R is for Reality

I took an ethics class in college and still remember that first day when the teacher wrote: "Ninety percent of what we see lies behind our eyes.  How we perceive the world determines the way we react to it."  on chalkboard.  That makes sense and seems really obvious.  However, way back then when I was in college I hadn't really thought about that before.  There is no one reality.  We all have different perceptions.  I think we spend a lot of time trying to alter perception whether it be by debate, drugs, brain washing, hypnosis, reading, television, super interesting blogs, math, or education in general. 

A mental illness is a psychiatric disorder that results in a disruption in a person's thinking, feeling, moods, and ability to relate to others word IQ.com

Statistics About Mental Illness:


According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in every 4 people, or 25% per cent of individuals, develops one or more mental disorders at some stage in life.

Mental illnesses are more common than cancer, diabetes, or heart disease.

Mental disorders can now be diagnosed reliably and accurately as the most common physical disorders; some can be prevented, all can be successfully managed and treated.

Treatment works. Yet, as many as two-thirds of all people with a diagnosable mental disorder do not seek treatment, whether for fear of being stigmatized, fear that the treatment may be worse than the illness itself, or lack of awareness, access and affordability of care.

Mental illness is a serious public health challenge that is under-recognized as a public burden. The toll of mental illness is tragic: http://www.myasha.org/node/12

No one wants to be mentally ill.  We want to believe what we perceive is true and we defend that truth.  In an argument other people can be so irritating and blind, right?  Think of all the religious and political debates we have with our friends and relatives.  We want to be right.  We want to win the argument.  They are wrong I am right.

Ten years ago I was feeling pretty good.  I was in good shape and just earned my black belt. I felt in charge of my life.  Our three kids were young and very involved with extra-curricular activities.  I won't go into the details, although it is a pretty interesting story involving a sparkly green dress, but I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.  Not something I wanted to hear.  Not something I believed at first.  I was right and everyone else was wrong.  I resisted and was in the hospital for a couple weeks.  (Now that's something to write about.)  I realized my thinking was off when the medication kicked in.  They told me this condition was treatable.  Basically they needed to play around with my brain chemistry until something worked right.  Lucky for me, I have a doctor that I get along with and medication that works.  I've had some ups and downs since then, but nothing major.  I take my medicine.

Not everyone is as fortunate.  And there is this law out there that states if a person is 18 years old and older they cannot be hospitalized against their will unless they are a danger to themselves or others.  I understand why we have a law like that, but it really gets in the way of treatment sometimes.  Families feel helpless.  They know their loved one is sick, possibly getting themselves in huge debt, but there isn't anything they can do about it.  They pretty much have to sit back and watch them destroy their lives because they don't think there is anything wrong with them.

One book that was a huge help to me was "Taming Bipolar Disorder" by Lori Oliwenstein.  She wrote that book in honor of her father.  It's a great book for becoming more informed about the disorder and there are many other resources noted including websites.