How Far We’ve Come
May 7, 2024
Last Friday, Rebecca and I attended the second annual “Breakfast for Hope,” a fundraiser for Valeo Behavioral Health Care. We began our day “with a dash of inspiration + delicious food.” Because May is Mental Health Awareness Month and because I was challenged by this event, I decided to write this blog. I felt I should look at how far we’ve come in understanding mental health. And yet, there is so much more to be learned.
When I was young, my mother experienced many ups and downs with depression. She was a strong woman and a great mother. She was dedicated to her role as a pastor’s wife. But in those days, mental illness was not understood and there was limited treatment available. She did not feel free to share her struggles. When I was in high school, my parents found a psychologist who helped Mother understand some experiences from her early years that played a big part in her mental health challenges. This was an important step for her and for all the family. However, there were limited effective medications to address her situation.
One of Mother’s jobs was with the U.S. Government, Civilian Personnel, at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. She was given an award from Washington, D.C., for her performance.
I remember well a visit to see my parents at their home in Georgia in the late 90’s. There was a visible change. Mother got up early, spent her mornings productively whereas previously she got up late and sat in front of the television for much of the day. Daddy explained that she had been given a new medication. It changed her life. I am so glad he shared the medication details with me because I managed her care when she came to Topeka after my dad’s death, and I saw to it that the medication was continued. Another step forward came about when I worked in the Internal Medicine office at St. Francis Hospital. Mother had the opportunity to see a doctor in the practice who started her on a medication that once again enhanced the quality of her life. We had some special times with her those two years she was with us because of this newer medication and the wisdom of the doctor who prescribed it.
Mother and Daddy’s last picture together
Rebecca and I have been educated as she has moved forward in her recovery journey with schizophrenia. We are thankful that about the time she was diagnosed in the early 90’s, “the recovery movement” became the model of treatment. The following is my layperson’s explanation.
The person’s strengths are emphasized, rather than their deficits. The person is supported to move beyond the disabling power of the illness. Everyone has strengths, skills, interests that can be the focus rather than the deficits. Medication and education and positive relationships play a big role in this picture of recovery. Patricia E. Deegan, Ph.D., one of my heroes, is a person with a schizophrenia diagnosis. Anything you read from her can further illuminate this concept. She’s amazing!
I’ll give you an example of how this concept played out in our lives. In 2007, Rebecca saw a flier on the bulletin board at Valeo which announced a family group that was to be initiated in collaboration with the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare. Their research showed that a person with schizophrenia could make greater progress if they had family support. Valeo was chosen as the pilot project, Kansas Partnership of Families. We met with the leader of the group and then the participants met as a group—a family member and the person with schizophrenia. Our evenings consisted of snacks, which, as you know, is a very important component, and problem solving. We also watched several excellent movies about mental illness, such as Johnny Depp in “Benny and Joon.” The group’s leader gave us hand-outs each time which was a further opportunity to learn. Our problem-solving consisted of an update from each client from which one problem was chosen. We brainstormed solutions which the leader wrote on the blackboard. We analyzed each solution. Then the person whose problem we had chosen decided on several solutions and we broke those down into steps 1, 2, and 3. We were amazed at how relieved we felt as we left. A big problem had become a solvable problem.
A part of the experience was a daylong “Family Skills Workshop” with the opportunity to invite family members and/or friends. These were some of the topics covered—"What is schizophrenia? Course and Recovery. Family Involvement.” Then, of course, we had lunch and the all-important snacks! Our family, Don, Laura, Rebecca and I, attended the first workshop. Rebecca’s dad told her later he had read through the entire workbook we received. This was no small task, but, knowing him, I’m sure he did. Two years later, at the next workshop, we invited three friends who took the time to learn more about Rebecca’s illness.
These books have been vital in my quest to be educated. The story of his addiction by well-known author, William Moyers, helped me understand addiction for the first time. Though my family had not experienced this, I needed to understand it is an illness.
Dr. Amador, a world- renowned expert on mental illness, has a book in its third printing which is a classic on how to help someone accept treatment.
Marsha Linehan’s memoir of her own battle with mental illness shares how she became a leading voice in the development a lifechanging therapeutic approach. I assure you this book will enrich your life. She said she prayed that if God would get her out of her hell, she would help others get out of their’s. Her therapy (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) produced big changes in Rebecca’s life—and mine because she brought home her hand-outs from class and shared them with me.
I close with exciting news. At the “Breakfast for Hope,” Melissa Brunner, WIBW News Director, was presented the Mental Health Awareness Warrior Award. In January, this news station began a year-long series called “Hear Me, See Me.” Their goal is “to shine a spotlight on mental health to raise awareness, erase stigma, connect people with resources and inspire change.”
Rebecca is one of two who will be interviewed this Thursday, at 4:00 pm, on WIBW. We invite you to tune in or watch via the web site. And we thank you! I am so proud of this effort by WIBW and Melissa Brunner!
See how far we’ve come!
