Category Archives: Mental Health

Articles relating to mental health are in this category. Typically they will fall into one of two categories. Yours, or your child’s. Yes, your mental health is important.

Why do we view mental illness with negativity?

In the news each day, we see and read about people.  People like Adam Lanza, and others who destroyed the lives of many.  We never hear about the people who have mental illness yet don’t destroy the lives of others. Why?  Sure the state of mental illness, and the treatment of those with mental illness is abysmal in our country, but not all people with mental illness are bad. The things that we think and do not say. In the latter half of the 20th century there was a push to de-institutionalize.  By and large this was mostly a success.  People deserve to live in the community.  Everyone deserves that chance. However.  Have we gone too far the other way?  I know, some of my readers will rake me over the coals with this question.  But it needs to be asked. When families have no options for treatment and care

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travelling to see David, a sadness.

We live on the great plains of our country.  Northern Great Plains.  we are about 550 miles from the residential facility where David lives. I wish we had train service between here and there.  The nearest depot to his residence is like 5 hours. the last Amtrak went into Billings, MT in 1979.  With the cost of fuel the way it is, I wonder if they would reestablish it… probably not. for those who recommend bus travel, my body wouldn’t do well sitting in one place for that length of time. ah well, car it is. the kids are putting every coin they can find into the piggy bank for us to go see him.  even offered their birthday money. makes my heart sad that I can’t do better.  But my disability check only goes so far. Tweet #fighting4answrs

frustrated, disbelief, sadness

I alternate between disbelief, anger and sadness. It wasn’t our primary choice to place David in his current residence.  It was the only option available at the time because his previous placement, “didn’t feel they were the best place for him and that he needed a more restricted environment.” So now, someone thinks that we don’t really want David in our lives.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  If I thought that David was stable enough to be home permanently, he would be.  You wouldn’t be reading this, and we wouldn’t be bothered by the fact that he is 500 miles from home. So what can we do?  Today, I called someone within our schools who we have been at odds with in the past regarding David and thanked them for supporting us.  Yes.  Sometimes support comes from the places we least expect it. If driving out to his

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