A message of hope.

     I bring, today, words of encouragement and hope.  For the overwhelming majority of people with a mental health condition there is hope of recovery.  With proper medication, functioning in society is within the grasp of most.  This can be a long and frustrating process.  I remember not having any kind of insurance and my initial medication being cost prohibitive so they put me on another drug.  This particular medication technically worked.  I certainly wasn’t symptomatic; however I also wasn’t much of anything else.

    I found another medication which worked for me.  It was, again, out of my price range.  I was lucky enough to find out about a medical group that helped people get particular medications for free.  Unfortunately, when I moved to Canada this program was no longer available and I was forced to pay out of pocket.  The medication was significantly less expensive, but still $300 per month.  Then, I was given the opportunity to get supplemental insurance.  Though things seemed bleak for a long time, and I thought I was going to be stuck taking the medication that left me a mere shell of who I truly was, I kept my spirits up and tried to do my best to work towards taking the steps needed for my continued mental health.

     Having hope is very important to everyone, and it can be especially hard for those with a mental health condition.  Remember that the dark clouds in our life will not stay forever.  It may certainly seem that way, as though the sun will never again shine.  Just remember that no matter how low you get it will only go to make the good parts of our life, when we are able to fully experience them again, seem that much brighter.  I know that it seems as though no one understands; know that you are not alone in your suffering.  A large portion of society experiences, at one time or another, clinical depression.

     It may be clichéd, but flowers cannot bloom without the rain.  Getting the proper treatment, the right therapist or team, and/or medications can help significantly.  Knowing that your first, or even thirty-first, therapist may not be right for you and it is always your option to find a new one, one more suited to your needs, may be necessary.  But have hope, there is one out there for you, there is the right medication for you, maybe no medication at all, but the right treatment for you exists.

     Know that it is work, and it isn’t easy, but you cannot take a passive role in your treatment process.  I know from experience what it can be like to be so anxious in a given situation with a doctor who does not seem to have the time to spend with you that you deserve.  It took months upon months of improper treatment for me to work up the courage to state exactly what I needed.

     Don’t give up hope.  You deserve to be happy and healthy, both mentally and physically.  You deserve to be loved by yourself and those close to you.  Although I do not know you, know that I hope you, or those who need help, get all the help they need.

--JJM