…. or help a friend share their story!
The Helping Families In Mental Health Crisis Act/HR 3717, fixes the nation’s broken mental health system by focusing programs and resources on psychiatric care for patients and families most in need of services. Your personal stories matter and do make a difference!
To share your thoughts on mental health reform or share a personal story with the bill's sponsor, Congressman Tim Murphy, please contact:
https://murphy.house.gov/contact-me
Below is one brave Mother's letter to Rep Murphy. Many families across the US echo her frustration.
I encourage you to also share your story with to Rep. Tim Murphy in Congress.
In a recent speech presented by advocate Liza Long, she explains -- why we need to speak out.
Liza said, "UNTIL WE PUT OUR NAMES ON THESE STORIES, THIS ISN'T REAL".
We must own our stories and our sorrows.
______________________________________________
Congressman Murphy,
I would first like to express my thankfulness for your concern for the severely mentally Ill, secondly I would like to say...there are many mentally ill people that do not require medication just as there are borderline diabetics that do not require insulin.
A severely mentally ill person without medication lives in a walking coma. I am not going to tell you stories about what I live through... I'm going to tell you my son became sick at 18 and I know the difference when he is on medication.
When he is on medication the Drs do not tell me to take him to the homeless shelters or to file a restraining order. I'm not told by Drs in private practice that they will not see him because he is not in their scope of practice.
When he is on medication he has a life he has quality friends he showers and makes plans for the future and to attend school. I known you can not make my son medication compliant. But you can help with requiring longer care in hospitals. Which will encourage medication compliance.
Many of these severely mentally ill end up untreated and in jail. I'm not talking about depression, I'm talking about an illness where the mind literally cannot function, it can not process logical information.
This is not like depression where the person understands they need help, feel sad and needs someone to talk to. Drs and the courts need to understand that there is a small percent of the population the has a greater mental illness than typical depression or bipolar.
Why as parents are we left having to make a choice between our own life and make our young ill adult children homeless (many not yet able to drink or vote) or filing a restraining order?When all they really need is a facility that will help with long term medication compliance. We live in a society that the court requires drug abusers and alcoholics to get better treatment than the severely mentally Ill. Medication is the only thing that works for this small group with this type of illness. Does anyone really want to give their adult child medication that causes such negative side affects? We do it because we value their life and want them to have some quality of life.
Ida, a Mother who lives with daily crises in Kentucky
Please contact your Rep in Congress and ask them to co-sponsor Rep. Murphy's HB 3717/Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act.
