with their normal lives. With the occasional depression over
the normal day to day stressful events, or a loss of a friend, family member,
or loved one.These are completely normal reasons for depression.
Fortunately these people don't have a clue what it is like to live everyday
with an illness that controlls the way they feel, think, and react to normal
situations.
Unfortunately the tens of thousands who suffer from a mental ilness,
do not have the luxury of a normal day. It takes alot of strength
to face the fact that they are ill and need to devote themselves to getting
the proper help. Most people suffer from differant types of depression,
which is usually treated with therapy and anti-depressants. Yet an
overwhelming number of people still suffer.
I don't believe there is a cure for mental illness, just treatment. Although
many people may feel relieved with medications and therapy, it is a life
long struggle just like any other chronic health disease and must be
treated the same.
There are several types of mental illness, which I myself suffer from
several, mostly due to inheritance and childhood trauma. For instance
Bi-Polar disorder a very common disorder, that affects your emotions,
the way you handle certain situations, basically mood swings, and deep
depression that can get out of control. Bi-Polar can be treated with
mood stabilzers and anti-psychotics.
I am in control of my bi-polar with the occasional slip ups. I also suffer from
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Agoraphobia,extreme anxiety, panic
attacks,and the most complex disorder of all D.I.D." Dissociative Idenity disorder",
which in the past was called "Multiple Personality Disorder".
Now everyone reading this must think I am really crazy! It is a very hard life
to live, and there has been several times I wanted to give up. I was very
suicidal for a while when I gave up on my treatment. I am very lucky to be alive
to talk about it, and be here for my husband and children, after coming so close
to death, I was determined to get the help I needed and stop living in denial.
It was time to face my problems and get my chilhood abusers out of my life.
My father molested me, beat me from a very young age until I was about 14,
he also molested my friends.We were terrified of him. All I wanted to do was forget,
and that is what I did, I told myself it didn't happen, over and over. Then I moved in
with my mother, and did the typical teenage rebellion. I stayed in trouble alot, fought
alot,I was a very angry kid, because nobody protected me. When I was 16 I had a baby
girl, she saved my life.
Facing mental illness and all that comes with it, I have been a very good mother to
my children. I do have regret's, and I can't remember very well due to the D.I.D. My personalities
do alter, and most of the time I have no recollection of what I did or said, movies I watched,
and much more.The alters are never the same, there are too many to keep tract of all of them. My
family has learned about the disorder and recognizing when I am switching.They are great, and
support me 100%..It may take years of therapy to overcome D.I.D.
As far as the rest of the mental illness, one day at a time, and I am learning to live with it.
Robin Gatlin
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Comments: 17
You mention that tens of thousands of people live with mental illness. The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, however, puts that number at closer to 3 million. Factor in the friends, family, and co-workers of those people, and almost *everyone* in America is affected by mental illness in some fashion.
Hopefully one day the stigma and common misperceptions about mental illness will lose their hold and we can talk openly about mental illness in a safe, caring, and supportive way with those who are close to us (and those who aren't) without fear.
Thank you for sharing your story and adding your unique voice to the larger song that is being sung here on Gather.
I only wish that parents would raise their kids to think and care about people. It is when they raise them up allowing them to be cruel when this grows it leads to a real problem. My parents raised me to love animals and to feel for them. Through the years I have learned to use this empathy I used to have for just animals to turn towards people. My parents taught me this also but it is very hard for a person with asperger to have empathy for others. I have it because I am so overwhelmed by God's love that I have to pass off the overflow to others. This is what makes me different from many people.
That doesn't give them the right to backlash others who are "different", because pretty much everyone has things that make them different; it is what makes us unique. If only they were taught to look at others in the shoe being on the othe foot so to speak. Thinking about how it would be if you were in their shoes basically.
I recommend that anyone who just judges people based on what you have heard or seen please watch the movie "I Am Sam" I think it will give you that empathy for others that some seem to not have. Once you see someone's life from their point of view almost as peering through to their soul, only then can you truly know how it was which is still limited. This is why I love to hear other people's stories. Only when I hear it from them, can I have an understanding of how it must have been.
Also one of the great things about being a Christian is because even the "thorns" in our lives have a purpose. That purpose is to humble us and draw us closer to God. Now some mental conditions come from being so overwhelmed with this World and all the depression and pain it causes that they lock themself off from the world. This is such a shame, because they could be happy and at peace if they only knew of the Love of God and His Word. It makes me want to reach out to these people who have basically been walled off from society due to the many evils in this world.
I find it amazing that we are growing to understand how truly dangerous to our health depression and anxiety can be. When scripture all along has been saying that be anxious for nothing, but in everything give thanks and pray to God. If only people would just read God's word and see the truth. All psychology and other sciences apart from the bible just distort the picture and give pseudo solutions to a truly heart and soul problem.
I am not saying they aren't helpful, but I am saying that they are destructive and dangerous apart from God's word. They very foundational laws of the universe came about through reading God's word. Isaac Newton is a prime example of this. There are so very few Christian psychologists, because the emphasis of psychology is "Self-esteem" which they claim to be the solution to pretty much all problems. They don't even truly understand the effects of most of the drugs they give out. They just know it gives the desired effect that they want. Long term circumstances show later how truly dangerous some of these drugs can be. I wish proper research would be done, before they make a drug public, but then again the Love of money is the root of all Evil.
Well I could go on, but I have said more than enough. Glad to see you are becoming more peaceful and happy Robin. I hope that you can find the peace that surpasses all understanding that comes from God. I will tell you that even psychologist say there is no "magic Pill" so truly they have no solution, but the Bible does please consider this.
NWJ keep up the good work and God bless (+=-)
As a healer i have noticed that healthy people also do same but literally throw away all those with its side effects (they believe atleast this!)! But some time they also have to face and they face in different conditions! Some time sensitivity and understanding both help the patient to come out because it is providing a circular way so centralised problem harrasses, but at the same time other relations and persons and loving sensitivity towards them helps the person to get out of such illness!
I apreciate your expressive languege and the frank truth behind that! I really like that you have mentioned such things which could be helpful to healers also! I mostly believe that all kind of illness is created by us inignorence if we find light then it is over!
keep it together. Keep it up and know that there are far more people with these problems than let on. I do readings and I know how these things can compound
your thinking and every waking moment. Don't doubt yourself and be proud of yourself. YOU deserve it. Take care
I think asperger goes under social disorder not mental, but then again it is a damage of the social area of the brain hmm, then again the cause is unknown as in Autism.
Oh and I looked up Bi-polar, so I now understand how truly hard it must be for you. I will keep you in my prayers Robin. I am sure you can't wait till God gives us new bodies that are PERFECT we won't be even "normal". I know that I really can't stand this flesh, just to be rid of it would lift a huge weigh off my shoulders; this must be 100x fold for you.
Coming up soon, I will make an article called: Superhuman ^_^ hope you all enjoy it, Randy describes much of what I will be talking about on his site.
http://www.epm.org/randysbio.html
I really want to read his book Deadline be sure to read the responses they will make you cry and cheer. They are truly heart felt, I especially felt the ones from victims of Katrina. How awesome would it be if he ever gets it on the big screen can you say "REVIVAL" ^_^.
NWJ Keep up the wonderful work Robin, (+=-)
may you and others find solace with the
Congregation of the Church of the Mortally Wounded.
mortallywounded.gather.com
My biggest gripe is that insurance (if anyone is lucky enough to have it) will only pay fifty percent on mental illness of what it pays for normal illnesses. This really puts a hardship on anyone suffering with this disorder.
I thought for years I was crazy. (Well, you know???)
It is so wonderful to be able to come to a place like Gather and read of so many others who have suffered similar things. And to share so much compassion with so many.