No, you don’t!
I do, too.
No, you don’t!
I'm not chiding you for the joke - but I would like to use this as a teachable moment (I hope).
I used to think jokes about mental illness were funny too - until my youngest of two sons was diagnosed with Schizoaffective disorder in his early twenties. (My other well son is an AF pilot). Because of how mental illness has been portrayed for so many years in popular culture, the average person without an ill family member has no idea of the hell that families go through when a loved-one has a serious brain disorder; in a system that is completely broken and ill-preparded to really help them. ( For the record, Schizophrenia is not "spilt personality".)
When a family has a child or other relative with any other serious illness, like cancer or diabetes, they find their circle of friends and support grows stronger and people surround them with support. When a family has a child with a serious brain disorder, they often find their friends and support fade away due to the fear and uncertainty of these illnesses. There is a tremendous and very unfair stigma attached to mental illness, which we now know are very real biological illnesses that just happen to affect the brain, and thus complex behaviors.
The only time the general public hears about mental illness is when someone commits a crime, but the truth is, those cases are a very rare exception - there are millions of Americans suffering from these debilitating illnesses who are not violent, but they are definitely suffering in ways that most of us can't comprehend. The reality of mental illness is far from a laughing matter.
As a result of our son's illness, in 2006 my wife and I became very active in the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the largest most powerful voice advocating for the mentally ill in the world. Eventually, we both became trained teachers for a wonderful program called "Family-to-Family" - a 12 week course designed to help families better understand their relatives illness and give them tools to better navigate the many challenges families face with these illnesses. After a few years, I became the Program Director for this wonderful program in my state and just recently I was trained at NAMI National to be on of two state trainers to train new teachers for this course.
Why am I telling you this? Because I am certain that there are Freepers here who have loved ones suffering from some form of mental illness or brain disorder, such as Schizophrenia, BiPolar, Clinical Depression, PTSD, Anxiety or Panic Disorder, OCD, etc. If you are suffering from any sort of illness like this, I'd urge you to seek out NAMI in your local community. There are NAMI affiliates in most major cites, and many not-so-major cities.
If you are a well family member with a loved-one who suffers with a mental illness, see if they have the Family-to-Family course in your area. It is an evidence-based program and I can't count how many family members have told me the course has saved their lives!. You can learn more about this great program here: NAMI Family-to-Family. (check out the great video on that page)
Thanks for listening.
Sounds like a great program and much needed within the military community for their families, wives, parents, children. I’ll get the info from your site and spread the word. Preventing suicide is my passion.