TREATMENT, EDUCATION & ADVOCACY: A TRIAD FOR SUCCESS

BY KAREN AND ED PRIVÉ

Ed and I met almost thirty years ago when I was at a high in my life – clean and sober for four years, a couple years off the streets and stable on the right medications. Ed was just getting sober, after being hospitalized for his own mental health and substance use issues. We attended many of the same recovery meetings, and began a friendship. After several months, we began dating.

We’ve been through a lot together – including helping our son through his mental health issues, my going to back to school, and Ed’s bout with cancer. We’ve always supported each other and tried to walk through everything together –the good, the bad and the ugly.

In spite of being active in therapy and taking my medications as prescribed, emotions about my past started to catch up with me. I threw myself into my work and volunteering, desperate to prove to myself and the world that I was still OK. It didn’t work. Memories were replaying in my brain.

The symptoms of my mental illness began to intensify. Suicidal thoughts and hallucinations were near-constant companions. I wanted to die.

I was hospitalized several times over the course of a few years. During one hospitalization I was reintroduced to Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and it was suggested that I find a new therapist that was DBT-trained. I wanted to retain my current therapist, and participate in a DBT group, but the only groups I could find were in community mental health centers (CMHC). I was in Riverbend’s catchment area, but would need to give up my current mental health care providers. I had been with my therapist for over eighteen years!

Meanwhile, Ed was my rock – my soulmate, and my lover. He fought on my behalf with hospital staff, and insisted I get the best treatment available. During an inpatient stay in 2018, Ed helped me decide to pursue DBT and switch my care over to Riverbend. As time went on with my treatment, there was a lot of improvement. I was more stable, feeling better about myself, and was able to start working part-time.

As a caregiver, Ed says he must learn more about mental health, and what he can do to support me. He’s tried to fix me – we both agree that doesn’t work! There have been few resources available for him to learn tangible skills in supporting my mental health journey. There have been providers – including Riverbend employees – who have taken the time to connect with Ed to be of assistance in understanding my journey.

Sometimes this education comes at a time of crisis, such as when I was seeking help for suicidal ideation last year. We were trying to navigate getting help in a less than ideal situation, and Riverbend’s team (including mobile crisis) was able to include Ed in meetings about what was going to happen. It helps me to have my partner included in my care and my plan development. More education should be offered to family members and friends who support their loved one as they move through their challenges.

Ed notes that the Riverbend team brings their A-game in every interaction, and has always made him feel like an important part of the treatment team. I’ve always given Riverbend permission to talk to my husband, and we are both grateful for the time they have spent with him.

We have also been supporters of Riverbend’s productions of This Is My Brave. These shows are a great way to educate the community about what it really means to live with mental health issues and/or substance use disorders. We live productive lives – we’re parents, colleagues, partners, friends, artists, and ordinary people, who happen to have certain challenges.

Both Ed and I have also been involved in advocacy at the legislative level. We have each spoken at legislative hearings about matters affecting mental health and the state’s mental health systems, as well as with other politicians and candidates. The state cannot know about what’s needed at the ground level without the voices of the people. We are the ones experiencing and witnessing the failures of our mental health system. We also need to give praise when things work well.

Someone with a broken arm needs prompt attention and care. So does someone in a mental health crisis – not waiting in the back of an emergency room for days or weeks, isolated and not receiving treatment. Ed often says, either everyone counts, or no one counts. At Riverbend I feel like I

Karen and Ed Privé have been together for over 29 years. They are mental health advocates, believing that storytelling saves lives and spreads hope. Karen’s blog about her journey . They live in Franklin with their black lab Gracie and cats Hope and Dusty.

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