The Road Continues
Profiles of Those Who Live with Mental Health Issue
Article by Thuy Ngo

San Jose, CA~ When people think of others with mental health issues many stigmas occur. People assume those who suffer from mental health issues are lazy, stupid, cannot take care of themselves, are insufficient, unreliable, uneducated, unaccomplished, and the list goes on and on. I want to break those stigmas with a few examples of some who are living with mental health issues, but are making a life for themselves.

According to the Center for Health Statistics, mental health illness or disorders are, “health conditions that are characterized in thinking, mood, behavior or combination thereof which are associated with distress and or impaired functioning that can spawn a host of human problems such as disability, pain, or death.” People with mental illness are often dismissed and unacknowledged in our community. Often they are pushed into unwanted circumstances such as homelessness and poverty. In order to momentarily mask the grief they encounter, some resort to drugs and alcohol and smoking. What do you do when society turns it back on you and labels you as a problem that can not be cured?

I wanted to write this story because of the inspiration given to me from those who have suffered from different cases of mental health issues but were able to come back from the suffering and show me what it means to survive. I know of many who have lived through such circumstances. Some who are lucky are living with a place of their own or with family and going to school or keeping jobs. Those who are not so lucky are living in board-and-cares with SSI or worse off are homeless and on the streets because they have no where to go. Those that live with these issues can range from men, women, or children of all races and backgrounds. According to the Center for Health Statistics 20-28 percent of American adults in a given year have a diagnosable mental or addictive illness. These issues affect all that is around us, not just those who are living with the illness.  

I have interviewed three people from our community who have lived with their illness for a long period of time but are making a life for themselves. Here are their stories with their own personal words to help and inspire others who have lived with mental health issues.

Tim

First, we have Tim who suffers from depression and anxiety disorders. These disorders make it difficult for him to sit still for long periods of time and cause him to pace back and forth, but that was before treatment. Currently, Tim is a grad student at San Jose State University working towards being an artist and is a science enthusiast. He is learning day by day on how to deal with his disorders. Looking back, he realizes he's been coping with his anxieties and depression for a long time and now have a tremendous change in direction after the diagnosis. He is finally able to sleep reasonably and is learning to let go of things that he can't control or change. He lived with a reasonable amount of skepticism for sometime about medication. He then underwent talk therapy for some time and eventually started taking the medication and is now happy. His biggest fears are that the medication would effect his creativity and his emotions, thus effecting his work.

Cynthia

Cynthia, on the other hand, lives with a bipolar disorder.    Manic Depression, otherwise known as Bipolar, is “ classified as a type of affective disorder or mood disorder that goes beyond the day's ordinary ups and downs. Manic depression is characterized by periodic episodes of extreme elation, elevated mood, or irritability (also called mania) countered by periodic, classic depressive symptoms, “ according to www.health.uab.edu/show.asp.  She's lived with this disorder for the last 16 years, and has buried five friends with this illness. They were great people who were full of life and were all artists and musicians. A friend once told her, “At least you know why they left.” That put the whole situation into perspective for her along with her relationships with others.

Cynthia hates the side effects of her medication. Often times, it makes her vomit in the morning, but she still manages to get to the shower and start her day.   However, he does not feel she will ever be able to lead a normal life because she has seen too much of how this illness effects her and her friends who are ill. She says, “It changes you. Not for the bad or good. It just changes you.” To cope with these everyday stresses she suggests to try and sleep, exercise, be compliant with medication and take yourself out of toxic environments. She says, it's especially important to developing deep and lasting friendships with people as a support system and to have more proactive people in our lives that care about each other, so we do not get stuck thinking when something happens to someone in our lives, “If only I had…” She recommends the band Brian Jonestown Massacre to folks trying to learn more about the illness. You can find down load their song Thank God for Mental Illness for free at www.brianjonestownmassacre.com

Robert is another resident to San Jose who has been diagnosed since the age of 19. He is now in his forties. He was originally diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia which turned to Bipolar. He has worked as a cook, a house painter, an auto mechanic, and is now a sculptor and photographer, in which he has a degree in.   He spent of his early years when he was first diagnosed either on the streets or the mental hospital. After he started to receive government aid, he was able to live independently and go through college. His illness has taught him to be more accepting of others and himself, as his friends at times would have to give him more leeway because of his disorder. With the help of the medication and government aid he has been able to live a semi normal life. He advises others to see a good support system and stay compliant with medication also.

Hearing from these three who live with mental illness on a day to day basis provides hope for the future that others without these illnesses will become educated about them. The more we talk about these illnesses and bring the issues to the open, the more we can show and seek support from each other.

*The names in this story have been changed to preserve the privacy of the people involved.

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