There’s a cause for every month of the year and in May, among other things, it’s Mental Health Awareness Month. What does that mean, “Mental Health Awareness”, is it just another bandwagon for celebs and those afflicted to jump on? Is it a real issue that is deserves a whole month for awareness? With so many things going on across the country, in the world, why in tarnation do we need a month for reminding each other about this issue too? There are people eating dirt in Haiti, there are genocides raging in Africa, people are suffering in Nepal, what the fuck, a month for mental health awareness? Okay, you’ve heard this one before, but according to The Center for Disease Control, 1 in 4 Americans are suffering from a long-term, chronic mental illness; even more shocking, 1 in every 2 Americans will experience a serious bout of mental illness in their adult lifetime. One in every two people, that’s 50% pf the nation will have mental health problems. Okay, so it’s epidemic, so what…a whole month to tell people about it, do we really need to waste the beautiful month of May talking about something so, well, so depressing? Well yes and no, I suppose it the truth. We do need to spend this much time getting people to think about this issue because, quite frankly, it’s terrifying subject to consider. But no, it doesn’t have to be a month spent talking about something depressing…because, well, Mental Health, in itself, is not a depressing subject. Depression, by virtue of the definition, is simple ONE TYPE of mental health issue, but there’s a whole lot more and it doesn’t have to be depressing or even serious, really…but it needs to be done each year, until the time comes when Mental Health is not an issue, simply another practice of medicine and wellness.
There are many different types of medical practice, we can all agree upon this fact, there are specialist who deal with everything from toenails to brain tumors; we all are in the general habit of taking care of our bodies, we get check-ups and go to the dentist when we need to…even when we have an uncontrolled medical emergency, like a heart attack, there are doctors who specialize in helping us heal and mend, get better and take better care of ourselves. We have a Breast Cancer Awareness month, right and do you know why? Because it reached epidemic levels and all of it could be better controlled and even prevented if women were not so afraid to get a mammogram. But that is scary shit, I know, going to an oncologist to find out if you have cancer or not is terrifying. But, you know this too, the sooner it is identified and treated, the better the chance for a full recovery. This is why we need a month to discuss the topic of Mental Health, there are too many people terrified to find out what might be wrong with them, face it; Most people would rather face major root canal work from a one-eyed dentist than go see a mental health professional! Why is this? Name the three most important organs of your body and if you’re logical, you’ll agree that the brain, the organ which controls everything, is without a doubt one of those three most important organs (and if you don’t agree, then for sure, get help)! Okay, if your heart has a problem, you rush to the cardiologist, if your leg is broken, the orthopedic doctors help you…but what if it’s your mind? If something is not right, if you find yourself feeling depressed, unable to achieve happiness, having uncontrolled fits of rage, feeling paranoid, not able to sleep well, or perhaps sleeping far too much…or any number of other symptoms, don’t you think it’s worth having it checked out, if only to rule out mental health issues? Mental Health, for that matter, can contribute to the well being of your other vital functions without you even being aware of this; that nagging lower back problem might, indeed, be in your head!
Here’s the thing…this is a crazy, fucked-up world full of problems that bombard us on both a social and personal level everyday. Work is tough, it’s stressful and causes complex issues if it’s not addressed; relationships are confusing, difficult and heartbreaking…so if you need a little first aid in getting by, there’s no shame in that; if anything, it shows a sense of confidence and intelligence. Some people believe it’s about venting, unloading your feelings to a mental health professional, but that’s only a small part of mental wellness. You can do that with your spiritual guidance mentor or your friends over a few brews, right? They will listen, it might help for a while but when you realize it’s a pattern, when you discover you’re bitching about the same things over and over, perhaps trying a different avenue for help might make sense. You could also benefit from a simple blood test too, checking the levels of serotine, endorphins and other brain chemicals requires virtually no talking about your personal history (get your thyroid checked out too, it creates mental health issues if unbalanced). The type of therapy most people imagine, the kind of thing where you lay on a sofa spilling your guts about your childhood to some doctor taking notes and nodding is, frankly, a stereotype. Sigmund Freud, for as much as he contributed to the study of psychology, has done more damage than good ultimately. It might be about your mother, but chances are that doesn’t really matter now. It could be your lack of self-confidence because daddy didn’t give you the right kind of “Atta Boy!”, but fuck that, what about RIGHT NOW, right? That’s what many professionals focus on these days; not the family systems or Freudian roots of mental health issues, but how to cope, manage and, eventually minimize or even eliminate the symptoms of mental illness. This is done with a careful combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBT) or Dialectical Behavioral Therapies (DBT), developing life-style and self-coping skills and, when needed, medication.
There is a very prevalent, very obvious symptom of mental illness that almost every person is aware of and that’s the illness of addiction. This includes, of course substance and alcohol addiction, but also other addictive personality disorders. I bet you have a few of those yourself, don’t you? It’s not a bad thing, everyone has a vice or special something that gives them pleasure and for the most part, for most of us, it’s basically harmless when experienced in moderation. When it has an impact on other parts of your life, that’s when you’re in dangerous territory. Addiction is a tricky issue, however, because aside from being an illness in itself, it’s also a symptom of other mental health issues. People who are, for example, BiPolar (like me) have sometimes tried to “self-medicate” with drugs or alcohol. I know that when I drank myself into a stupor, thirty years ago before I got help, I was drinking so the voices in my head, the racing thoughts, they would stop long enough for me to get some fucking sleep. I knew that marijuana helped with my anxious feelings, but when the pain of losing a child struck, there isn’t a substance on Earth to numb that pain. The point of the matter is, sometimes people who over indulge are doing so because of something else they feel inside. Drinking, drugs, they can take it away for a while, but in the morning, the problems are still there so it’s only logical to try another approach to fix yourself, right? That’s what Mental Health Awareness month is about; take a look at yourself, a very close, honest and intimate look at your life and where you are then ask yourself; am I really alright? Ask yourself, are you comfortable and at peace, are you feeling loved, are you loving anyone? Think about happiness, not the happy ever after happiness, but the content and serene feeling of knowing who you are, where your life is going and you trust yourself to follow the right directions, do the right things, be the right person…to you. If you can honestly and truthfully tell me you have reached this state of well being…either you are a Buddhist monk, or you don’t understand what I mean at all, or you’re a liar or you’re someone who practices the art and science of mental well being every day.
For the month of May, each day…no matter where I might be, what I might be doing, how I might feeling…I am pledging to post a short video with helpful hints, tips or just observations about mental health issues EVERY DAY…starting tomorrow (Friday, 1 May 2015) and through the thirty one day continuum of time that comprises this long final month of Spring…I am going to give a little every single day and with a little bit of luck I’ll be able to get one or two people to do something good for themselves (or those they love) and I encourage you too…do the same thing, or something completely different, it doesn’t matter…just doing something makes a difference!
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| www.dphilipchalmers.net |
Lastly, although the “World BiPolar Day 50% Off” sale is over, I do want to encourage you to order the book from my website (www.dphilipchalmers.net) during MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS month and get $10 off the list price plus a special funky little gift or two from me and mine! As always, I am most Grateful for your time and interest…please take good care, be well and stay safe!
Peace,
d’Philip
The San Joaquin Valley
Republic of California
Earth
