William Cowper was a popular hymn writer and poet .  He lived from 1731-1800.  Cowper had numerous attacks of mental illness and tried to commit suicide, using various methods.  His poem, "The Castaway" speaks of a shipwrecked individual who drowned in the cold, stormy ocean while his friends tried to rescue him in vain.  Cowper says, "But I beneath a rougher sea, and whelmed in deeper gulfs than he." This refers to his struggle with mental illness and an obsessive fear of eternal damnation.

The Castaway

BY WILLIAM COWPER

Obscurest night involv'd the sky,

         Th' Atlantic billows roar'd,

When such a destin'd wretch as I,

         Wash'd headlong from on board,

Of friends, of hope, of all bereft,

His floating home for ever left.

No braver chief could Albion boast

         Than he with whom he went,

Nor ever ship left Albion's coast,

         With warmer wishes sent.

He lov'd them both, but both in vain,

Nor him beheld, nor her again.

Not long beneath the whelming brine,

         Expert to swim, he lay;

Nor soon he felt his strength decline,

         Or courage die away;

But wag'd with death a lasting strife,

Supported by despair of life.

He shouted: nor his friends had fail'd

         To check the vessel's course,

But so the furious blast prevail'd,

         That, pitiless perforce,

They left their outcast mate behind,

And scudded still before the wind.

Some succour yet they could afford;

         And, such as storms allow,

The cask, the coop, the floated cord,

         Delay'd not to bestow.

But he (they knew) nor ship, nor shore,

Whate'er they gave, should visit more.

Nor, cruel as it seem'd, could he

         Their haste himself condemn,

Aware that flight, in such a sea,

         Alone could rescue them;

Yet bitter felt it still to die

Deserted, and his friends so nigh.

He long survives, who lives an hour

         In ocean, self-upheld;

And so long he, with unspent pow'r,

         His destiny repell'd;

And ever, as the minutes flew,

Entreated help, or cried—Adieu!

At length, his transient respite past,

         His comrades, who before

Had heard his voice in ev'ry blast,

         Could catch the sound no more.

For then, by toil subdued, he drank

The stifling wave, and then he sank.

No poet wept him: but the page

         Of narrative sincere;

That tells his name, his worth, his age,

         Is wet with Anson's tear.

And tears by bards or heroes shed

Alike immortalize the dead.

I therefore purpose not, or dream,

         Descanting on his fate,

To give the melancholy theme

         A more enduring date:

But misery still delights to trace

   Its semblance in another's case.

No voice divine the storm allay'd,

         No light propitious shone;

When, snatch'd from all effectual aid,

         We perish'd, each alone:

But I beneath a rougher sea,

And whelm'd in deeper gulfs than he.

THE IMPACT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS

Psalms 139:23 “ Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:”

     On the official website for the New England Psychologist --- nePsy.com, the impact of mental illness as opposed to physical illness is discussed:

Approximately one-third of sick days are caused by psychological disorders, according to a survey sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health.

The survey of more than 9,000 adults was based on the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication and measured sick days for chronic conditions. Adults with mental disorders - including depression and anxiety - miss 1.3 billion days of work, school or other activities every year, more than back and neck pain, which caused 1.2 billion days per year, according to the survey. Americans report 3.7 billion sick days a year because of chronic conditions such as cancer, vision loss and heart attacks.

The study was also unique because it took a comparative perspective of physical disorders and psychological disorders, he says. "It was a surprise to see how enormous (the number of sick days) was for mental health disorders." The fact that one out of every three days is because of a mental disorder is "extraordinary," he says … .

That number is particularly noteworthy if one analyzes another factor. "If I look at how much money is given on research to cancer or heart disease or diabetes, obviously the allocation of resources to tackle these problems are way out of kilter with the magnitude of these problems," Kessler says. "Mental health disorder is not getting the attention it deserves."

That is not only true for research, but also true for treatment. "When we look at some other work we've done on patterns of treatment for mental and physical disorders, we find that, in general, people are more likely to get treatment for a physical than a mental health problem for comparable severity," he says.

"There are two reasons," Kessler continues. "One is that people don't very often code emotional distress as an illness." He notes that one of the lowest rates of treatment is for social phobia or anxiety. "People say, 'I'm shy … it's not an illness.'" Public perception is a factor. "People say, you 'have' a heart attack, but you 'are' mentally ill," Kessler adds… .  Of the 1.3 billion sick days for mental health disorders, depression topped the list with 387 million. Social phobia accounted for 214 million; posttraumatic stress disorder, 113 million; generalized anxiety disorder, 110 million; and bipolar disorder and panic disorders were each just over 100 million. Other issues included substance abuse, agoraphobia and separation anxiety disorder.

Physical conditions that resulted in sick days included arthritis (375 million), stroke (221 million), heart attack (204 million) and cancer (71.5 million).

Public awareness of mental health conditions is rising, Kessler says, but still, there is a misallocation of attention and funds in medicine in general. "It's not just mental disorders. If you look at the amount of research money available for childhood cancer, it's staggering in relation to the number of kids who have cancer," he says. "The reason is, it's just a compelling thing."

Physical conditions that resulted in sick days included arthritis (375 million), stroke (221 million), heart attack (204 million) and cancer (71.5 million).

Public awareness of mental health conditions is rising, Kessler says, but still, there is a misallocation of attention and funds in medicine in general. "It's not just mental disorders. If you look at the amount of research money available for childhood cancer, it's staggering in relation to the number of kids who have cancer," he says. "The reason is, it's just a compelling thing…"

" I know there are an awful lot of people with mental disorders who are suffering and are not in treatment compared to people with less severe physical disorders who are getting treatment." The allocation needs to be changed, "to make society as a whole function better," he says.”  http://www.masspsy.com/leading/0801_ne_disorders.html Job talks about mental anguish in Job 15:24 --“Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.”  We need to lobby for better treatment for the mentally ill.  Do you know someone who is struggling with depression or mental illness?  Extend a hand of friendship to them.

COMING TO NEW BRUNSWICK: COMMUNITY TREATMENT ORDERS?

          Community Treatment Orders or CTO’s have been instituted in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, British Columbia, and Ontario and there is a movement afoot to bring them to New Brunswick.  Internationally, CTO’s are law in 41 states of the U.S., in Austrailia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.  The goal of CTO’s are to provide seriously ill mental health consumers with a less restrictive treatment than being detained in a hospital or held in the legal system.  The patient is treated in their home

and is followed by a mental health professionals.

THE CRITERIA

    The criteria for patients being put on CTO’s is the following:

1.      a prior history of hospitalization

2.      a CTO plan is in place

3.      the patient has seen a doctor within the last 72 hours of a CTO

4.      the patient’s ability to comply

5.      consultation with the patient or the patient’s decision maker

6.      consent to have a CTO

BENEFITS AND WARNINGS

     An interesting article on “Community Treatment Orders: International Comparisons” by John Dawson at Otago University in New Zealand comments that there are, “… significant therapeutic benefits for the patients; greater compliance with outpatient treatment, especially medication; and reduced rates of hospital admissions.”  However, the same study points out that, “CommTO’s are strongly linked to the use of depot (or inject able) medication, which is disliked by many patients, and patients commonly complain that their treatment is dominated by the use of medication, with little access to other therapies.  CommTO’s tend to be issued for the maximum period permitted by law and discharge is likely to occur shortly before an independent review hearing would be held.  When the patient’s treatment is proceeding satisfactorily, clinicians seem to have a strong preference for maintaining the status quo, so discharge from the order may not be easy for patients to obtain.”

     In Canada, most CTO’s are issued for six months at a time.  Theoretically, they can be rescinded by one of three conditions: 1. by the doctor at the request of the patient or her decision maker 2. non-compliance of the patient or 3. the withdrawal of consent of the patient or the patient’s decision maker.

     Although there are benefits to CTO’s, John Dawson warns that, “Clinicians should avoid assuming that all patients on CommTO’s must be administered medication by injection.  CommTO’s should not be over-used for patients with affective (mood) disorders, for whom their efficacy is uncertain, and whose capacity to consent may swiftly return after their initial treatment.  Nor should CommTO’s be over-used when there is extreme pressure on hospital beds.”  CTO’s have been found most effective in those patients who have psychotic disorders.

     CTO’s may provide a good alternative to jail or psychiatric hospitals in New Brunswick.  However, the cautions put forth by New Zealand’s experience should be kept in mind.

THE MISSING ARGUMENT

            Many psychiatric survivors complain that the psychologist, psychiarist, or social worker they see is distant, cold, and condescending .  This “professional distance” has its origins in the universities that train these professionals and the text books that they study.  The “missing argument” was discussed at length with social work professor and consumer/survivor advocate, Nere St. Amand, of the Univeristy of Ottawa.

Interviewer :   “ To what extent are universities and higher education responsible in forming and training people to become distant, condescending professionals?”

Nere:  “I guess one of the problems is that people who have psychiatric problems are not part of the                               training.  You have the expertise in terms of living experience and we have expertise in terms of the books and there is not necessarily any link between the two.  Univerities train by the books.  What people have is personl life stories.  We try to fit one into the other. So I think that it is a big problem.”

Interviewer:  “How are training programs or curriculums for social work or other professionals prepared?”

Nere: “Well they are prepared by professionals and by academic people, respecting certain criteria -             the number of credits or field placements – it's all bureaucracy.  They are not prepared by people who  have experienced the problems generally.  Sometimes yes, but in most of the cases no. So they are prepared in isolation.”

Interviewer:  “So who writes the text books?”

Nere: “  Textbooks are written by so called experts who do research, and then they publish their research. “

Interviewer:  “Do these people have clinical experience?”

Nere: “They might have clinical experience or personal experience, but generally to write a text it's people that do research and not people who have hands on experience.  All of us write case work

or group work or community work for courses and curriculums. Sometimes we have our own ideas, but not necessarily experience in these fields.”

Interviewer:  “Could there be a better approach?”

Nere: “Well definitely there could be many ways where people would be involved.  People who have had some  direct experience with the problem could be involved.  That would be one thing. There could be something that is less formal or less 'fixed in cement'. .. There could be dialogue between people who have experience, people who do research, and people who teach for example.  But we don't see that very much, because we are stuck in an ivory tower doing what we think is good and then when we are confronted with reality we see that it doesn't jive together.”

Interviewer: “Would it help to do a survey of mental health consumers main disappointments with therapy as we know it today?”

Nere: “Well sometimes there are surveys that are done ... If it's a professional he will do the survey in a way that will fill in his or her questions.  If it's someone who has questions about psychiatry that does the survey this person will question psychiatry, but generally it (psychiatry) is not questioned.”

Interviewer:  “Are therapists trained to use a one size-fits-all approach to therapy or are they trained to use different modalities with different kinds of problems?  For instance Reality Therapy is a popular modality these days, but it may not be appropriate for certain clients who are already acting responsibly.”

Nere: “Some people will like Reality Therapy and will use it everywhere and some like short term therapy and they will use it everywhere.  Some other people are experts in aversion theapy or hypnosis.

We are very, very limited people.  We are limited by our training, our experience, and by our own character.”

Interviewer: “Do you think that not much is known about the brain right now, even in university training programs?”

Nere: “Definitely the brain is a mystery.  I mean we have done a little study of how the brain works, but it has been done only at the intellectual level, not at the other levels of the brain like spirituality, or relationship with the soul.  Not one textbook will talk about that.  That's part of the brain; it's part of the being.  Who will talk to you about your basic values about life?  We are so limited with the knowledge that we have.”

Interviewer: “ How often do you think that therapists (psychiatrists included) lie to their patients about the medications side effects or shock therapy?  Do they teach deception of the patient in their university training?”

Nere: “If my convictions are for shock therapy I will use shock therapy and I will see the benefits of shock therapy and I will convince others about the benefits and I will refer to some studies that have been done outlining the postive effects of shock therapy.  But I personally believe that it is a crude, cruel way of treatment (if that is still a word) to help people.  Psychiatrists don't have much to treat people they have only a few options and one of these options is shock ...  That's what we do all the time is impose our treatments our ways of seeing things.”

Interviewer: “  A psychologist told me once that if we told the patients the side effects of the medication the patients would refuse to take them.  Is this attitude part of the university training?

Nere: “They are trained to minimize the side effects and sometimes they don't even know because there

are so many pills on the market.  I find pharmacists are better informed about the side effects than psychiatrists or doctors. Pharmacists are more impartial. If you go to a pharmacist will go into his book and take the time to tell you.  But the psychiatrist will not many times will do that.  He just wants to put you back 'in business' and he wants you out of his office. He wants his fees.  That's the  way it's done.

'As long as I have my fees go home and I hope you won't complain too much.  And if you do complain well come back next time and we'll revise your medication'.  They (psychiatrists) play God  or they play different games with the people.”

Interviewer:  “Often therapists in the mental health profession who counsel and run psychiatric hospitals treat their mental health clients as if they are “bad children”.  Do you think that this attitude is fostered in schools that teach psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers?

Nere: “Yes, people are considered as 'problems' they are not considered as people.  That's the general rule of therapy of these schools – medicine is the same.  The therapies coming from the Eastern world

will say the opposite.  They will say, 'You are a resource;  you are a person and you are going to heal yourself.'   Therapies coming from the West will say that ' you are a problem or a multiproblem and I am going to treat you'.  It's kind of the opposite.”

Interviewer: “Do you think that academic institutions teaching potential counselors really understand the personal pain, poverty, and social dislocation that mental illness causes?”

Nere: “They are too distant.  They are very distant from poverty.”

Interviewer: “I read in a book that mental illness is more painful than cancer.  Do you agree? ”

Nere: “Oh, yes,  I think that there is much more pain in mental illnesses.  Cancer at least is defined.

It depends how you look at it, but there are possibilites of treatment, but mental illness you're thrown around by everyone in every direction and there's not that many people to help you.  There's not that many institutions, professionals, or even general people to help you, because we are not very compassionate.”

Interviewer: “This lack of compassion .... is it taught in the universities?”

Nere: “Yes, definitely, they encourage distance.”

Interviewer: “Why?”

Nere: “Well, for example they will not recommend touching someone, or to hug someone, or to be close, or be friends.  You are not supposed to bring your problems home, so that you will not be affected by the problems that you deal with.  If you don't feel good and I hug you ...  it can end up a love affair or a sexual affair and it's abuse.  That's how it's presented ...  Because of that possibility we are taught to be distant, and not to mix with, or get involved with,  not to get too close ..  to keep our distance.”

Interviewer: “What do you see the future bringing in the development of psychiatric professionals? Do you think that pressure from mental health consumer/survivors is going to impact the face of psychiatry, pschology, and social work to make it a kinder, gentler profession, more sensitive to the needs of those who suffer from mental illness?”

Nere: “The professions are definitely changing. They've been changing for a little while, since 1970 mental institutions for example they have had to change drastically.  They have had to open their doors; or they have had to close their doors totally... A lot of people are now interested in alternative ways of therapy.  That is putting pressure on professionals. It's a good pressure. There are some survivor groups that are there watching what is going on and that are getting involved.  They do ask professionals questions, which is great.  We should have more of that.  If the people who have problems continue to ask questions I think there's possibilities.  Things won't change unless it comes from the roots – from the people ... Abuse will continue – abuse by systems, abuse by professionals, because it's kind of a game.  If you're without power, or if think you have no power then (they'll) abuse you.  If you appeal your situation, or report it, or make it public, then the professionals will feel a bit threatened and will change.”

Conclusion

     It is evident that the “missing argument” is the hidden agenda that is taught in universities where mental health professionals train.  This agenda teaches that there is a hierarachy of power in which the patient is subservient to the professional.  Survivors are seen as problems, not people, and because of the fear of sexual assault charges or burnout the professionals are taught to distance themselves from the people whom they are trying to help.   The mental health client is not supposed to have knowledge, ask questions, or talk too much otherwise their medication will be “reviewed” or they will be slapped with another diagnosis.   The text books that the universities use are written primarily by academic researchers not necessarily individuals who have clinical experience and currently there is no imput from actual consumer/survivors in developing the curriculums or course texts.  It is time that we who have experienced problems like depression, mania, anxiety, psychosis, etc. insist on having imput into the university courses that train mental health professionals.  Instead of the professional's view that we are the problem, we should look at ourselves as a resource.

  

WHAT IS MISSING IN THE SYSTEM?

      Recently, I was hospitalized and since have been pondering what is missing in the formal mental health care system.  I was in a personal crisis when I decided to see if the hospitals have changed in the last 18 years since I was incarcerated the last time.  Indeed, I was willing to go in open-minded and see for myself.   My husband and I waited for hours in a grubby little room at outpatients and noted that a man with chest pains was immediately rushed in for treatment. The first lesson was that a mental health crisis is put on the back burner compared to other diseases.  After seeing the psychiatrist, I was processed and put in the belly of the beast.  My personal belongings were rummaged through and all my pills were confiscated.  I was feeling violated, but still entertained the possibility of getting help.

      The thing that came next was a shot in the butt.  This, I was told, was supposed to help make the withdrawal from antidepressants smooth and painless.  For the next 72 hours I was supposed to sleep.  It didn’t quite happen like that though.  I lay on a lumpy bed and was given so many doses of Zyprexa that my restless leg syndrome made me pace the halls in physical torment.  I found myself treated like a bad child and subjected to silly, inconsistent, and petty rules.  Although I am nearly 50 years old and have survived fires, floods and everything in between I was not allowed down in the hospital lobby to get a Tim Horton’s coffee.  This was supposed to be behavior modification, but what was the objective?  To make me a trained seal that flapped my flippers on command?  There was an absence of being treated with dignity and no respect for my surviving a life of so much pain.  Instead of the harbor of safety that I sought, the hospital was a police state complete with video cameras to watch my every move.

      My expectations of being hospitalized were that I would receive counseling, occupational therapy, and group therapy.  On my own initiative I went once to group therapy and to crafts, but did not receive any form of counseling. ( It was explained to me that I was too upset to get counseling).  The group therapy revealed a half dozen consumers who all said that they had no hope left.  It was obvious that the system was not meeting their needs, but leading them to despair.  In my opinion some common sense, compassion, and caring would have made the difference.  I have attended many consumer groups in different parts of the country and felt compassion, concern, comfort, and inner healing, however, the hospital seemed to have no soul.  The routine seemed to reduce individuals to mere cogs in a wheel.  I was not  treated like a person with dignity, but a thing to be pushed around.  Essentially, all the experience did was make me angry and outraged.  In the end I have concluded that the hospital system is no more enlightened than it was 18 years ago and a place to be avoided like the Plague.

      An American National Research Project for the Development of Recovery Facilitating System Performance Indicators sponsored by nine different states  comments that: “We must fully acknowledge that the formal system often hinders recovery through the bureaucratic program guidelines, limited access to services and supports, abusive practices, poor quality services, negative messages, lack of ‘best practice’ program elements, and a narrow focus on a bio-psychiatric orientation that can actually serve to discount the person’s humanity and ignore other practical, psychological, social, and spiritual human needs.  At the core of such hindering forces is the operationalization of society’s response to mental illness, that of shame and hopelessness and the need to assert social control over the unknown and uncomfortable.” 

     This same National Research Project which I found on the internet ( www.namiscc.org/ Recovery/2002MentalHealthRecovery.htm) points out that recovery for consumers/survivors points to many universal components, some of which the system could help provide if it had the will.  Those who have material resources such as a livable income, safe housing, healthcare, transportation, and a telephone do better than those who live in poverty, and a lack of basic resources.   Attitudes of fear, shame, lack of personal responsibility, self loathing, and invalidation impede recovery, whereas recovery chances are boosted if the system encourages self-reliance, personal resourcefulness, self-advocacy, choices in treatment and a holistic view of health.

      Some personal traits that should be encouraged by mental health professions and are vital to recovery are attitudes of purpose, faith, expectancy, and finding meaning in one’s illness.  Also, persons who got well had goals, options, spirituality, and role models.  The belief in recovery itself is also very important in wellness, whereas the formal mental health system focuses on illness.  Also, consumers/survivors do better when

they don’t have to relate to detached professions or a different professional every time they seek help. Consumers/survivors do better when they can relate to someone who cares about them.  This is where peer counseling and consumer groups can help as well.

     The National Research Project says that the mental health system needs to have a new paradigm based on the following:

1.      mental health services should be recovery enhancing respecting the patient’s life experience and expertise.

2.      People should be empowered by gaining control over their lives and involved in the consumer movement

3.      Holistic treatment in which a person is seen as more than a disease should be implemented

4.      there should be an emphasis on hope, positive mental health, and wellness

       instead of just biochemical imbalances and medication

     While the hospital and formal mental health care system provide the expertise on medication, it is largely up to the individual patient to work on getting well.  Social connectedness, and feeling part of a community are key components in recovery and left to the individual to work on.  Finding role models is important as well.    In the United States there are safe houses where a person in crisis can talk to peer counselors.  I would like to see the day when that happens in Canada.   It would be ideal to build a center where the mentally ill could get both medical advice and also be able to talk to other consumers/survivors who could give us hope and encouragement.

   

    

Humor That Can Hurt or Heal

By

Katherine Tapley-Milton

Hurtful Humor

     I think that the mentally ill are the last group of persons left that can be mocked

and made fun of without it being considered politically incorrect.  In today’s society it’s considered in poor taste to make racist jokes or wise cracks about sexual orientation, but it’s still open season on the mentally ill.  The following two jokes taken from Internet sources demonstrate my point.

Joke Example # 1

     “A doctor at the asylum decided to take his inmates to a baseball game.  For weeks in advance, he coached  his patients to his commands.  When the day of the game arrived, everything seemed to be going well.  As the national anthem started,

the doctor yelled, “Up nuts!”  And the inmates complied by standing up.  After the anthem he yelled, “Down nuts!” And they all sat.  After a home run he yelled, “Cheer nuts!” And they all broke into applause and cheers.  Thinking things were going very well, he decided to go get a beer and a hot dog, leaving his assistant in charge.  When he returned there was a riot in progress.   Finding the assistant, he asked what happened.  The assistant replied, “Well ... everything was fine until some guy walked by and yelled, “PEANUTS!”

Joke Example # 2

     It was visitor’s day at the lunatic asylum.  All the inmates were standing in the courtyard and singing “Ave Maria”.  And singing it beautifully.  Oddly, each of them was holding a red apple in one hand and tapping it rhythmically with a pencil.  A visitor listened  in wonderment to the performance and then approached the choir.  “I am a retired choir director,” he said. “This is one of the best choirs I have ever heard.”  “Yes, I’m very proud of them,” said the conductor.  “You should take them on tour,” said the visitor.  “What are they called?”  “Surely that is obvious”, replied the conductor, “the Moron Tapanapple Choir.”

Calling the mentally ill “nuts, and morons” and referring to a mental hospital as a lunatic asylum is hurtful and degrading.  In a column by Otto Wahl Ph.D. he comments:

  “People whose self-esteem may already be compromised by their disorders see themselves being laughed at and misrepresented.  They  are aware that other serious conditions are seldom treated with such insensitivity and wonder what they have done to warrant such treatment.  They may also be angered and discouraged by the apparent lack of sympathy for their concerns and being the target of such ridicule.  Moreover, humor that ridicules those with mental illness reinforces the public’s already pronounced tendencies to disparage those with mental illness and treat them with disrespect.  While people who enjoy status and social acceptance may be able to accept humor at their expense, those who have long been stigmatized, devalued, and discriminated against cannot afford to be tolerant.”

     I think that it is high time that psychiatric survivors should protest abusive humor directed at us.  How many times a week do you hear mental illness referred to in a derogatory way?  Without thinking people use hurtful humor.  Words  like psycho, nutbar, looney tunes, crazy, bonkers, etc. slip from the tongues of many every day, offending millions of persons afflicted with the agony of mental illness.   Psychiatric survivors should refuse to accept slurs on their condition even if people hide by saying, “It’s just a joke.”  To report instances of stigma in the media, an individual can call 800-969-NMHA (National Mental Health Assoication) or to subscribe to NMHA’s Stigma Watch Alerts you can visit their website at www.nmha.org and click on “Online Community”.

Healing Humor

     A  century ago Sigmund Freud recognized that humor offers us a healthy escape from stress.    Comedian, Groucho Marx, observed that, “If it weren’t for the brief respite we give the world with our foolishness, the world would see mass suicide in numbers that compare favorably with the death of lemmings.”    Furthermore, Paul

E. McGhee in an article titled, “Humor Your Tumor”, states that : “ Your sense of humor is one of the most powerful tools you have to make certain that your daily mood and emotional state support good health, instead of working against it.”  Psyhotherapist and stand-up comedian David Grenirer, advises:  “Here’s a tip for the nest time you feel stressed out and need a wellness break.  It’s called the Smile Time Out.    Take a deep breath, smile, exhale and say, ‘Aaah’ while visualizing all your muscles and cells smiling.  Then add to that a memory of a time you felt really good and laughed and laughed.  Remember, even when you fake a smile or laugh, you get the same physiological benefits as when it’s the real thing, because your mind is smart, but your body is stupid and can’t tell the difference.”  I can’t imagine this working with someone who is deeply depressed, however, for those mildly to moderately glum it might have some benefit.

     In his article, “Humor in Group Therapy”, therapist Tony J. Joyner attests to the healing power of humor.   He comments, “ By increasing the client’s enjoyment of and participation in his/her treatment, a therapeutic environment permissive of light-hearted discussion and laughter can positively affect treatment outcome.  I found this to be true through my 14+ years of work as a mental health professional.  I currently work with adult and adolescent psychiatric patients in an acute care unit and incorporate humor into my one-to-one sessions and my game or group presentations on a regular basis.  I found through the use of appropriately-timed humor that I developed a quick rapport and a lighter group atmosphere.  This opens up opportunities for therapeutic interventions.  It gives patients a friendly and human touch that they need during this difficult and frightening time in their lives.”

     There is a need breed of therapist today called a “jollyologist” or one who specializes in humor.  You can actually get a Masters Degree in the subject.  Allen Klein, creator of the show Captain Kangaroo has kit the road as a professional jollyologist and has authored books such as “Up Words For Down Days” and “The Courage to Laugh”.  Whether one is dealing with a traffic jam or a tragedy Klein teaches people to use humor to soften the blow.  Patch Adams is an unconventional doctor who sports a red rubber nose and a whoppee cushion instead stethoscope.  He believes that laughter is the best medicine and is another jollyologist with his own particular quirks.

     Humor has the power to hurt as well as heal.  While psychiatric survivors may be

wounded by insensitive jokes and  slang references to our illness, thus minimizing our pain,  humor in therapy or in our personal lives can lighten our black moods and give us a sense of control over our lives. 

ARE MENTALLY ILL INFAMOUS OR FAMOUS?

       The view that the general public has of the mentally ill is mostly negative.  This attitude has been largely shaped by the media and movies that portray  persons with mental health problems as infamous, dangerous individuals, preying on society.  In an article titled, “The Criminalization of the Mentally Ill”, by David Gonzalez, he states, “Movies such as Maniac (1934)..., Deranged (1974), Psycho (1960), and The Lunatic (1992), all portray the mentally ill as psychotic and deranged lunatics capable of snapping at the slightest provocation.   Movies such as these add to the misconceptions of the mentally ill and eventually influence the opinions of the judges, district attorneys, police officers, parole officers, correction officers, politicians, and the average citizen ....”.

     However, there are some movies such as “Rain man”, “The Aviator”, and “A Beautiful Mind” that show the struggle of mentally ill persons in a positive light.  In “Rain man” Dustin Hoffman portrays an autistic man who is a genius with math and who acted as a loving sibling when his younger brother needed comfort as a child.  “The Aviator” shows the struggle of Howard Hughes who became the richest man in the world, but who suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder.  A Beautiful Mind portrays John Forbes Nash who eventually won the Nobel Prize while battling the schizophrenic voices in his head.

     Mentally ill persons who are portrayed as dangerous monsters are not the norm for persons with psychiatric disabilities.  Most individuals who suffer from bipolar disorder or schizophrenia are not dangerous.  In fact society preys on the mentally ill more than the mentally ill prey on society. Psychiatric News reports that, "More than one-fourth of persons with severe mental illness are victims of violent crime in the course of a year, a rate 11 times higher than that of the general population, according to a study by researchers at Northwestern University. They estimated that nearly 3 million severely mentally ill people are crime victims each year in the United States.  http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/40/17/16.full

      Although monsters like Jeffrey Dahmer and Jack the Ripper may have been mentally ill; there are thousands mentally ill persons thoughout history who have contributed an enormous amount to society and who have exerted a positive force in the world.  They are people like Abraham Lincoln, Virginia Woolf, Winston Churchill, Charles Dickens, Patty Duke, Michelangelo, John Forbes Nash Jr., Buzz Aldrin, and Robin Williams.

FAMOUS MENTALLY ILL PERSONS

 

Abraham Lincoln

    

                        The famous sixteenth president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln  (1809-1865) brought to politics his personal integrity, intelligence, and humanity.  He was called the “Great Emancipator” because of his stand against slavery.  However, Lincoln suffered severe and incapacitating depressions that occasionally led to thoughts of suicide.  The Encyclopedia Americana concludes that, “Although his reputation has fluctuated with changing times, he was clearly a great man and a great president.  He firmly and fairly guided the nation through its most perilous period and made a lasting impact in shaping the office of chief executive.”  In the many listings of famous mentally ill persons, Abraham Lincoln is always present at the top.

  

Virginia Woolf

  

  Even fifty years after her suicide by drowning, Virginia Woolf’s writing continues tbe a source of influence.  The International Virginia Woolf  Society Web Page comments, “Woolf  has since been recognized as one of the most important and influential feminist writers of the twentieth century and as a writer whose works are dynamically engage with the political, philosophical, historical and materialist issues  of her time.”  Scholars 

 continue to be stimulated by Woolf’s writings, even though in her private life she     was tortured by bipolar illness.

Winston Churchill

     Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) suffered from what he called his “black dog” of depression and it has been said, “Had he been a stable and equable man, he could never have inspired the nation.  In 1940, when all the odds were against Britain, a leader of sober judgement might well have concluded that we were finished.”  He became the voice of Britain during the war and gave emotional speeches inspiring England to endure hardship and sacrifice in order to prevail over Germany.  Along with being a famous politician Churchill also was an accomplished writer and painter.  In 1953 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for his six volume history of World War II.  |Also, he wrote the  four volume “History of the English-speaking Peoples”.  Churchill achieved fame despite being bipolar.

Charles Dickens

     Although he was one of the greatest authors in the English language, Charles Dickens (1812-1870) suffered from clinical depression.  At 17 he worked as a court

stenographer and later as a parliamentary reporter. By 1833 his literary sketches of London life were becoming famous.  His classic novels such as “Oliver Twist”, “Nicholas Nickleby” and “The Old Curiousity shop became the most popular of his day. Dickens was supremely successful at portraying the sights, sounds, smells, and customs of 19^th Century London.  He blasted the social inequality and injustices of his day and brought attention to the plight of the downtrodden. Although some critics feel his work is disorderly and sentimental none can doubt his genius at revealing real life.

Patty Duke

     Born in 1946, Patty Duke also called Anna Duke suffered the ravages of bipolar illness, anorexia, and substance abuse until she got diagnosed and put on lithium.  She made many suicide attempts and even though she could always perform well as an actress her personal life was turbulent.  Duke was the youngest actress ever to have her own show and had a twelve inch doll made like her, along with a Patty Duke game for teenagers.  At the age of twelve she starred in “The Miracle Worker”, the story of Helen Keller.  She became the youngest actress to win an Oscar award. Many television awards later, Patty Duke is a spokesperson for the mentally ill and has written the book, “A Brilliant Madness” to help those suffering

from bipolar disorder.

Michaelangelo

     Michaelangelo Buonarroti was born near Florence, Italy in 1495 and died at the age of 89.  His name is synonomous with his famous sculpures and paintings done during the Renaissance period.  His most famous sculpture is “David” which stands 16 feet 10 inches tall, and the painting he is best known for is his rendering of the Sistine Chapel.   He is still known as a giant in the art world even though he suffered the symptoms of bipolar illness.

John Forbes Nash, Jr.

   

           John Forbes Nash won the Nobel Prize for pioneering work in game theory on October 11^th, 1994. That was unusual because most of his life he had Suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.  At www.schizophrenia .com it is noted that, “There are relatively few famous people with schizophrenia.”  Indeed the preponderance of  famous mentally ill persons are bipolar. 

     John Nash began his Ph.D. at Princeton in 1948 when he was twenty years old.  He wrote a doctoral thesis on the mathematics of competition which is still used today.  He dazzled the mathematical world and invented the game called “Hex” put out by Parker Brothers.    However, for twenty-five years he was immersed in schizophrenia.  His mathematical theories did not make sense and he looked for secret messages in numbers.  Somehow in the mid 1980’s his illness went into remission and he is now working on novel uses of the computer at Princeton.

                                                                     Buzz Aldrin

     On July 20^th, 1969 Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were the first human beings to set foot on the moon witnessed by the largest television audience in history.  Buzz was born in Monclair, New Jersey, the son of an aviation pilot.  He recieved his doctorate of astronautics from the Massachuetts Institute of Technology.    The techniques that Buss developed were used on all of NASAs missions, including the first sapce docking with the Russian Cosmonauts.  In 1993 he  recieved a patent for a permanent space station he designed.  Buzz  is also the author of two space novels titled The Return and Encounter with Tiber .  He is also authoring his autobiography.    Despite his fame, Buzz Aldrin is bipolar.

Robin Williams

    

Robin Williams was born on July 21, 1952 in Chicago Illinois.  He studied political science, then went into acting at Julliard Acting Academy.  His first break came in 1978 when he played Mork on Happy Days.  The next step was for Williams was his first TV show Mork and Mindy, in which the character of Mork became very popular. His first movie was in 1986 and was called Popeye.  It was a failure.  However, a year later Good Morning America was a big success.  He has also gone on to act in Good Will Hunting,  Dead Poet’s Society, Jacob the Liar, Mrs. Doubtfire, Patch Adams, Awakenings,  and in 1997 was voted the funiest man alive by Entertainment Weekly.   Williams has also won an Oscar.  Behind the scenes, Robin Williams has struggled with attention deficit disorder and cocaine addiction.

Conclusion

       It should be evident by now that throughout history some of the most influential individuals have suffered from mental illness.  In the field of art, politics, writing,

and acting there have been geniuses who were afflicted by inner torments.  Yet despite this hinderence and pain they rose to greatness.  It is time that society realizes the great debt that it owes to the mentally ill, instead of portraying them all as killers and monsters.

  

ARE MENTALLY ILL INFAMOUS OR FAMOUS?

       The view that the general public has of the mentally ill is mostly negative.  This attitude has been largely shaped by the media and movies that portray  persons with mental health problems as infamous, dangerous individuals, preying on society.  In an article titled, “The Criminalization of the Mentally Ill”, by David Gonzalez, he states, “Movies such as Maniac (1934)..., Deranged (1974), Psycho (1960), and The Lunatic (1992), all portray the mentally ill as psychotic and deranged lunatics capable of snapping at the slightest provocation.   Movies such as these add to the misconceptions of the mentally ill and eventually influence the opinions of the judges, district attorneys, police officers, parole officers, correction officers, politicians, and the average citizen ....”.

     However, there are some movies such as “Rain man”, “The Aviator”, and “A Beautiful Mind” that show the struggle of mentally ill persons in a positive light.  In “Rain man” Dustin Hoffman portrays an autistic man who is a genius with math and who acted as a loving sibling when his younger brother needed comfort as a child.  “The Aviator” shows the struggle of Howard Hughes who became the richest man in the world, but who suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder.  A Beautiful Mind portrays John Forbes Nash who eventually won the Nobel Prize while battling the schizophrenic voices in his head.

     Mentally ill persons who are portrayed as dangerous monsters are not the norm for persons with psychiatric disabilities.  Most individuals who suffer from bipolar disorder or schizophrenia are not dangerous.  In fact society preys on the mentally ill more than the mentally ill prey on society. Psychiatric News reports that, "More than one-fourth of persons with severe mental illness are victims of violent crime in the course of a year, a rate 11 times higher than that of the general population, according to a study by researchers at Northwestern University. They estimated that nearly 3 million severely mentally ill people are crime victims each year in the United States.  http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/content/40/17/16.full

      Although monsters like Jeffrey Dahmer and Jack the Ripper may have been mentally ill; there are thousands mentally ill persons thoughout history who have contributed an enormous amount to society and who have exerted a positive force in the world.  They are people like Abraham Lincoln, Virginia Woolf, Winston Churchill, Charles Dickens, Patty Duke, Michelangelo, John Forbes Nash Jr., Buzz Aldrin, and Robin Williams.

 

 

FAMOUS MENTALLY ILL PERSONS

 

Abraham Lincoln

    

                        The famous sixteenth president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln  (1809-1865) brought to politics his personal integrity, intelligence, and humanity.  He was called the “Great Emancipator” because of his stand against slavery.  However, Lincoln suffered severe and incapacitating depressions that occasionally led to thoughts of suicide.  The Encyclopedia Americana concludes that, “Although his reputation has fluctuated with changing times, he was clearly a great man and a great president.  He firmly and fairly guided the nation through its most perilous period and made a lasting impact in shaping the office of chief executive.”  In the many listings of famous mentally ill persons, Abraham Lincoln is always present at the top.

Virginia Woolf

  Even fifty years after her suicide by drowning, Virginia Woolf’s writing continues tbe a source of influence.  The International Virginia Woolf  Society Web Page comments, “Woolf  has since been recognized as one of the most important and influential feminist writers of the twentieth century and as a writer whose works are dynamically engage with the political, philosophical, historical and materialist issues  of her time.”  Scholars

 continue to be stimulated by Woolf’s writings, even though in her private life she     was tortured by bipolar illness.

Winston Churchill

     Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) suffered from what he called his “black dog” of depression and it has been said, “Had he been a stable and equable man, he could

never have inspired the nation.  In 1940, when all the odds were against Britain, a leader of sober judgement might well have concluded that we were finished.”  He became the voice of Britain during the war and gave emotional speeches inspiring England to endure hardship and sacrifice in order to prevail over Germany.  Along with being a famous politician Churchill also was an accomplished writer and painter.  In 1953 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for his six volume history of World War II.  |Also, he wrote the  four volume “History of the English-speaking Peoples”.  Churchill achieved fame despite being bipolar.

Charles Dickens

     Although he was one of the greatest authors in the English language, Charles Dickens (1812-1870) suffered from clinical depression.  At 17 he worked as a court

stenographer and later as a parliamentary reporter. By 1833 his literary sketches of London life were becoming famous.  His classic novels such as “Oliver Twist”, “Nicholas Nickleby” and “The Old Curiousity shop became the most popular of his day. Dickens was supremely successful at portraying the sights, sounds, smells, and customs of 19^th Century London.  He blasted the social inequality and injustices of his day and brought attention to the plight of the downtrodden. Although some critics feel his work is disorderly and sentimental none can doubt his genius at revealing real life.

Patty Duke

     Born in 1946, Patty Duke also called Anna Duke suffered the ravages of bipolar illness, anorexia, and substance abuse until she got diagnosed and put on lithium.  She made many suicide attempts and even though she could always perform well as an actress her personal life was turbulent.  Duke was the youngest actress ever to have her own show and had a twelve inch doll made like her, along with a Patty Duke game for teenagers.  At the age of twelve she starred in “The Miracle Worker”, the story of Helen Keller.  She became the youngest actress to win an Oscar award. 

Many television awards later, Patty Duke is a spokesperson for the mentally ill and has written the book, “A Brilliant Madness” to help those suffering

from bipolar disorder.

  

Michaelangelo

     Michaelangelo Buonarroti was born near Florence, Italy in 1495 and died at the age of 89.  His name is synonomous with his famous sculpures and paintings done during the Renaissance period.  His most famous sculpture is “David” which stands 16 feet 10 inches tall, and the painting he is best known for is his rendering of the Sistine Chapel.   He is still known as a giant in the art world even though he suffered the symptoms of bipolar illness.

John Forbes Nash, Jr.

  

           John Forbes Nash won the Nobel Prize for pioneering work in game theory on October 11^th, 1994.

That was unusual because most of his life he had

Suffered from paranoid schizophrenia.  At www.schizophrenia .com it is noted that, “There are relatively few famous people with schizophrenia.”  Indeed the preponderance of  famous mentally ill persons are bipolar. 

     John Nash began his Ph.D. at Princeton in 1948 when he was twenty years old.  He wrote a doctoral thesis on the mathematics of competition which is still used today.  He dazzled the mathematical world and invented the game called “Hex” put out by Parker Brothers.    However, for twenty-five years he was immersed in schizophrenia.  His mathematical theories did not make sense and he looked for secret messages in numbers.  Somehow in the mid 1980’s his illness went into remission and he is now working on novel uses of the computer at Princeton.

Buzz Aldrin

     On July 20^th, 1969 Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were the first human beings to set foot on the moon witnessed by the largest television audience in history.  Buzz was born in Monclair, New Jersey, the son of an aviation pilot.  He recieved his doctorate of astronautics from the Massachuetts Institute of Technology.    The techniques that Buss developed were used on all of NASAs missions, including the first sapce docking with the Russian Cosmonauts.  In 1993 he  recieved a patent for a permanent space station he designed.  Buzz  is also the author of two space novels titled The Return and Encounter with Tiber .  He is also authoring his autobiography.    Despite his fame, Buzz Aldrin is bipolar.

Robin Williams

    

Robin Williams was born on July 21, 1952 in Chicago Illinois.  He studied political science, then went into acting at Julliard Acting Academy.  His first break came in 1978

when he played Mork on Happy Days.  The next step was for Williams was his first TV show Mork and Mindy, in which the character of Mork became very popular. His first movie was in 1986 and was called Popeye.  It was a failure.  However, a year later Good Morning America was a big success.  He has

also gone on to act in Good Will Hunting,  Dead Poet’s Society, Jacob the Liar, Mrs. Doubtfire, Patch Adams, Awakenings,  and in 1997 was voted the funiest man alive by Entertainment Weekly.   Williams has also won an Oscar.  Behind the scenes, Robin Williams has struggled with attention deficit disorder and cocaine addiction.

Conclusion

       It should be evident by now that throughout history some of the most influential individuals have suffered from mental illness.  In the field of art, politics, writing,

and acting there have been geniuses who were afflicted by inner torments.  Yet despite this hinderence and pain they rose to greatness.  It is time that society realizes the great debt that it owes to the mentally ill, instead of portraying them all as killers and monsters.