Public Comment

People with mental illness experience lives of enormous suffering. We experience internally generated suffering caused by a mental disease, and we experience intolerance and rejection from people who don't try to understand. 

When mentally ill people get into treatment, we have a fighting chance at salvaging our lives. If we fail to get into treatment, defeat is for certain. 

We are up against considerably harsh conditions. In recent years, everything has been far more difficult and hazardous. I've made it to age 60, and this is a good accomplishment if you consider what I've been up against. 

In recent years most people are aware that mentally ill people must be in treatment. But treating mental illness doesn't spell a solution to all the problems we must face. Treatment is only the beginning, and years of struggle will follow, and that's if we're doing things right. Life was meant to be a struggle no matter who you are. If you are up against mental illness and things seem easy, something is probably wrong. 

The symptoms of a mental illness, for those of us in recovery, are not fully resolved by medications. Consequently, and because relapses are very possible and even likely, mental illness is a dire thing for a person to face. I can't overemphasize that we must remain in treatment. Defying authority for a mentally ill person is a bad idea. 

Psychosis usually includes delusional thinking. This is far beyond just wishful thinking, or erroneous thinking. This is where false perceptions have taken over, and where the mind is "split off" from reality. In this case, split does not mean multiple personalities, which is a rare disorder thought to be caused by extreme trauma. "Split" means the content of the mind, the "personality", has disconnected from basic reality. This is potentially dangerous. 

When delusions have substituted themselves in place of facts, items that need to be addressed will be neglected. If delusions go too far, it could involve doing things that don't make sense, and some of those things could pose a danger. And bad decisions may result from even low-level psychosis, and this can adversely affect life circumstances. 

If we treat the psychosis with antipsychotic medication, there remains work to do—merely to reach square one of being connected to reality. We need regular visits with counselors, we need group therapy, we need "milieu therapy" so that we can get our thinking in connection with what other people are thinking. 

When we connect to reality, we may face circumstances that we weren't dealing with when psychotic. If life brings difficult and bad things, we can't afford to hide from them in psychosis—we have to deal with them. 

I know all these things like I know the back of my hand. I have lived with a psychotic illness since 1982. I know the ins and outs of relapses, or recovery, and of getting well and staying well. Even in treatment, sometimes I've lacked enough insight to know that I was making a mistake and a bad decision. 

Psychotic disorders and other mental illnesses are a threat and hindrance to life, but don't give up. There is every reason to keep trying and to keep fighting to get well and to do better. Your main opponent is a debilitating condition of the brain. And your means of fighting it is treatment. Beyond that, there is participation in life. And by being a participant, it means there is more to your life than having an illness. 

ADDENDUM: TRUMP 

The election of President Trump brings a new dimension of difficulty into the lives of we with disabilities. We don't yet know exactly what his policies will be, and that, by itself, makes it very hard to prepare. Trump has voiced disdain and name calling, referring to mentally ill people as "the crazies." 

Now is the time to cross your t's and dot your i's. Now is the time to mend any loose ends, or to make progress that will help you in general to weather a contingency. I'm sorry that I can't be more specific. 

Jack Bragen lives in Martinez.