I went to Eugene, Oregon in the western United States this weekend to give a talk on mental illness. I told my story and then talked about mental health in general. The turnout was amazing. Over 200 supportive people were in the audience. They listened with such intensity- I could tell how much the subject meant to them.
Family members were the majority of the audience- there is so little help for the family when someone they love has a mental illness. I met the parents of people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. Some of them have children with so many symptoms it’s hard to pinpoint a diagnosis. They asked questions about ECT, caretaking, nutrition, stigma, why hospitals feel like jails for some patients, the role of the family, suicide, the signs of specific illnesses and how to deal with emotions when a child is missing.
How do we live with all of this and still keep our lives functioning? I know that I asked myself this for the year my partner Ivan was so ill in 1994. My life was his illness. I wouldn’t do that now- I have more skills than I did then- but at the time, I did what I had to do to make sure both of us survived. And we both did. I hope that my experience helped the audience this weekend know that there is ALWAYS hope. We do survive mental illnesses on both sides- those of us with the illness and those of us who love people with the illness.
Julie
