Today, at many dinner tables, water coolers, and various other channels of communication there is a discussion about severe depression. Lots of opinions, lots of people became armchair psychologists overnight. Humbly, it is my opinion that severe depression is a disease and that suicide linked with severe depression is no different than someone dying of a cancer or something similar. Different diseases claim lives differently. It is as simple as that. But what I want to underline here is that now is not the appropriate time to talk about the rights and wrongs of suicide. Now is not the time for laypersons to try and categorize and diagnosis complex medical issues. Rather, now is the time to show love and comfort for one another and give mental health issues the attention they rightfully deserve. Heres two places we can make a start: 1.) In Alabama little more than half of children with disabilities graduate, in some years that number is as low as 30%. 2.) Since Governor Lurleen Wallace toured Bryce Hospital (with other state officials and media) in 1967 there has not been a single high-profile inspection of any of the states mental health facilities. I close with this appeal to every single person with a healthy state of mine. How can we honestly expect our friends and neighbors suffering from depression and other mental health issues when we dont make them a priority?
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 21:39:22 +0000
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