Liza Long - "Mental illness is not a choice. But hope is."

Powerful words written today by The Anarchist Soccer Mom and author of The Price of Silence: A Mom's Perspective on Mental Illness  

All across the US, we are at a loss for words, as we share the sad news of our friend and Tb4T advocate Laura Pogliano's son tragic passing. ‪Liza has helped us find the right words. WORDS do matter. Many times wishful thinking to decrease stigma, actually discrimaintes against those who need help the most.

‪#‎worldmournszac‬ ‪

My heart hurts today. My friend Laura Pogliano has lost her 22-year old son Zac, who had paranoid schizophrenia. Both Laura and Zac were tireless and passionate advocates for ending the stigma of mental illness. Their story was featured in USA Today's "Cost of Not Caring" series, where Laura described herself as a "fortunate" mother--fortunate because despite personal bankruptcy, she had been able to obtain treatment that seemed to be working for her son. This tragic turn reminds all of us mothers just how fragile life is for our children who have serious mental illness. As a parent of a child with bipolar disorder, my worst nightmare is what happened to Laura and her son.

There's a popular quote floating around mental health advocacy circles: "Mental illness is not a choice. But recovery is." I know people will disagree with me, but today, I'm tired of that sentiment, and I wish we would retire the word "recovery." When local and national mental health policy is shaped by high-functioning consumers who have been able to manage their illnesses rather than by the sickest patients and their families, it's the equivalent of only allowing stage 1 cancer survivors to drive the narrative and take most of the funds. While their courage is admirable and their struggles are genuine, too often, we lose sight of those who are suffering the most. They become invisible to us, marginalized on the streets or in prison. Or they die young, like Zac.

I wish we would stop talking about recovery and replace it with a more useful, less stigmatizing word: hope.

Here are five reasons I wish we would stop using the word "recovery" for serious mental illness. 






Read Liza's 5 reasons here: 

http://anarchistsoccermom.blogspot.com/2015/01/5-reasons-i-wish-we-would-stop-talking.html?m=1