Another Mom speaks out -- 'saturation point'!

Yet another mother has finally reached her saturation point.  I must speak up.

Karen Easter, winner of the 2012 TORREY ADVOCACY Award

Today I read yet another opinion letter on the evil, sinister, demon-filled Connecticut shooter.  The writer laments, “Let's be reasonable. Guns aren't the problem and never have been. The problem is the hearts of men.”  

To the writer, I would say this:

Second, serious mental illnesses are biologically based brain disorders, not heart problems.  

Third, it is opinions such as yours that perpetuate the stigma that human beings with serious and persistent mental illnesses are evil, sinister, demon-filled, horrible monsters. 

Now although I do believe evil exists in this world, I do not believe it is evil to be seriously mentally ill without opportunity or access to timely treatment. 

In fact, I believe the word evil better describes how our society has literally and intentionally turned our backs on the weakest of the weak and the sickest of the sick.  

It’s all in how you look at things. 

You see EVIL; I see LIVE.  

All human beings have a right to:

LIVE a life without delusions and hallucinations,

LIVE a life free of incarcerations for safety's sake,

LIVE in a real home, not under a bridge,

LIVE a life without constant hunger pangs,

LIVE a life connected to families and friends.

Read more here: http://aot4tn.blogspot.com/2012/12/its-all-in-how-you-look-at-things.html


or read TAC's review here:
http://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/about-us/our-blog/123-tn/2221-qyet-another-mother-has-finally-reached-her-saturation-pointq-personally-speaking

Reprinted with permission from: http://aot4tn.blogspot.com/

Mental Health Services Erode As States Slash Budgets

(Repeats story moved Dec 29 without changes to headline or text)
 

* State mental health budgets slashed since 2009
* 11 mln mentally ill report 'unmet need' for care
* 'Cycling through the system' 
 
By Sharon Begley 
 
NEW YORK, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Lori, a 39-year-old mother in New Jersey, would like to save for the usual things: college, retirement, vacations. But those goals are far down her wish list. For now, she and her husband are putting aside money for a home alarm system. They're not worried about keeping burglars out. They need to keep their son in. 
 
Mike, 7, began seeing a psychiatrist in 2009, after one pre-school kicked him out for being "difficult" and teachers at the public school he later attended were worried about his obsessive thoughts and extreme anxiety. He was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder. 
 
As she keeps trying to get help for him, "I am learning firsthand how broken the system is when dealing with mental illness," said Lori. (Surnames of patients and their families have been withheld to protect their privacy.)
"We fight with doctors, our insurance company, educators, each other; the list goes on and on ... It isn't even a system. It's not like there's a call center to help you figure out what to do and how to get help."  Read more here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/31/mental-health-services-erode-state-budgets_n_2387413.html

It should be against the law that family members are forced to turn to the criminal justice system, due to the failure of the mental health system, when our loved ones become too ill to know they need help. Please read the entire article for a deeper understanding of the seriousness of 'criminalizing the mentally ill' -- GG Burns, KY mental health advocate