Blog For Mental Health 2014 Campaign and a short version of my "story."

“I pledge my commitment to the Blog for Mental Health 2014 Project. I will blog about mental health topics not only for myself, but for others. By displaying this badge, I show my pride, dedication, and acceptance for mental health. I use this to promote mental health education in the struggle to erase stigma.”  

      My story with mental illness as only I can tell it.  I had a strange life leading up until college when like many I was struck by mental illness.  I was 19.  I was taken to injuring myself with anything I could find, though broken glass was by far my favorite.  After some relative strangers informed the dorm I was in of what was going on I was sent to a hospital and diagnosed bipolar.  At the time I didn't feel as though anything were wrong with me, at least not to the degree that others in the same ward.  I quickly told the doctors exactly what they wanted to hear in order for them to let me out.

     Once out I refused treatment and dropped out of college.  After several years of "having it under control" (which in retrospect, I didn't) I found myself more or less where I currently live.  I started to realize that I needed help, but continued to put it off.  It was not until I attempted to kill myself via drug overdose that I scared myself into actually getting help.  That was only a mere year and a half ago.

     I have since remained on medication and continue to go to therapy.  Also something that I found which has helped me to no end is something called "psychiatric rehabilitation" which is a program where you go during the day and learn how to function in the world again.  This is done through a mixture of hands on activities such as arts and crafts, computer use, games, and home skills as well as more educational activities such as medication education, social skills, and current events as they pertain to mental illness.  To be honest, without this program I don't know how well I would really be able to cope.

     I want others with mental illness to know they aren't alone, I also want people who know people with mental illness to have some kind of understanding of what it is like.  It is for this reason that I am officially joining the Blog For Mental Health Campaign

http://acanvasoftheminds.com/2014/01/07/blog-for-mental-health-2014/

--JJM