Help is Needed, Help is Available

It has been a long history of living with mental illness. Recently, my psychiatrist of nine years has retired, and I have a new psychiatrist with UW Harborview mental health and addiction services based out of Seattle. I may only be with this doctor for a year or so as he too is retiring soon, but he is very experienced, and I am excited to be accepted and placed with this new doctor. It was a huge accomplishment which was made significantly easier and more timely as my local clinic and primary doctor is UW. We have already had our intake appointment and meet again for the second time on March 25th.

My last hospitalization was in 2007 at Harborview. It was a really good experience and I started Dialectical Behavioral Therapy there which I continued out here in the San Juans to receive two certifications. That was a while ago, but it was extremely helpful at the time. In 2016 and 2019 I narrowly avoided being hospitalized, and I have an amazing therapist/social worker and my doctor that recently retired who helped me through these relapses with my mental health. I can be prideful of the fact that I have not seen the inside of a psych ward for eighteen years. In 2007 when I was hospitalized at Harborview for several weeks, I was the most psychotic I have ever been, and I spent several months in a severe episode. 2016 was a relatively short break, and 2019 less serious but almost five months. I also suffered with pretty serious episodes in 2018 and 2021. Again, I had really good care, and continued to manage my medications and deal with adjustments without needing hospitalization.

Two days ago, I met with my doctor of these last nine years for the last time. She said I was a pleasure to work with because I was so willing to do the work. She said I was very invested in my mental and physical health, my holistic health, and this was a great thing to see. Many of her patients are not as willing, and expect the doctor to fix them without them becoming willing and active agents in their own recovery process. Recently, there was a post on the FaceBook community board of my local community about a couple of mental health patients that were wandering the streets of Lopez Island making folks feel unsafe with their sporadic behavior. This pulls heavily on my heart strings, because we have little to none mental health services out here. We have a handful of therapists, one Primary doctor, one AA meeting a week and one Al-Anon meeting a week. At this time, I believe, we have no psychiatric prescribers, and we have no mental health support group or Peer Counselors. There was a time that I was trained and certified as a Peer Counselor, but with my current role of being a caregiver, as well as my mental health becoming more delicate as I have gotten older, I have turned down the opportunity with the local Lopez Island Family Resource center to re-certify as a Peer Counselor and ultimately lead a much needed mental health support group here. Still, our population is so small, there would only be a small handful of people at such a meeting. Just as our local AA meeting, which I chair every Saturday, has a small handful of people to provide service, and attendance is slight. It has, however, picked up in recent weeks, and I am excited to see some new and returning faces. AA and Al-Anon act as mental health supportive agents in my life, and working a twelve step program, accepting medications, and having a therapist and a psychiatrist, are important for anyone suffering with mental illness diagnosis. A twelve step program is essential and effective at making one’s recovery a priority, becoming a willing participant in finding true stability in one’s life, and working towards remission.

Unfortunately, these two mental health consumers, and possible addicts, that are wandering the streets of Lopez, need more help than our small community can currently provide. As I said, we have no Peer Counseling and no mental health support group which can be key in connecting consumers with other much needed health care. Essentially, it would act as a door. Still, dealing with someone in true crises, a person suffering with severe paranoia and psychosis, is a very delicate and sometimes dangerous task. It is a conundrum that haunts all of America. Unfortunately, folks often need to break the law and get arrested in order to be locked up either in prison, a psych ward, or a rehabilitation center, before becoming potential willing participants in their own recovery. Still, for me, a person who manages their severe mental illness quite well, I need support outside of what my family and my doctor provide. I need therapy, a social worker, and my AA and Al-Anon meetings. I wish I had a mental health support group and a Peer Counselor, but sadly that is not available on Lopez at this time. My twelve step programs are places where I can take healing my mental illness to new levels. I have two sponsors, and attend meetings almost every day. I lead two meetings a week, and it is important for my recovery to be there for others. I wish I could do more for these two men who are unwell. Sometimes, I will stop one on the road and see if there is anything I can do, or provide a ride, but still what is in my own personal resources to provide is minimal. Ideally, I could usher them into the noon AA meeting on Saturday, and I have let one of the men know he is welcome to join us if he wishes.

It is an epidemic in this country. During the Reagan administration high cuts were made to services that provided much needed help to those afflicted with addiction and mental health, and as far as I understand, we have never quite recovered from that deficit of care and funds. It can be scary and uncomfortable to approach or deal with a person that is unwell, and it can be a great challenge to encourage someone experiencing dire symptoms to take much needed medications. Sometimes it takes getting locked up. There is help to be found in rehabs and psych wards, and I have no idea about prison or jail, but I am sure more assistance for mental health patients in jail is needed. Often, repeat offenders are put back on the streets and released from psych wards because of funding or insurance issues. Though there is much need for money for resources, what is also needed is compassion and awareness around this issue. I am attempting to spread the word through writing on this blog. Reducing and confronting stigma, and encouraging compassion for those suffering is a good first step. Also, there is always help if one is willing. There are endless support meetings and help via Telehealth online. If there was less prejudice, it is possible that mental health consumers, addicts, and homeless people would feels less ashamed and become more willing to ask for help. Let’s wish for peace and at least provide hope in the fact that those that suffer will accept and seek the help that they so desperately need.