mental health
AWARENESS
My mental illness
INSIDE
z The elephant in the room: stigma surrounding mental illness — page 2 Addressing mental health needs in the Hawkins County Schools — page 2 Resources — page 2, 3 Veterans’ Mental Health: problems and solutions — page 3 z Locked Inside Hell — page 3 z Can trauma bring out underlying mental issues? — page 5 z Bethany’s HOPE — page 5 z z z
is real, but it doesn’t make me any less of a person
z Understanding the truth about Mama Growing up under the shadow of Schizophrenia — page 6 z My mental illness is real, but it doesn’t make my any less of a person. — page 6 z Saving a Life — page 7 z When a loved one suffers from Bipolar Disorder — page 7
October 5/6, 2019 A special publication of
THE ROGERSVILLE
REVIEW
Page 2 • Mental Health AWARENESS 2019 • October 5/6, 2019
www.therogersvillereview.com
The elephant in the room: stigma surrounding mental illness BY ALLISON GOLEY
“There’s also a stigma about seeking mental health assistance,” he said. “There’s a lot of words that come along with stigma, like ‘I don’t want to see a counselor because I’m not crazy.’ ‘Crazy’ is not a clinical term, but it’s an embarrassing term.” He also noted that a lot of the stigma comes from unhealthy cultural attitudes. “A lot of families, a lot of parents and a lot of cultures feel like you need to keep a stiff upper lip, don’t talk about your problems, don’t cry, be strong and pick yourself up by your bootstraps,” he said. “If you’re not doing that, then that’s where the stigma comes in. It’s not healthy to have that kind of attitude about life where you can’t ask for help, you can’t cry and you can’t get people involved in your life.” “Misunderstanding and stigma People often feel that seeking help surrounding mental ill health are is a sign of weakness, but Jones likened widespread,” reads the World Health counseling to seeking a regular business Organization’s ‘10 facts on mental consultant. health.’ “Despite the existence of effective treatments for mental “I see it as a sign of strength disorders, there is a belief that they are that you’re getting the help that you untreatable, or that people with mental need,” he said. “If you are a business disorders are difficult, not intelligent, person, and you can’t figure out or incapable of making decisions. This how to solve some of your business stigma can lead to abuse, rejection problems, you might hire a consultant. and isolation and exclude people from Getting counseling is just like hiring a health care or support…” consultant on yourself or taking a class What causes this stigma? on yourself. Then, you can get the help “I think there are a lot of troubled that you need.” people out there who keep it to He also advocated for changing the themselves, and they’re afraid they’re the culture surrounding mental illness and only ones who feel the way that they do,” exercising compassion towards those said Dr. Dan Jones, who is the director who might be suffering. of the counseling center at ETSU. “Once “We need to work to try and change they start talking—especially like you do it (our culture) so that people don’t feel in group therapy—they find out they’re embarrassed about going to counseling not the only ones that struggle with those or embarrassed about taking psychiatric issues.” medications,” he said. “We need to He also noted that many people change the culture of that. Whenever we struggling with mental illness keep the feel like someone is not doing well, we issue to themselves for fear of burdening can reach out to them. The suicide rates others. are increasing nationally, and suicide
STAFF WRITER
“
Stigma is a big thing,” said Cicely Alvis, who is a Division Director at Frontier Health’s Turning Point in Johnson City.
is the second leading cause of death among college students—second only to car accidents.”
Preventing suicide begins with ending the stigma Alvis also noted that Frontier Health has been a huge advocate for ending the stigma surrounding mental illness and substance abuse through hosting public events, providing education and training and partnering with other agencies that do the same. For example, Frontier Health partners with TSPN (Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network), which is broken into regions in the state and holds monthly meetings in addition to providing education and training initiatives. Alvis explained that, part of reducing and preventing suicide begins with eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health and asking for help. More information on TSPN can be found at http://tspn.org/. Stay tuned to the Rogersville Review for more information and articles on how you can spot suicidal behavior and get help for those in need.
goes on in our community,” Alvis said. “There’s a lot of education going on in the community, and there’s a lot of anti-drug coalitions just trying to make it more well known that there are people who have mental illness and substance abuse disorders in our community, and it’s okay.”
Stigma and substance abuse disorder
Frontier Health also provides numerous resources for people who are suffering from substance abuse disorders, which carry their own stigma. In response to the age-old question of whether or not substance abuse truly constitutes a mental illness, Alvis explained that, “Substance abuse disorder and mental health often go hand in hand.” “When you are putting a substance in your body, there is a physiological reaction happening, and it’s changing your brain chemistry. Your body begins to crave it (the substance), and it creates a lot of pain. There’s a lot of science and research that goes into exactly how our body responds to drugs, and then, when the drug is leaving our body, the physiological symptoms that come with that.” Stigma Stops Now She noted that the same is true of The Frontier Health Foundation alcoholism or the abuse of any illicit also puts on an annual event they call substance. ‘Stigma Stops Now’ where a well-known “So, there is a reaction, and it does person is brought in to share their own change your brain chemistry,” she said. experience regarding mental illness, “It takes a long time for your brain to substance abuse. get back to its original state that it was This year’s program was actually in before you started using alcohol or held earlier this month and featured drugs.” country music singer Trace Adkins who So, join us at the Rogersville Review spoke about his journey with alcoholism in changing the stigma surrounding and his time in rehab. mental health. Reach out and check In the past, both musicians ICE T on your neighbor today, exercise and Ashley Judd have served as keynote compassion and make sure that people speakers. know that help is available. “Stigma is a big piece of what
Addressing mental health needs in the Hawkins Co. School System BY ALLISON GOLEY STAFF WRITER
Erika Phillips, who is the Coordinated School Health Director, and counseling staff in the Hawkins Co. School System take steps each day to ensure that students are mentally healthy and ready to learn. Every school in the county school system is currently equipped with a certified school counselor who, according to Phillips, has been trained in Building Strong Brains, which is part of the Tennessee Department of Education’s Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma Informed Schools initiative, as well as in Youth Mental Health First Aid, which is a nationally recognized mental health resource. “Our counselors are an incredible resource for both our students and staff,” she said. As a school system, we work hard to address every student’s needs.”
Seeing the effects of babies born addicted
Phillips noted that the specific issues faced by Hawkins County students vary by a student’s age and social development. “In our younger students, we see disruptive behavioral issues that are often symptomatic of childhood trauma and toxic stress,” she said. “Likewise, the pressures of adolescence contribute to stress and anxiety in our older students who are balancing school, work, extracurricular activities, deciding what
to direction to go after high school, etc.” She went on to explain that teachers and school counselors don’t always know the exact causes for the issues the student presents, though they have identified one specific trend. “We do know that the opioid epidemic began around 2011 in this part of the United States, and that there was an unprecedented increase in the number of children who were born addicted.” Cicely Alvis, who is a Division Director at Frontier Health, shared some further insight into this issue, telling the Review that the opioid epidemic “hit us hard” in East Tennessee. “At this point, this is a generational problem,” she said.” It can be a family issue too. It’s definitely had an impact for us regionally. We were unfortunately highlighted in our area (East Tennessee) for being one of the worst in the entire world. In regard to NAS (neonatal abstinence syndrome) babies, which are babies being born addicted, Sullivan County specifically was noted as having the highest rate in the state.” According to Phillips, educators in the Hawkins Co. School System are feeling the effects. “As most of those children have begun school, teachers and administrators are seeing an increase in the number students who need more support both academically and socially,” Phillips explained.
Every situation is unique
“As a school system, we work hard to address every student’s needs,” Phillips said. “Our school counselors
Resources HAWKINS COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH CLINIC 101 Lena Drive, Rogersville, TN 37857
423-272-9239
and administrators work with students in need of individualized attention every day.” Part of doing this, Phillips explained, is identifying the students who need this kind of assistance. “In our younger students, mental health issues are often identified based on behavior issues, which are a symptom of stress,” she said. “Our staff works to develop relationships with each student too; if they notice changes in a student’s typical demeanor, they make an effort to talk with the student one on one. Students have the ability to schedule time to meet with their school counselor if they have an issue. We also encourage parents to communicate with school counselors if life situations change and the student needs extra support.” But, what if a student’s problems warrant more medical attention than the school counselor can provide? “If students have needs beyond the scope of the school counselor’s services, the counselor takes steps to reach out to families to determine how best to help the student,” Phillips explained. “We have a referral process in place that connects students and families with mental health agencies in and around our community.”
Looking to the future
Though every school in the system currently has a school counselor,
CRISIS TEXT LINE:
ETSU COUNSELING CENTER
VETERANS CRISIS LINE
Nell Dossett Hall, 3rd floor Johnson City, TN 37614 www.etsu.edu/students/counseling
Text “TN” to 741741 1-800-273-TALK (8255) then press 1
www.veteranscrisisline.net
333 Campbell Drive, Sneedville TN 37869
VETERANS CRISIS LINE FOR DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING
FULL LIST OF FRONTIER HEALTH SERVICES
VETERANS CRISIS TEXT LINE
HANCOCK COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH CLINIC
423-733-2216
www.frontierhealth.org/guide/fh-locations www.frontierhealth.org/resources
NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE
1-800-273-TALK (8255)
www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
Phillips told the Review that she would like to see the number of counseling staff increase. She explained that, under Governor Bill Lee’s administration, he and the General Assembly recently allocated funding so that a school resource officer will soon be in every Tennessee school. Though she is “incredibly grateful” for this new change, she would like to see a similar thing happen with LCSW’s (Licensed Clinical Social Workers). “Due to the increased need for school-based mental health services, we would be very interested in seeing Governor Lee and the General Assembly provide similar funding for LCSW’s for every school campus,” she said. “In addition to providing counseling services for students in need, school level LCSW’s could work with families who may need parenting classes, additional support accessing available community services, or even with students identified as chronically absent. We also need direction and funding for researchbased professional development that will enable our staff to better equip themselves for working with some of the social and behavioral issues we see. Educators need support at the school and classroom level, especially those in rural communities, where funding to hire additional support staff is limited.”
1-800-799-4889 Text 838255
Don’t be afraid to reach out.
423-439-3333
WALTERS STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE COUNSELING CENTER
423-585-6800
www.ws.edu/student-services/counseling-testing/ personal-counseling
NORTHEAST STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE COUNSELING CENTER
423-354-2587
www.northeaststate.edu/Campus-Resources/ Counseling-Services
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Mental Health AWARENESS 2019 • October 5/6, 2019 • Page 3
Veterans’ mental health: problems and solutions up. Some people have more of those than other wounds.” He explained that each war has a ‘signature wound’ that is common among combat veterans. The ‘signature wound’ from the Vietnam War, for example, is PTSD. Breeding also noted that there is a difference between TBI and PTSD in that “TBI is like a concussion” and PTSD is “more emotional issues like sleeplessness and irritability” though symptoms can often be similar. “PTSD usually occurs years later, after the fact,” he said. “You suffer from TBI pretty much immediately.” He also explained that the VA is also calling attention to MST (military sexual trauma) among soldiers and veterans. “This doesn’t exclude the male soldiers, either,” Breeding explained. “We’ve seen both sides.”
BY ALLISON GOLEY STAFF WRITER
Over 6,000 veterans died each year between 2008 and 2017. These shocking numbers are not caused by heart disease or cancer—the CDC’s (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) top two leading causes of death for 2017. Each of these 6,000 veterans died by suicide. This information is part of the 2019 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report published by the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs. This 6,000+ per year was broken down to a rate of 15.9 Veteran suicides per day in 2005 and 16.8 in 2017. The report also states that, “in 2017, the suicide rate for Veterans was 1.5 times the rate for non-Veteran adults, after adjusting for population differences in age and sex.” Though the problem is on an alarming scale, Hawkins County Veterans Service Officer Danny Breeding wants veterans to know that there is help available.
Where can veterans seek help? Veterans in need of mental health assistance or medical help of any kind can visit the Rogersville VA Clinic, which is located at 410 Scenic Drive #201 in Rogersville. More information about this office can be found at https://www. mountainhome.va.gov/locations/ Rogersville.asp, and they can also be reached by phone at (423) 235-1471. The Rogersville clinic is part of the larger-scale Mountain Home VA Healthcare System in Johnson City, which is located at Veterans Way and Lamont Street in Mountain Home, Tenn. More information about this office can be found at https://www. mountainhome.va.gov/locations/ directions.asp, and they can also be reached by phone at (423) 926-1171. Breeding noted that, whatever a veteran’s specific situation may be, there is a program for them. “There are programs specifically for women veterans, group settings with family, programs for PDST (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury),” Breeding said. “Everything associated with mental health, the VA is involved with it.”
Help from the comfort of your home Breeding also noted that there are mental health options for veterans who do not feel comfortable visiting Mountain Home or another VA clinic. Right now, the VA offers several kinds of mental health assistance online, such as The Veteran Training self-help portal for overcoming daily challenges, which offers free online courses designed specifically for veterans; numerous smart phone apps designed with a partnership between the VA and the Department of Defense; and a new tele-mental health program, which allows you to “connect with a VA mental health provider through a computer or mobile device in your home or at your nearest VA health facility.” Breeding noted that the Rogersville VA Clinic offers this kind of tele-mental help. The tele-mental health program is part of the VA’s telehealth program, which “helps ensure veteran patients get the right care in the right place at the right time and aims to make the
Support Groups APA Help Center
www.apa.org/helpcenter
Autism Society
www.autism-society.org
Bring Change 2 Mind
www.bringchange2mind.org
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance www.dbsalliance.org
HealthyPlace
www.healthyplace.com
NAMI TN
www.namitn.org
National Alliance on Mental Illness www.nami.org
Schizophrenics Anonymous www.sardaa.org
Don’t be afraid to reach out.
The stigma surrounding mental health Hawkins County Veterans Service Officer Danny Breeding want veterans to know there “For some of them, there is a is help available. For information on the Hawkins County Veterans Service Office, stigma,” Breeding said. “They’re often call (423) 272-5077, visit them at 100 E Main St #107 in Rogersville, or check out their too proud. They don’t want to admit that website at https://hawkinscountytn.gov/veterans_services.html. they need help, and they think it shows
Veterans:
There IS help. Hawkins County Veterans Service Office 100 E Main St #107 in Rogersville, TN 37857
423-272-5077
Mountain Home VA Healthcare System
Veterans Way and Lamont Street Mountain Home, TN
423-926-1171
https://www.mountainhome.va.gov/ locations/directions.asp
VA’s Telehealth Program https://www.telehealth.va.gov
https://www.va.gov/health-care/ health-needs-conditions/mentalhealth/
https://hawkinscountytn.gov/ veterans_services.html
VA Crisis Line
Rogersville VA Clinic
800-273-8255
410 Scenic Drive #201 Rogersville, TN 37857
423-235-1471
Available 24/7
Select 1 to speak to a live representative, text 838255 or visit
https://www.mountainhome.va.gov/ locations/Rogersville.asp
https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/ get-help/chat
home into the preferred place of care, whenever possible” according to the VA’s official website. More information about the VA’s telehealth program as a whole can be found at https://www.telehealth. va.gov and more information for the aforementioned programs can be found at https://www.va.gov/health-care/ health-needs-conditions/mentalhealth/.
veterans and the multiple deployments they’ve had to do over the years,” Breeding said when explaining some factors that contribute to veteran suicide rates. “These take a toll on their body both physically and mentally. It’s taken a toll on their family. It’s even worse if they have to leave families or wives numerous times over a period of years.” Breeding explained that, in the past, multiple deployments were unusual unless a soldier volunteered to do so. He explained that longer terms and multiple deployments began during the Gulf War. “My stent was one year, and you were done,” he said of his own time deployed during the Vietnam War. “Your tour in Vietnam only consisted of one year unless you were a career soldier, and some of them volunteered to go back.”
VA Crisis Line is available 24/7 The VA also runs a crisis line, which connects you to a qualified Veterans Crisis Line responder and is “private, free and available 24/7.” This Crisis Line takes the form of a phone number you can call, a number you can use to correspond with someone via text, and even an online chat service. To take advantage of this service, you can call 800-273-8255 and then select 1 to speak to a live representative, text 838255 or visit https://www. veteranscrisisline.net/get-help/chat to begin your confidential online chat. At the aforementioned website, you can even take a self-check quiz to see what kind of VA or community-based service is right for you.
Why such high numbers? “First, let’s talk about our younger
TBI, PTSD and MST PTSD and TBI also naturally account for large numbers of veteran suicides. “TBI is considered a ‘signature wound’ of our younger soldiers,” he said. “Some of them can’t wait or don’t respond to treatment very well. Then, you also have a lot of soldiers who have lost limbs because of the IED’s—the explosive bombs on the side of the road that can just completely blow a vehicle
weakness. I see that a lot with what I do here (as Veterans Service Officer), and I can tell them exactly ‘this is what you need to do,’ and they might say ‘no, I think I’m okay.’ Yet, they’ll tell me all of their symptoms and, yes, they have symptoms of PTSD. Sometimes you have to take the shoebox from the shelf, open it up, and throw it away. You do that by talking about it.” Breeding noted that this form of talking about your experiences is called Cognitive Processing Therapy. “The ones who don’t want to do it (seek help) think it’s a sign of weakness, but, in my mind, it’s a sign of strength if they want to pursue it and use what the VA has to offer to help them cope. It’s going to make it easier on them and easier on their family.” He explained that a good way to get past this stigma is to find someone who understands what you’re going through and start talking. The VA even offers group settings where veterans can do exactly that. “From my experience, it’s helpful to sit and talk with someone who has been-there-done-that,” he said. “Not necessarily a young psychologist or sociologist. We veterans feel more comfortable talking among ourselves. I have found that, since I’ve been doing this job, after talking with veterans who have had that stigma, once they reach out, they’re much better for it.”
How can I help a struggling veteran? “Most people who are not veterans probably know a veteran,” Breeding added. “Maybe there are some veterans who aren’t aware of the programs that are out there. If a non-veteran knows of a veteran who needs help, know that there is plenty of help out there. Sometimes, it may take a family member to encourage that veteran to find help.” He encouraged family and friends of veterans to educate themselves on the problems faced by veterans as well as the options for seeking help. Learn how to spot some symptoms of mental health issues and suicidal behavior. For more information on the Hawkins County Veterans Service Office, call (423) 272-5077, visit them at 100 E Main St #107 in Rogersville, or check out their website at https:// hawkinscountytn.gov/veterans_ services.html.
Locked Inside Hell -by SPC Kaitlyn Taylor
means there’s no waking up from this nightmare. It means I don’t have to close my eyes to go back. The faces don’t just haunt my sleeping hours. Every crack of thunder and I’m back in the sand 83 days in and no one knows how many more to go. Every horn in a tunnel sends shivers down my spine my grip locked on my steering wheel my mind begging to stay in the present. Every screaming child on the playground is a child who didn’t ask
to be part of this “Holy War” who has only seconds to live. Every time a trucker kicks his jake brake I’m back in Tikrit Fire fight raging and I reach for my M4, even though I know it isn’t really there. Every 4th of July I’m fine with the fireworks until my husband touches me unexpectedly. He still doesn’t understand. Locked inside Hell means there’s no waking up from this nightmare because this nightmare followed me home where no one can wake me up.
VA CRISIS LINE • Available 24/7 • 800-273-8255
SPC Kaitlyn Taylor served in Iraq from December 2018 through May 2019 with Charlie Company 326th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) out of Fort Campbell, Ky.
Page 4 • Mental Health AWARENESS 2019 • October 5/6, 2019
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Mental Health AWARENESS 2019 • October 5/6, 2019 • Page 5
Can trauma bring out underlying mental issues?
Leah Thacker shared her own experience with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in hopes that she can encourage others who might be suffering to seek help.
BY LEAH THACKER CONTRIBUTOR
I’ve always been a clean and organized person. When I was little, I sorted all my candy out at Halloween into different categories (sour, chocolate, gum...) and then into separate subcategories like chocolate with nuts, chocolate with caramel, etc. Everyone just knew that I was always the kid that could organize anything. It wasn’t until I graduated high school and began my college journey that I realized it was more than just being organized. I began filling out my college paperwork in summer 2013. When asked about a potential roommate, I sent in that I wanted someone like me- not too messy, but not super clean either. Pretty middle-of-the-line, I would say. The Director of Residence matched me up with 3 upperclassmen girls who were all best friends. I was shocked because I naively thought all freshmen would be matched up with other freshmen. About the time I received my dorm placement, I received the news that my mother was
diagnosed with Stage 3 Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. She was already struggling with letting her only child move out and go to college, but it became a lot worse when she received her diagnosis, and I was away on an overseas trip at the time. Mom made several trips to Vanderbilt for various surgeries to remove the cancer and surrounding lymph nodes, as well as plastic surgery to repair the area. I was able to go with her to the first surgery, but I started college after that. Mom was in a wheelchair when I moved into my second-floor dorm room (without an elevator.) Adjusting to life without my parents was hard, but especially with mom being sick. Add in the fact that I became the fourth wheel to a threesome of best friends, and I didn’t know how to cope. I just tried to keep my head above water and adjust as best I could. It was already a challenge living with a stranger, but I had never lived with anyone but my parents before. I didn’t have to share a bathroom with siblings, so I’m used to having the bedroom and bathroom all to myself. I wouldn’t say I was filthy, but I definitely wasn’t overly clean. Then I started learning about why my roommate, let’s call her “N,” didn’t already have someone to join their group of three. The college dorms are set up with an adjoining bathroom, called a suite. So my roommate was able to still live with her two best friends, but they still needed a fourth person to make their suite complete. That’s where I came in. Apparently, N tried to do everything in her power to make her previous roommates move out. If that happened, she wouldn’t be charged the fee of living alone in a two-person dorm room. And it worked with everyone before me. N refused to keep our door locked, barged in laughing at all hours of the night, and walked around with limited clothing most of the time. She rarely showered, lived on dry shampoo and ate awful food to stink up our fridge and microwave. Have you ever woken up at 2 a.m. to the smell of tuna cooked in the microwave? Don’t try it.
Mental Health Awareness and Suicide
Preven�on
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ma�er.
ou understand the im importance of taking care of your physical health. Some�mes, though, you may have so many things to do that you forget about taking care of your mental health—also known as behavioral health. If you or a loved one has suffered from condi�ons like anxiety, depression, or substance abuse in the past, you want to prevent future relapses. While there are plenty of things you can do on your own, working with a behavioral health specialist, counselor, or social worker can make your efforts even more successful. As we work together to boost your mental health, you can feel be�er and more condent as you go throughout your daily tasks. Addi�onally, regular visits with one of our medical professionals can prevent relapses of anxiety, depression, or other behavioral health concerns. Overall, you may even no�ce a change in your overall wellbeing.
As a student who made good grades in high school without needing to study, I felt like a fish out of water when I actually began struggling to keep up in class. For the first time in my life, I made flash cards and poured over my class notes, asking anyone and everyone for help. You would think living with three upperclassmen who took those classes already would help and give advice but… they didn’t. All while I’m struggling with class and dealing with a nasty roommate, I’m worrying myself sick over my mom and best friend. It killed me not being there with her. I kept my head down and focused on my studies during the week, and went home every weekend to spend some time with mom. She was so sick, and didn’t even realize I was home half
wrote the name of the piece and the sculptor, painter, etc. on the back. After I did that, I scooted them over into a pile of completed cards. Honestly, it was because the flashcards and the art pictures had such uneven, crooked lines that I had my first real debilitating attack. It seems so stupid now, but my brain saw the lines jumping off the desk, screaming at me because they were uneven. “That’s just one more thing you don’t have control over, you can’t even cut straight lines right.” I threw the cards on the floor and tried to fill my lungs with air before climbing into bed and staying there for 10+ hours. I don’t remember how it all happened actually, but I eventually told mom and we went to the doctor. My family doctor said he’d always known I
OCD is very real for me. It’s not a brush off when something’s not clean, it’s what I deal with every single day of my life. It’s part of what makes me who I am. the time. There were a lot of weekends just laying in bed while she slept, just so I could be with her. It was all too much for me. My life turned completely upside down in just a few short months. I didn’t feel like I was in control of any aspect of my life. I was spiraling in a tunnel of feelings I knew nothing about. Yes, I knew it was understandable that I felt this way given the circumstance, but what were these feelings exactly? Now I look back and realize it was crippling anxiety and panic attacks. Then I became depressed. I would panic over the smallest of things, and then skip class to sleep because I was exhausted. I distinctly remember the moment I knew I had to tell someone just how bad it was… it seems silly now but at the time it rocked my world. I was at my desk making study cards for an upcoming Humanities test. I cut them, glued on a picture of a specific piece of art we were studying, then
have Obsessive Compulsive tendencies, but knew it wouldn’t surface until something like this brought it out. He officially diagnosed me with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and I began taking medication. It was too intense to try to cope on my own. Fast forward to now, 5 years later, I still take medication for OCD. Just like a diabetic needs insulin, my body needs that medication to function on a day-today basis. I fully believe that taking care of my body with medication allows me to be a good daughter, friend, and a good teacher… it allows me to be myself. It allows my brain to focus on other things in life than just cutting straight lines and making sure all my clothes hangers are spaced out evenly. OCD is very real for me. It’s not a brush off when something’s not clean, it’s what I deal with every single day of my life. It’s part of what makes me who I am.
Bethany’s HOPE BY JOSHUA CARROLL CONTRIBUTOR
Bethany was a friend, daughter, Jesus lover, model, and my best friend. She was always smiling. I never saw a day where she wasn’t. She was such a kindhearted soul who cared for everyone in the world. She always put others before herself and never stopped loving others. There was never a dull moment with her. I had the pleasure of meeting her at a fashion show, and, from that time on, we were friends. But she suffered with something that no one ever knew about. She suffered from anxiety, depression and a deep hurt. Not because she came from a bad home, bad friends or anything like that. I think she went through a lot of these emotions because she didn’t like seeing other people suffer. It broke her heart to think that many people believed they had no worth. Bethany couldn’t handle people going through this, because she knew what it felt like to suffer. She was also familiar with the lies that depression tells you. She was in so much pain partly
because she couldn’t stand to see others hurting. One day, she woke up and said “enough” and began to bring hope back to a hopeless world. She made so many people smile, and she helped so many realize that they have worth! Bethany touched so many lives. But, then, there was the day that she woke up and she said that she, “couldn’t do this anymore.’ On August 11, 2018, Bethany took her life. This shocked so many people. So many people were affected by Bethany’s passing—no one knew she had so much hurt. No one knew that the girl who smiled all the time hid a lot behind her smile. Bethany’s story and dedication inspired and gave hope to so many people. Even from this day on, Bethany’s family carries out the legacy that God put her on earth to fulfill. Their movement is called “Bethany’s Hope.” Her family won’t rest until people know that they are worthwhile and have value. For more information on Bethany’s Hope, visit the organization’s Facebook page at https:// www.facebook.com/Bethanys-Hope-468133287047925/.
Through tailored services and at-home therapies and ac�vi�es, you can be be�er equipped to face and overcome any behavioral health issues you suffer from.
423-921-1600
Call us at to schedule an appointment today.
Rogersville Medical Complex Meeting the ever changing needs of healthcare!
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For immediate help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at
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Understanding the truth about Mama Growing up under the shadow of schizophrenia always had a fear in the back of my mind that something was going to GUEST COLUMNIST happen to her.” Apart from her illness, Willa “I knew something was wrong, even retained a remarkable intellect. In when I was little,” she said. “I remember fact, experts note that many patients feeling somehow very protective of diagnosed with schizophrenia are above Mama.” average in intelligence. For Norma Fant Neal and her “We were told by a doctor one siblings, growing up was different. time that Mama’s I.Q. was way above It meant days of relative normalcy, average,” Norma said. “She was an followed by days of turmoil. It meant intelligent person, probably close to years of worry and fear, followed by genius level. Mama worked several years of relative calm. jobs, organized Bible schools, and ran It meant living with a parent with a an office for Daddy for years. She was a mental illness. smart person. She just had an illness.” Willa Rogers Fant married at 16, Because of the misconceptions worked a variety of jobs, and raised five about mental illness, as with many children to adulthood. On the outside, families who have a mentally ill her life seemed normal. member, the Fant family learned not to But Willa suffered from a mental talk about the problem. They learned illness called schizophrenia. early that the outside world did not A mental disorder that affects understand their mother’s illness. almost 2.2 million American adults, “I felt like I couldn’t explain it to I used to get so angry when people would say, schizophrenia is a fact of life for one out anyone else. I didn’t talk about it to “you’re mother’s not quite right.” I still get angry of every 100 people in the United States. anyone,” said Norma. “In my heart, I Often misunderstood by the general when I hear people talk about mental illness like that saw her as my mother. But I knew that public, the disorder is characterized people wouldn’t understand her person is crazy. It’s not being ‘crazy’; it’s an illness like other by delusions or hallucinations, social like I did.” diabetes or any other disease. It’s a medical problem avoidance, emotional withdrawal, Each of the children cite memories confusion in thinking and speech, and of their mother’s illness that stand that can be helped with the right treatment. an inability to distinguish between out as traumatic for them. Norma fantasy and reality. — Norma Fant Neal remembers one instance in particular According to mental health that is a reminder of the misconceptions caregivers, most people with “I wanted to protect her, to several months to come out of the that people had about her mother. schizophrenia suffer the onset of convince her that no one was going to semi-coma it put her in. I guess that was “I remember one time when symptoms in their mid to late teens hurt her, or us,” she continued. “But about the hardest thing I’ve ever been a classmate of mine had a mother or early twenties. Willa’s symptoms no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t through.” who was in the hospital for physical began early in her life, with her first convince her. When I was younger, I Over the years, Willa’s treatments reasons,” she said. “My mother was hospitalization for the disorder occurring would get so angry with her because she included not only electroshock therapy, in the hospital, too. My teacher knew in her mid-twenties. wouldn’t listen to the truth. But as I got but a myriad of medications, with some the kinds of problems my mother had. “The first time she went in older, I realized that it wasn’t her talking; being much more effective than others. She asked for prayer for the other girl’s the hospital, I was 10 years old,” it was her illness.” For many people with a mental mother several times, but never for remembered Norma, the oldest of the Willa’s illness led doctors to try illnesses, including schizophrenia, mine.” five children. “I would hear Mama and different avenues of treatment. In the antipsychotic drugs are a critical part According to Norma and her Daddy talking, and Mama crying. Then early years, that treatment included the of their overall treatment plan. But no siblings, living life with a mentally ill Daddy told me that Mama was going controversial ‘insulin shock therapy’ single medicine works the same for family member has shown them the to have to go to the hospital. It terrified that was used to literally erase the everyone, and even those that work truth about disorders that others often me.” memory of the patient in an effort to often do not have lasting effectiveness. label as ‘crazy’. It has, they said, made Although Willa was married with two block the thoughts that were not real. Over a period of time, most patients’ them more aware of the facts about children before her first hospitalization, But the effects of the treatment were medications must be adjusted in dosage mental disorders, and more sensitive to her symptoms are believed to have devastating to Willa and to her family. or changed entirely. the misconceptions of the public. begun in childhood. “The first time she had treatments And those medications never cure “I used to get so angry when people “I can remember our grandmother that traumatized our family was the illness. They only serve to control would say, “you’re mother’s not quite saying that Mama’s problem really during her hospitalization when I was the symptoms to allow the patient to right,” admitted Norma. “I still get angry started when she was about 12 or about 10,” Norma remembered. “That live a productive life. when I hear people talk about mental 13 years old when she had a severe traumatized me. Every day I would look Despite her illness, Willa managed illness like that person is crazy. It’s not childhood illness, maybe diphtheria,” forward to talking to her at the hospital, to lead a life that included a quality being ‘crazy’; it’s an illness like diabetes Norma said. “They thought she was but I’d be so scared. She couldn’t family life, service to her church, and or any other disease. It’s a medical going to die. I was told that her mother remember from day to day because the an active involvement in her children’s problem that can be helped with the noticed that she was never the same shock therapy was wiping her memory education. right treatment.” after that.” out.” “I remember when Mama used to Since Willa’s death in 2002, the Fant Because schizophrenia is not a “I’ll never forget how excited I play Monopoly® with me for hours,” children have talked often about their simple illness, with no definitive test was when she came home after that,” Norma said. “If my mama was going mother, about her illness, and about for diagnosis, the patient often suffers Norma continues. “It was on Friday to play with me, I’d rather do that than their growing up years. through years of symptoms before being the 13th. I came home from school, play with my friends. We had the best “People sometimes ask us how we accurately diagnosed. But the paradox is and there was Mama, at home. It was time. Mama taught Sunday School, sang dealt with it all,” Norma said. “We tell that early diagnosis can be the key to the the luckiest day of my life. But I could in the choir, was involved in everything them we just did what we needed to do. patient living a productive life. tell she was different. I think her actual at school, in PTA, always brought We tell them that we had a father who Although her illness took its toll memories of me and my sister as babies cupcakes and cookies to school for us.” stood beside our mother through it all. on the Fant family, causing years were just things she was told about later. “But even then, I remember And we tell them that our mother was of emotional hurt and a lifetime of She didn’t remember them really.” thinking things were wrong,” she added. a warm and loving person, a wonderful uncertainty, the children talk often about Although Willa never underwent “I always felt like I had to protect her. A woman, and a great mother who simply the good years, the years when their insulin shock therapy again, she was child senses things about their mother. had an illness.” mother was well and things were good. hospitalized on several other occasions It caused me to feel very insecure. I
BY DEE ANN CAMPBELL
“Mama was a good mother to us,” recalled Norma. “She used to play with us out in the yard. She would be the only mother out there playing baseball in the yard with a bunch of kids. We played jacks, sang Christmas carols. Even when she was sick, she was a good mother.” Yet, there were years when the illness would take over, and the family would be plunged into turmoil. “The first time I remember really understanding that something was wrong was when I was about 8 or 9 years old,” says Norma’s youngest sister Paula. “Mama had confided in me some things that she was thinking, things that didn’t make much sense to me. At first, I thought she might be right, that those things were real. It scared me. But, gradually, I realized that they were only in her mind.”
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over the course of her lifetime. “After I had my first child, Mama got really bad,” Norma said. “She thought Daddy was poisoning her. The ambulance came to get her, and they had to force her to go. It was more than I could stand.” Though Norma had a family of her own by that time, she, along with her newborn infant, moved back into her parents’ home to care for her four younger siblings. But perhaps the most traumatic times for the Fant family were the times when Willa attempted suicide. “Mama took overdoses at least four times that I can remember,” Norma said. “Two of those times, we didn’t think she’d pull through.” “I remember when I was a senior in high school, and Mama took an overdose,” recalled Paula. “It took her
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ANNONYMOUS Explaining to someone how I feel when my mental illness kicks in is one of the most complicated things I’ve ever had to do. I’ve always felt things a little deeper than most, and I had a lot of imaginary friends growing up. New people and things always scared me and the people in my head had always accepted me for who I was. It wasn’t until I had to go off to college and face the adult world that it finally became real. I read too much into things and took everything to heart, which caused me to become the ‘people pleaser.’ I could not tell anyone ‘no,’ and I made a lot of decisions that I regret just to please the people that I thought were important to me. I tried to fix this by expanding my friend list, which only caused me to go back into my own head for fear that no one really liked me. “They only talked to me because they felt sorry for me,” I thought. I spent the last two years of college conflicted on who really mattered and who didn’t. I visited a mental illness fair they were hosting on campus. The counselor pushed me to go see someone about what I was going through, so I made an appointment with a nurse practitioner. She had asked me about what was going on in my life. At the time, I was holding six leadership positions, trying to finish my degree, working three days a week back home, and trying to balance a new
My mental illness is real, but it doesn’t make me any less of a person relationship. I spent most of my days in tears feeling defeated. I would go to sleep with the answers to test questions or a new sentence for a paper running through my head. I changed my major just to graduate as fast as possible to relieve me from the misery that I felt every day. I didn’t sleep. I barely ate, but I gained weight like crazy. Now, I woke up in the mornings and hated who was looking back at me. It didn’t feel like the girl I had known my whole life. I started anxiety medication, but I never took it when I should have. On the day I graduated college, nothing went right, my outfit just felt horrible, and my whole family kept asking why I wasn’t happy. I just wanted to lay in bed and cry. I didn’t even care that I graduated. My grandmother ordered graduation photos, and I have them hidden so that she can’t hang them up for everyone to see because I am so ashamed of who I was that day. Once I left college, I had an issue with being alone. I needed to be doing something at all time. I had spent the last four years in constant stress that now I just sat there with nothing to do. I would lay in bed and stare at the wall. I
would think of the worst-case scenario in every situation. I went crazy. I would think about suicide, but in small daily activities. I would drive without buckling my seat belt because, maybe, if I did wreck, then it might actually kill me. I would drive around a curve and debate whether I should turn or just run off of the road. If my mom was being silly and threatened to kill me over something stupid that I said or did, I would just say, “Joke’s on you, I want to die.” It escalated to the point my boyfriend was miserable because he didn’t understand why I was never happy. I was sleeping for 10 hours a night or more just to avoid reality. I constantly wanted to be with him and have his attention so that I would be distracted from myself. I made him the sole reason for my happiness. He began to feel as awful as I did. Watching the person I love go insane pushed me to go back to the doctor. I went back to the nurse practitioner and she prescribed something geared towards depression instead of anxiety. After two weeks, I began to feel better. I could think clearly, it was easier to wake up in the
morning, it was easier to sleep, and it was easier to not rely so much on him. I found some hobbies to pick up on, and I pushed to become a better me. It’s not that easy, however. I still struggle daily. Some days it’s hard to wake up, some days I cry without reason, and sometimes I just don’t want to be looked at or talked to. The medication helps, but I push myself daily to become a better me. I still consider not wearing my seat belt. I still think my fiancé may enjoy his life better if I wasn’t around. I still feel like a massive burden on my friends and family. People need to understand that you can’t just tell someone to cheer up. It doesn’t work. It’s much more complicated. It’s not fun to feel like this every day. It’s not fun to hate myself. If someone doesn’t seem okay, then ask them what is going on. If they can’t explain it, just ask them how you can make it easier or if there is anything you can do to help. Choosing to battle your mental illness takes strength. I am recently engaged to the love of my life. I have seen my mother get remarried and find happiness. I have seen my dad and uncle be the healthiest they have been in years. I get to have late talks with my grandparents. I get to watch my sisters and cousins grow into beautiful young women. I have seen my aunt follow her dreams. Nothing is ever easy, but life is worth enjoying. I choose to fight my inner battles. My mental illness is real, and it doesn’t make my any less of a person.
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Mental Health AWARENESS 2019 • October 5/6, 2019 • Page 7
Saving a Life BY ALLISON GOLEY
giving away their property” as a way to prepare.
STAFF WRITER
47,000 people in the nation died by suicide in 2017, with 1,163 being from Tennessee, 9 being from Hawkins County, and 2 being from Hancock County. Suicide is ranked as the CDC’s (Center for Disease Control) 10th leading cause of death in the nation as a whole and the second leading cause of death for adolescents ages 15-19. Chances are, nearly everyone has either thought about suicide, attempted it or know of someone who has. So, what can we as a county do help someone who is suffering and potentially save a life?
Spotting the warning signs
“If you think somebody might be suicidal, don’t worry about putting the idea in their mind by mentioning it,” said ETSU Counseling Center Director Dr. Dan Jones. “It’s better to go ahead and ask, ‘have you been thinking about suicide?’ so that, if they are, you can try and make sure they get the help they need.” Jones suggested that changes in a person’s behavior can often signal a decline in his or her mental health, especially “changes in behavior from people who have a history of doing well or someone who has had problems in the past but is doing worse than usual.” He went on to list some specific behavioral changes you might notice in someone contemplating suicide. “Withdrawal: someone who has always been friendly and outgoing just kind of withdraws and separates themselves from the people in their life,” he began. “Sometimes, people who have been doing okay begin drinking a lot more or using drugs. Sometimes people who are taking drugs or drinking a lot of alcohol are trying to self-medicate. People who usually take care of themselves and keep themselves clean but suddenly aren’t shaving or taking baths. People who used to be doing a good job at work but aren’t doing as well as they used to be. Students who have always gotten good grades, but their grades start to go downhill.” He also noted that people contemplating suicide often “start
• Can’t seem to get control
prevention.” Means restriction is also especially What should I do? necessary in the case of someone who The TSPN (Tennessee Suicide If you or someone you know is is experiencing a mental health crisis Prevention Network) website also exhibiting suicidal behavior, Jones or has recently been hospitalized for provides a list of warning signs that explained that, “it’s always good to mental health reasons. include the following: get them (the at-risk person) to see “For a period of time, it’s really • Talking about suicide, death, and/ a professional, but some people are important not to have that kind of or feeling no reason to live embarrassed or ashamed to do that, and access,” Alvis said. “Not forever. It’s just • Preoccupation with death and they refuse to go. You do the best that about making sure that, when people dying you can, and if you can’t get them to see are in that more vulnerable time, that • Withdrawal from friends and/or a professional, maybe you can get them they don’t have any sort of immediate social activities to talk to their minister or their best access to something that could • Experience of a recent severe loss friend. You can contact their parents ultimately be life threatening.” (especially a relationship) or the to let them know you’re worried about threat of a significant loss their child.” Step by step • Experience or fear of a situation of Regardless of the situation, Jones TSPN also offers the following humiliation or failure explained that you should at least advice on properly addressing a loved • Drastic changes in behavior “do whatever you can to make sure one who is exhibiting suicidal behavior: • Loss of interest in hobbies, work, somebody is checking on them (the • Be aware. Learn the warning signs. school etc. at-risk person) and making sure they’re • Get involved. Become available. • Preparation for death by making okay.” Show interest and support. out a will (unexpectedly) and final It is also important to note that the • Ask if he or she is thinking about arrangements suicidal person might give some push suicide. • Giving away prized possessions back if you try to help. • Be direct. Talk openly and freely • Previous history of suicide “They (the at-risk person) might about suicide. attempts, as well as violence and/ not like it,” Jones said. “They might even • Be willing to listen. Allow for or hostility get mad at you for doing that (inquiring expressions of feelings and accept • Unnecessary risks; reckless and/or about their mental state), but I’d rather those feelings. impulsive behavior have somebody mad at me than dead.” • Be non-judgmental. Don’t debate • Loss of interest in personal Cicely Alvis, who is a Division whether suicide is right or wrong, appearance Director at Frontier Health, also or feelings are good or bad. Don’t • Increased use of alcohol and/or explained the importance of removing a lecture on the value of life. drugs means by which someone could commit • Don’t dare him or her to do it. • General hopelessness suicide if he or she is exhibiting warning • Don’t give advice by making • Recent experience of humiliation signs. decisions for someone else or tell or failure “A lot that comes into play with them to behave differently. • Unwillingness to connect with suicide prevention is means restriction • Don’t ask “why.” This encourages potential helpers in the home for people who are defensiveness. vulnerable or at risk of suicide,” she • Offer empathy, not sympathy. Do I need help? said. “There’s a big focus on making sure • Don’t act shocked. This creates TSPN’s website notes that, “nearly people who are at risk of suicide don’t distance. everyone at some time in his or her have access to weapons or medication • Don’t be sworn to secrecy. Seek life thinks about suicide, though most (that have not been prescribed to them) support. everyone decides to live because for a period of time in their life. Safety • Offer hope that alternatives they come to realize that the crisis is planning and having a safe home is very are available, do not offer glib temporary, but death is not.” important.” reassurance; it only proves you However, if you or a loved one are She noted that this is particularly don’t understand. in the middle of a crisis, those feelings important in regard to youth suicide • Take action. Remove means. Get are very real. TSPN explains that people prevention. help from individuals or agencies experiencing a crisis often feel like they: “The latest data that I have says specializing in crisis intervention • Can’t stop the pain that 60 percent of the teens who died and suicide prevention. • Can’t think clearly by suicide in Tennessee used a gun in • Can’t make decisions the home or a family member’s home,” For more information, visit • Can’t see any way out she said. “There’s nothing wrong with TSPN’s website at http://tspn. • Can’t sleep, eat or work having a gun in your home. It’s just org. For immediate help, call the • Can’t get out of the depression important to make sure that people National Suicide Prevention Lifeline • Can’t make the sadness go away don’t have access. There are gun locks. at 1-800-273-8255 or text “TN” to • Can’t see the possibility of change These often come with guns when you 741741. You can also live chat with • Can’t see themselves as worthwhile purchase them. It’s not really about a counselor 24/7 by going to https:// • Can’t get someone’s attention taking anything away—it’s just about suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/.
For more information, visit TSPN’s website at http://tspn.org. For immediate help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text “TN” to 741741. You can also live chat with a counselor 24/7 by going to https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/. Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network • www.tspn.org
When a loved one suffers from ANNONYMOUS
Bipolar Disorder
Seeing a doctor is important because when a patient or an authorized family Bipolar disorder is frequently member needs certain documents, only described as a mental illness that a doctor can sign them. For example, “includes sudden mood swings.” That if an authorized family member needs description, however, is far from what to press for a conservatorship to help a person with bipolar disorder goes a person manage their health and through and does little to describe to financial affairs (such as in Britney society what family members go through Spears’s case), only a doctor can sign trying to help a relative with bipolar the legal documents recommending the disorder. need for a conservatorship. Thus, when Bipolar disorder, type 1, is often a crisis occurs and the patient has seen characterized as the most severe bipolar only nurse practitioners, authorized disorder. A person with bipolar disorder, family members must jump through type 1, has had at least one manic even more hoops in order to schedule episode. A manic episode is a period in an appointment with a mental health which a person has high energy; little doctor who does have the patient’s file or no need for sleep for days at a time; but has not been directly involved with extreme hyperactivity, sometimes to the the patient’s routine care. point of not being able to sit still long Similarly, due to the high demand enough to eat; euphoria; an inflated self for mental health care, many mental image; rapid cycling through ideas; and health patients have to participate in rapid, uninterruptable speech. telemedicine programs — even if they They may also become irritable, go to a brick-and-mortar building for delusional, lose touch with reality, mental health care. This telemedicine follow unrealistic plans, be incapable approach is probably not the best of sticking to a plan, spend excessively approach for mental health patients beyond their means (such as purchasing since some patients — especially those a new car or house), experience hyper with paranoia — refuse to participate sexuality, or have problems with because of fears of government or other substance abuse. types of surveillance, so people who These periods can last a few need help walk away from help because weeks or months and may be quickly the right help is not available to them in followed or later followed by periods of person. depression, lack of energy, and lack of Another issue in dealing with ability to do necessary daily tasks. mental health issues is having little For family members, watching to no collaboration between doctors these cycles and trying to get medical or in different specialties. For example, other assistance for their loved one is an someone with mental illness can extremely painful process. sometimes hide the true extent of One issue is that because of the their illness because the extent and high demand for mental health care, frequency of mental health episodes mental health patients often see only and symptoms are not part of one, nurse practitioners instead of doctors. cohesive medical record. The
symptoms are scattered throughout multiple health records at different medical offices. When a person does need mental health medical intervention, immediate help is very hard to come by. When our family member had a mental health episode, her medicine had been changed multiple times in one week trying to get her episode under control. Even though we had her in her doctor’s office and she should have been referred to a hospital, she was not. By the next morning when we called her doctor’s office again, all her doctor’s office would do was refer us to the medicine hotline. We took her to two mental health crisis centers in Johnson City that turned her away because her manic attack was so severe. We ended up sitting in the psychiatric ward of the Johnson City Emergency Room for almost 12 hours with her constantly talking, laughing, and singing before a telemedicine doctor admitted her to WoodRidge where she was so unmanageable that she eventually had to be tranquilized. She stayed there for a week. After that, she needed close supervision for two weeks and was not able to drive for a month, which she constantly fought against. Since this was certainly not the first time that she had a manic episode and since she had required constant family support for years, we finally needed to have the legal authority to stop her from driving, to prevent her from making devastating decisions such as signing her house over to a friend during a manic attack, and to help her with her finances so that she could afford her medicine
and other necessities including housing. At that point, a Power of Attorney could assist her but could not prevent her from making devastating decisions. The only thing that we could do was press for a conservatorship, which means that a person’s legal right to make their own decisions is removed from them in order to protect, or conserve, their physical well-being or finances. Of course, with this legal process, we ran into another common roadblock in mental health cases — family members who enable someone with mental health issues and family members who could not admit that she truly had debilitating mental illness. Although a doctor had signed that she was in need of both a medical and financial conservatorship, which does not happen often, the family members who did not live near and did not have to deal with her daily delusions and life difficulties were going to oppose the conservatorship, which was something that we could not afford to fight. They turned what would have originally been a reasonably expected expense into one that would have cost us 10 times that much. Although there was very good medical evidence and testimony from friends and neighbors, we had to walk away from all the good things that we wanted to do for her.
Page 8 • Mental Health AWARENESS 2019 • October 5/6, 2019
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