one from the strangling incident) and me (I was very young at the time and was totally in shock by what I had seen). Eventually he was diagnosed. He had been hallucinating about Jesus and demons and I don't what all else. Several medications were tried but nothing worked well. In 2009, he found out something about me that he did not like and the last time I saw him, he basically threatened to kill me. About a week later we get the visit from the Highway Patrol that they had found his truck completely totaled. He had a passenger with him who claims that my brother did it on purpose but considering he, the passenger, is a crackhead, I'm not sure what to believe really happened. He was 46. I think I read somewhere the average life expectancy of a schizophrenic is 47. If I had control of this country, one of the very first things I would do would be to open up as many psychiatric hospitals, wards, clinics, whatever I could. People need help in this country and they are not getting it and haven't been for a long time.

Thanks everyone for sharing and I hope everyone's situations turn out better than what my family went through.

[Brian861]

My best thoughts with Y'all.

Thanks, Mike.

[Brian861]

We've been very fortunate that our son was born in an age with more understanding and acceptance for the mentally ill. Still light years behind where we need to be agreed. Our son first stated displaying signs when he entered 2nd grade. My mother-in-law (a religious zealot) swore he was possessed and had him prayed over, anointed with holy oils, etc. We were quick to react and had the means via excellent insurance coverage is the reason my son is where he is today I believe. He's was hospitalized several times when he was younger but really all that did was turn him into a zombie while he was there and did little when returned home. Long story short, we were able to find a great therapist and finally get him on the correct cocktail of drugs he needs each day. Which is surprisingly few and not all that expensive. Of course there are still bad days but far more good ones and he has the tools to cope with his disease head on. I find time and space are his best allies when the dark clouds do roll in.

[TJCams]

Our daughter is turning 17 in less than 2 weeks. We really didn't figure things out until maybe 3-4 years ago. My wife worked afternoon shift, I leave for work about 7:30AM. As soon as I would leave the house, she would "not feel well" and couldn't go to school. Said she felt nauseous, headache, whatever... just to not go to school. My wife would call her off. Eventually found out that she said she was bullied - we talked to to teacher, principal, they were shocked. First year high school was horrible for her. She started the "not feeling good", and would have panic attacks on her way to school. 1 month into Gr 9 - she wanted out - wanted in at a school that specializes in kids with emotional/family problems. Of course, the stigma attached to this school is it's a place for kids that are crazy (which it's not). You know how teens are though. Got her started on some meds (which cost approx $700/month - thank you medical coverage!!!!), which didn't help much, other than making her feel like a zombie. Social worker sat with us, after a few sessions with out daughter, and we find out she attempted suicide in grade school, was hard core into "cutting" (which isn't uncommon apparently), as well as purging (minor eating disorder - poor self image (which was shocking, as she is petite, and athletic - like track running events, borderline travel hockey player, etc.). She also would get very argumentative with my wife, so bad it was yelling, screaming, swearing, slamming doors. Doctors, tests, etc....find out it's not bi-polar, or anything that - just severe anxiety, and mild depression. Last year, Easter weekend after a night of arguing, wake up the next morning looking for more fighting. That night - she leaves and doesn't come back. Don't here from her for 3 days, which sucks!!!! I'm not an overly emotional guy, but I bawled my eyes for 2 days straight almost. After 6 months of her being gone, she finally comes back after bouncing around at an ex boyfriends house, and my mother-in-law's (who lives out of town and has history of mental illness, and also has a very rocky relationship with my wife). Now, things are not perfect, but better. She's working on expressing herself to us more, and getting over a fear of taking medicine, and even seeing doctors. She still has moments, especially in crowded spaces or around others her age.

Anyways.....thanks for sharing your experiences with this. Glad to see I'm not the only one, even here in our little CD community. I didn't expect the response, and wasn't sure I should even post what I did - didn't want to sidetrack things on here. But Bell Canada's Let's Talk Day is something near and dear to me (it's sponsored, and was originally kicked off with the help of one of our former Olympic athletes Clara Hughes, who has medals in both summer and winter games). Thanks to all who participated as well. A new Bell Let's Talk Day record with 125,915,295 calls, texts, tweets and shares - and $ 6,295,764.75 more for Canadian mental health!

[Brian861]

Nothing wrong with sharing I don't feel, Jamie. These diseases make you feel isolated enough as it is. Good luck to you and yours and hopefully things will only get better for your family. Glad Bell Let's Talk Day was such a success!

[Brian861]

Received my shipping notice today for the snow sale. Pretty damn quick considering the reason behind said sale. Thanks, CD gang!

[Brian861]

These stories are getting to me. I'm very thankful you guys are sharing. My late brother was schizophrenic. He was fired from his job at WalMart many years before he was diagnosed but we knew there was something very wrong with him. Before I was born, my sister made a comment to him about his drinking too much and he tried to strangle her. Another time he cornered my mother in the laundry room of our house and repeatedly slammed her against the wall and then would hug her and cry and then go back to slamming her against the wall. When I was younger my father owned a mobile home park and my brother lived in one behind our house. One night he was playing his music very loudly at 2 am and my father went and told him to turn it down. Thirty minutes later my brother came to the house and beat the shit out of my father in front of my mother, my sister (different one from the strangling incident) and me (I was very young at the time and was totally in shock by what I had seen). Eventually he was diagnosed. He had been hallucinating about Jesus and demons and I don't what all else. Several medications were tried but nothing worked well. In 2009, he found out something about me that he did not like and the last time I saw him, he basically threatened to kill me. About a week later we get the visit from the Highway Patrol that they had found his truck completely totaled. He had a passenger with him who claims that my brother did it on purpose but considering he, the passenger, is a crackhead, I'm not sure what to believe really happened. He was 46. I think I read somewhere the average life expectancy of a schizophrenic is 47. If I had control of this country, one of the very first things I would do would be to open up as many psychiatric hospitals, wards, clinics, whatever I could. People need help in this country and they are not getting it and haven't been for a long time.

Thanks everyone for sharing and I hope everyone's situations turn out better than what my family went through.

Somehow I missed replying to your post, Tommy. Sorry about that and for the loss of your brother. Thank you for sharing also .

[Tommy]

Somehow I missed replying to your post, Tommy. Sorry about that and for the loss of your brother. Thank you for sharing also .

Thanks Brian. I'm usually the last person to offer up personal information like that. This topic needs to be discussed and people need to know it's OK to talk about it. I hope and pray everyone's situation turns out for the best.

[Joe315]

Thank you for sharing everyone. Mental illness is, as everyone has said already, something that needs to be discussed and understood.

I'm fortunate enough to not have any family members suffer from mental illness although I do have an uncle who was temporarily, but voluntarily, committed due to drug induced psychosis, including visions of Jesus over a lake. This ended up being a good thing for him because it led him to stop abusing drugs and alcohol. To the best of my knowledge he's been sober ever since.

[Brian861]

Thanks Brian. I'm usually the last person to offer up personal information like that. This topic needs to be discussed and people need to know it's OK to talk about it. I hope and pray everyone's situation turns out for the best.

You're most welcome, Tommy.