Mental Illness Awareness Month/ October

We all agree there are mentally ill people who need our help. They are on the streets and living under bridges. They are also in our kids classrooms, protecting our city from fire and crime and treating us when we are ill. Mentally ill people are productive parts of our society who go about the daily routines of their lives with little more than a bump occasionally along the way, usually. Sometimes the struggle comes for them when they don't know what is happening to them, why they feel the way they do, or why they suddenly lash out verbally for no reason. Kids are especially overlooked when it comes to early identification of what may be a mental health issue. Every day, 50% of the teens in our country think about suicide. Every day an unknown percentage of grade school children deal with extreme anxiety so much so they experience physical symptoms. Mental illness is easily treated, if found early. Sometimes all we need to do is talk it through with someone who is non-judgemental and caring. Sometimes we may need a little more help than that. Whatever the effective treatment may turn out to be, the longer we delay in accepting there may be a mental health issue at play, the more damage is done. The wait, the delay, the denial, the struggles. These are the things that destroy a life bit by bit. These things draw the person into a darkness of soul that takes years to crawl out of. No one likes to feel they are always on unstable groung. No one needs to experience how of touch they are with the rest of the world for every minute of their existence. We all need to be comfortable in our own skins and with the thoughts rattling around in our brains. Intense thoughts of darkness, lack of hope and despair don't make for a happy life. Please take the time to check out the PBS specials on Healthy Minds this October. Within our minds are the powers of the universe, waiting to be unlocked. Take care of those divine sparks and make sure we all have a chance at healthy minds.http://www.wliw.org/productions/local/healthy-minds/season-two-overview/164/