well mental health week is coming up and it made me think of all the adults, adollecents and even young children as young as 4 or 5 that r in phyciatric wards and how we judge them. i have for the last yr been involved in mental health and i have notice how some people treat them. i have heard them being called attension seekers, problems, truble makers and so on...ect. i have wittnessed a mother tell her child that there thoughts (the child suicidal thoughts) where getting them into truble, i have known adolecents who have gotten in to truble 4 running away to call an ambulance coz they have done sumthing dangerous to themselves.dont worry none of these people are my patiants coz im not a dr or councellor of any sort.

so is this the way we should treat them or should we go a little easyer on them?

in my opinon i think we should go a little easyer on them

Rizz how old are you and you really need to learn how to spell. I am not trying to be nasty but it is annoying -- sorry

im 16 and yeh i no i have really bad spelling

Oh ok just wondered. What type of work do you do with Mental Health?

i dont work in it, im a pataint i suffer from sum mental illnesses

Hey, Rizz. I think its really wonderful that at the age of 16 you are already learning to be concerned about public perceptions of the mentally ill - i.e. that you would like to help people to learn more about something they don't know much about and react thoughtlessly to. And yes, girl, I have heard all those sorts of comments you mentioned and more.

First of all, of course, I think you should concentrate on getting well yourself but after that, perhaps you could help to make a difference yourself to educate people about mental illness? Most hospitals can tell you about support groups you could join , but most towns also have Rotary Clubs and such. Rotary is very concerned about mental health and looks for people who have been through it themselves to inspire other people. Many hospitals also like well patients to come back to talk to those who are ill. Community services also run programmes where those who have been ill can help educate others, and there are groups that go around and give talks in schools. Because you are young yourself you would probably have an impact on other kids your own age so this might be a great thing for you to do.

But, yeah, I also think you must learn how to spell!! People would then take your message more seriously, you see.

Hope you get well soon.

p.s. I am bi-polar myself so I know exactly what you mean.

I agree you could certainly help people with mental health issues, especially if you are a sufferer. You should probably look into some formal training in this area. I am sure there are people at the hospital you go to that can help you look into some training for yourself. What about your parents have you discussed this with them.

Rizz, welcome to Online Opinion. It's nice to have a younger voice here. Most of us make mistakes in spelling and grammar at least some of the time. Don't let it stop you from getting your ideas out there.

If you type your posts into a Word document then run the spell check over it, it'll underline most of the mistakes so you can change them. Then you can Edit - Copy your comments into the comments box when you're happy with it. It helps, especially if you have a computer like mine that crashes all the time, or a brain like mine that sometimes forgets how to spell simple words.

You don't have to be a perfect speller to have something worthwhile to say, but the better your spelling the easier it is for people to understand you.

I hope to hear more from you on OLO.

thank you, i think i will try it. i ahvent really been able to go to school to learn because i've been in and out of hospital because i have Sever depressive disorder and borderline personality disorder.

thanks,
Rizz

Dont let your illness hold you back Rizz. I love hearing stories of people conquering something like that. I bet you can do anything you put your mind to. I also would like to hear what you have to say. I really wasnt trying to put you down about your spelling but the spell check idea that snout had was great and you know if you put things into spellcheck it will help you to learn as well. Keep up the good posting!

Hi Rizz

You are a brave young lady, don't worry about the spelling, I can only imagine the turbulent school life you've had, and compared to some of my patients with the same illnesses, you are lucky to be able to spell at all! Mental health week is indeed a good way to remind people about the silent suffering that lots of people endure; the biggest problem is the stigma associated with mental illness; if only people were educated enough to realise that mental illness does not mean you are 'dangerous' or likely to hurt people!! I work with mentally ill people in prisons, and unfortunately they face the double stigma of mental illness plus having a criminal history - society is less than tolerant of those souls, let me tell you. Whilst you're navigating the jungle that is mental health services in Australia, never lose sight of who you are, and a label is just that, you are still a worthwhile person underneath all the labels. Good luck on your journey to recovery
Pallas

Rizz I think your wonderful to put this subject on the board for discussion.,your spelling is not really an issue for me and hey its not that bad.:)

I think there is a deep misunderstanding of mental illness in our society..
My mum passed away some years ago at age 55 and suffered for 35 yrs with schizophrenia whilst raising 5 children with my alcholic dad for 'support'.He was also violent and rarely worked..

That we turned out to be relatively well rounded human beings is a testament to the wonderful job my brave mother did.

Schizophrenia in those days was regarded as little more than an 'evil' so misunderstood was it , treatments came from the dark ages..electric shock therapy, strong drugs that would disable a horse..and ignorance of mental illness was deeply ingrained by nearly all of society and my mother tried desparately to hide it even though she was quite profoundly effected...she had a dangerous side.

To this day Ill bet most plle dont really know what causes this illness and its treatments and how it manifests itself.Some of our most brilliant minds scientific and otherwise were indeed shizophrenic..I think Steven Hawkins and the movie with Russell Crowe..cant think of the name right now.

We all have the capacity to develop this illness and most mental illnesses are NOT hereditary..

Thank you Rizz for highlighting this topic.

im being tested 4 that coz i hear voices

Well Rizz, the great thing is that there are very good treatments these days that can help you function as normal again..these treatments get rid of the voices..these voices were very frightening for my mother.so they may be for you too.

But awareness is now so much better than it was then and you will find the treatment thats perfect for you..it is possible that you could be experiencing a 'one off ' episode ..but only your doctor can know that..best of luck.:)

Hi Riz,
I must add my support and congratulations to you also on having the courage to speak on behalf of those with mental or psychological illness. I too have a history of that but would never have had the courage to speak that you have at your age.
You are a fine example of people speaking up in support of the human condition. After all, there is nothing experienced by one person that is not at some time experienced to some degree by every one of us in our lives. Just different contexts.
It was good to hear from you Riz.
I wish you all the very best,
ambien

thank you all very much for your kind words.

well Mental Helth week starts today and finishes on the 14th