Adrift: Dealing with Mental Illness

    I find more and more that there is a severe lack of knowledge of mental illness. We have a certain mentality that the person dealing with it needs to just get over themselves. I wouldn't tell a diabetic that. I wouldn't tell someone who was severely injured that they should just walk it off. Yet as a society we tend to get irritated with mentally ill. We can't see their injury. It makes it rough. I can tell you they have an injury. They have an illness. It isn't something you can see. It is there. We tell them that they should just spend more time relaxing. They shouldn't be taking medication. Can you imagine going up to a diabetic and telling them not to take the insulin that is crucial to them? Now you are thinking it is not the same thing. It is in mental illness. They get lost in their heads. Stuck. Adrift. Medication needs to improve for sure. However, it is the difference between having a raft or being swallowed up by an ocean.
  I have a young child dealing with mental illness. We were not wanting to put her on medication. We were in that ocean, swimming. It was okay. We were keeping are heads above water. It was hard. She required supervision at all times. I mean you did not leave her in a room alone. She went under. She did this all on her own you see. Dived deep. I was able to pull her to safety but that was enough to know that I needed to do something and fast. It wasn't something you soon forget. We got our first piece of wood. We are hanging on too it. We are going along wading in the ocean. We start getting further out. We have some waves. It is hard to keep afloat with just a piece of wood. She is having a hard time hanging on. We can see it. We are trying our best. We know that it will not be long until we have to build something stronger for her. Then she goes under again. It is worse than before. I'm weak from wading and injured. This will not do. I make the decision that we need a raft not just a piece of wood. I don't regret getting this raft for my daughter. She hasn't had an incident in quite some time. We could have lost her if it were not for the Grace of God. Truly a miracle. We think that we have things completely under control. However, it is by Grace that things work out. We are given doctors and medicine. I am truly blessed that my daughter is with us. Here is the thing I know without that raft she will be swallowed. I will not regret building it. If you are suffering from mental illness and are trying to fight to stay afloat, it's okay to build a raft. It's okay to take the proper medication for it.
    We want to be strong. Physical strength is one thing but mental weakness it's a taboo. However, we often see in history that those who suffered in this made beautiful things. We can look back at people who made art, music, and wrote. These people suffered from mental illness. How many had an untimely death? Their legacy is in their work. We all get gifts. We all have talents. We all have weakness. Imagine if they were able to ride that ocean a little longer. It is often those who are the weakest that have the most to contribute. We need to give them the tools to get them to the other side. I'm just a mother. I know my daughter for some reason has been given chances to continue. I will make sure she has her raft. Whatever she is meant to do, it will be done.