MAYBE YOU KNOW ME:
I am a person with a diagnosable mental illness. Maybe I’m your father, your wife, or your daughter. Maybe I work with you. Or I’m your friend.
Chances are you care about someone like me. One in five persons in our country, and every fourth family, is affected by mental illness in some way — though many are unaware of how to seek help or lack the knowledge to understand that their problems have solutions.
WHAT DO I NEED FROM YOU?
I need the same sort of understanding that you’d give to someone with a medical disorder, like a heart problem or hypertension, or to someone recovering from any debilitating physical illness. I may need support from time to time in the places where I live or work or go to school, just like persons with physical disabilities. I need political support to fight the discrimination and stigma that make me a second-class citizen.
I need to have access to good treatment services in my community so that I can lead an independent and productive life to the best of my ability. But I also need to know that good hospital care is available when I may need it. And I especially need to know that someone is making sure those facilities are safe and humane, and that they meet the highest standards of professional quality and care.
In other words, I need you to treat me just the way you’d expect to be treated if you had a mental illness — with respect and dignity, and with understanding.
-Unknown
[I first downloaded this essay in 1995. I have diligently sought the author(s) of this statement without luck. I apologize to whoever it is. If you recognize this, please send the proper attribution to me and I will post it. CRH.]
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