Schizophrenia Awareness Week (May 21-27, 2006)
Many of you know that I am a passionate advocate for raising awareness about mental illness. The entire month of May is mental illness month, and the week of May 21-27 is Schizophrenia Awareness Week. For some, the mere mention of the word, schizophrenia, makes people coil, like a hot flame, and they want to turn their heads or avert their eyes. But as you will see below, this particular mental illness is not what many think or believe it to be.
Schizophrenia Awareness Week helps to raise public consciousness about schizophrenia, and eliminate stigma regarding schizophrenia and related disorders. The intent is to honor a man whose efforts were based on the belief that even persons with mental illness deserve dignity and the right to appropriate treatment. For many, it is the beginning of humane treatment for people with mental illness. Nevertheless, many inflicted with schizophrenia and related mental illnesses, including bi-polar disorders, major depression, obsessive compulsive disorder remain confined by societal misperceive, fear and ignorance.
Schizophrenia, like many serious mental illnesses, is a bio-chemical and physical abnormality in the brain, and it affects more than 2.5 million Americans, or l percent of the world's population. Schizophrenia is not multiple or split personalities, does not mean that a person is necessarily violent, nor is it caused by poor parenting.
referring to those who suffer from mental illness, or anyone, for that fact as crazy, nuts, luny, is cruel, and frankly has no clinical significance whatsoever. These labels stigmatize and their families who genuinely suffer from this illness. Consider schizophrenia like cancer of the brain. Would making fun of someone with any time of cancer be appropriate? Nevertheless, those who suffer from mental illness are targets of cruel labels and misconceptions of the illness on a daily basis.
Additionally, for those interested, this Sunday, May 21st., Mike Wallace will apear on 60 minutes and discuss his long-term battle with serious depression, how it manifested itself, and his treatment. A program not to be missed.
Please help me in raising awareness of those afflicted with mental illness during the month of May, mental health awareness month. Please visit www.NSFoundation.org or www.nami.org for more information on the definitions of mental illness and how they are treated today.
Thank you for your minds.
Schizophrenia Awareness Week helps to raise public consciousness about schizophrenia, and eliminate stigma regarding schizophrenia and related disorders. The intent is to honor a man whose efforts were based on the belief that even persons with mental illness deserve dignity and the right to appropriate treatment. For many, it is the beginning of humane treatment for people with mental illness. Nevertheless, many inflicted with schizophrenia and related mental illnesses, including bi-polar disorders, major depression, obsessive compulsive disorder remain confined by societal misperceive, fear and ignorance.
Schizophrenia, like many serious mental illnesses, is a bio-chemical and physical abnormality in the brain, and it affects more than 2.5 million Americans, or l percent of the world's population. Schizophrenia is not multiple or split personalities, does not mean that a person is necessarily violent, nor is it caused by poor parenting.
referring to those who suffer from mental illness, or anyone, for that fact as crazy, nuts, luny, is cruel, and frankly has no clinical significance whatsoever. These labels stigmatize and their families who genuinely suffer from this illness. Consider schizophrenia like cancer of the brain. Would making fun of someone with any time of cancer be appropriate? Nevertheless, those who suffer from mental illness are targets of cruel labels and misconceptions of the illness on a daily basis.
Additionally, for those interested, this Sunday, May 21st., Mike Wallace will apear on 60 minutes and discuss his long-term battle with serious depression, how it manifested itself, and his treatment. A program not to be missed.
Please help me in raising awareness of those afflicted with mental illness during the month of May, mental health awareness month. Please visit www.NSFoundation.org or www.nami.org for more information on the definitions of mental illness and how they are treated today.
Thank you for your minds.
12 Comments:
I have a friend with Bi-Polar disorder and I have learned a lot from watching what her family is going thru. I really feel for people like that. She cannot handle stress of any kind and she and her three daughters are living with her parents. Her mom and dad are real champions to take them in and do all the work.
The closest person I know is Lee Mehrlich and his two room-mates, Ray and Paul.
Turns out that Cerebral Palsy isn't neccessarily a mental disability so much as a disorder. Maybe that's just double talk for, I dunno what the heck it is, but, I'll say this.
One guy can't use the alphabet like we do (he uses bliss symbols to communicate from his computer board) one guy types so very slow but has such intelligent things t'say, and the last guy doesn't have any means t'communicate except through "secret" signs he gives the staff, and none of the three of them can even go to the bathroom wothout help.
Yet, all three are extremely intelligent, and have a real good command over the perceptions.
This can be proven out by the fact that all three think I'm nuts.
And, by the way. Is it possible that we have a connection through the court system? Not now, though, because Dan retired, but, he was working as a juvenile person some few years back.
Dan Jones.
Thanks B.
We owe a debt of gratitude to celebs like Mike Wallace and Brooke Shields who come forward with their stories of mental and emotional illness; these folks play a monumental role in destigmatizing such disorders.
Thank you for this post. Many Americans are not aware of the significance of depression. They feel it is something people should be able to just "get over". Sometimes it is overdiagnised, but the people who actually are effected DO suffer severely. Major Depression runs on both sides of my family, and my husband's uncle has schizophrenia. It's definitely a concern with our child, and we will be watching him closely.
On a better note, I have noticed that the best writiers, artists, and musicians of all time have struggled with Major Depression. They weren't just "moody".
...the week of May 21-27 is Schizophrenia Awareness Week.
That being the case, I'll be happy to share. I have two blogs devoted to the issues of schizophrenia and recovery. Anyone who wishes to wander through them is welcome to do so.
http://spiritualemergency.blogspot.com/
http://spiritualrecoveries.blogspot.com/
I have a friend with Schizophrenia. She is brilliant and has a Ph.D. in math. People with ALL illnesses, be them mental or physical, deserve dignity and the right to appropriate treatment. My friend had a rough road, but now with the appropriate treatment she leads a good life.
Usually all of us have someone whom we know, albeit a family member or friend whose family is touched by mental illness in one way or another. Your comments prove to many that these issues affect many in your own lives.
Stacey, good to hear about your friend leading such a productive and functional life. There are indeed many success stories out there for all kinds of mental illnesses.
Spiritual emergency, thank you for posting your sites too...I will check them out as well.
BFC
Thanks for pointing this out!
And I'll set the DVR to catch Mike Wallace's going away party! (I didn't know about his depession).
Our brain is an organ, just like the liver, heart, kidneys, lungs.....
It has disorders and diseases just as the other organs do.
The brain is so complex....the doctors who try to define, diagnose, and treat the problems are to be lauded. And those with a "mental disorder" are to be treated with compassion and dignity.
WW
Well said, WW...I agree with you completely.
Thank you for being sensitive to the those needs.
I thank all of you actually for stopping to take time to post about an issue that I feel so passionate about.
A lot of this has been shown to have a genetic basis as well -
Thanks B..!
I watched 60 minutes today..
By the way, did you know it takes Goerge W. 2 hours to watch 60 minutes?
Anyways.. thanks for the awareness..
Regarding Mike Wallace.. I was thinking he came to a turning point where he examined his life as too driven and therefore mean.. but it was too late.
Have a good week!
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