Published in the Westchester Guardian, April 2013
May today there be peace within.
May I trust God that I am exactly where I am meant to be.
May I not forget the infinite possibilities that I am born of faith.
May I use these gifts that I have received, and pass on the love that has been given to me.
May I be content knowing that I am a child of God.
Let this presence settle into my bones, and allow my soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.
– St. Therese of Lisieux.
The weather is warm. The sky is clear. The birds are chirping. The bushes are budding. How I hate this season. Every year, the same thing. This quick, drastic change of seasons is very disconcerting. The mind, the brain both seem to be off balance. Nothing is smooth or comfortable. It’s like walking on a sandy beach where every step is uneven, taken with caution. My body rhythms will adjust but it’s unpleasant. (April and May have one of the highest numbers for suicides.) The brightness and warmth just don’t help at first.
The above prayer (changed ‘you’ to ‘I’) is a beacon of hope that is to be reached, but never fully achieved in this life, at least not on a consistent basis. Sometimes the peak is touched, just momentarily and it is beautiful. Every line offers hope and a bit of frustration – sometimes a lot of frustration. And doubt. With my OCD I question – am I Lord where you want me at this moment? Am I at the right place, time, and space; is this where I should be emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually? I must trust I am. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is not called the doubter’s disease for nothing.
The new season brings new thoughts of incompleteness and some old anxieties returning. It seems that thoughts, fears, not around since the fall revisit, trying to create havoc. Things seem out of sync. My miss-wired brain is firing the wrong cylinders at the wrong time. I must remember to keep moving, Reacquaint/familiarize myself with the tenants of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (see March 7, 2012) and try to return to the feelings of comfort, positive affirmations and hope.
Special thanks to Beyond Blue for her inspiration.
A Shout Out of Thanks to the Associated Press.
“It is the right time to address how journalists handle questions of mental illness in (news) coverage.”
– Associated Press, Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll.
The above quote has created no small amount of joy in the fields of mental health. NAMI (National Association on Mental Illness) has reported this as a “seismic shift in the terrain of popular culture”: The reason: the Associated Press (AP) produces a composition style handbook called a Stylebook that is used by the news industry for writing guidelines. It is considered the standard for capitalization, abbreviation, numerals and spelling usage. How they approach a topic can create a ripple effect throughout the industry and even the culture.
The changes are below and those who suffer from mental illness and their families will be receiving slightly fairer treatment in a world still slightly ignorant about our conditions. The following is from AP’s web site:
- The terms mental or psychiatric hospital not asylum should be used.
- Don’t describe events, places, etc. by using mental health terms: “The team’s play was schizophrenic.”
- Trust people with mental illness, whenever possible, to talk about their own diagnoses.
- Unless it is clearly pertinent to a story and the diagnosis is properly sourced, don’t describe an individual with mental illness.
- Stay away from certain terms connoting pity, such as afflicted with, suffer from or victim of. Rather, he has obsessive-compulsive disorder.
- A past history of mental illness is not necessarily a reliable indicator. Studies shown that the vast majority of people with mental illness are not violent and experts say most people who are violent do not suffer from mental illness. Don’t assume that mental illness is a factor in a violent crime, and verify statements to that effect.
- Unless terms such as insane, crazed/crazy, nuts, deranged, etc. are used in a quote and substantial to the report, they should not be used.
- Mental illness is a general condition. Specific disorders are types of mental illness and should be used whenever possible: He was diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to court documents. She was diagnosed with anorexia, according to her parents. He was treated for depression.
- When diagnosis is used, identify the source. Seek firsthand knowledge; ask how the source knows. Don’t rely on hearsay or speculate. A person’s condition can change over time, so a diagnosis of mental illness might not apply anymore. On-the-record sources can be family members, mental health professionals, medical authorities, law enforcement officials and court records. Be sure they have accurate information to make the diagnosis. Provide examples of symptoms.
- Avoid unsubstantiated statements by either witnesses or first responders who attribute violence to mental illness. Without direct knowledge, a first responder often is quoted as saying, that a crime was committed by a person with a “history of mental illness.” Such comments should always be attributed to someone who has knowledge of the person’s history and can authoritatively speak to its relevance to the incident.
- Double-check specific symptoms and diagnoses. Avoid interpreting behavior common to many people as symptoms of mental illness. Sadness, anger, exuberance and the occasional desire to be alone are normal emotions experienced by people who have mental illness as well as those who don’t.
Slowly, small modifications will help change the outlook of the spectrum of diseases that come under the broader headline of mental illness and gradually decreasing the stigma for future generations – we hope and pray.
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Glenn Slaby Blog