American stage and screen actress Patty Duke once said that about her own childhood memories of a condition that would affect her for the rest of her life. She, like other children and adolescents, had a severe form of bipolar disorder — a biological illness of the brain that wasn’t diagnosed until many years later.
For decades, Americans with serious mental illnesses — like bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia — and those who love them, have battled an overwhelming stigma that kept discussions about these diseases at the level of hushed whispers, and kept many of us ignorant of the potential for treatment and recovery.
Unlike cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, public discussions of these biological and treatable conditions were limited at best and taboo at worst. The symptoms of these illnesses seem less physical than traditional ailments. They are, by their nature, emotional and behavioral — making them difficult to understand, live with, and discuss in polite company. Unfortunately, the toll that they take on our nation, whether through loss of productivity, broken families, criminality, violence, and suicide, is just as serious as diseases like cancer and diabetes.
While stigma remains — and is likely to remain years from now — awareness about severe mental illnesses has increased dramatically. Treatment is more easily and publicly discussed, and while it sounds like a small gesture, seeing public figures and celebrities speak about their own experiences with these diseases indicates that the country is better able to view them as conditions that can be coped with successfully, given the proper care.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, half of all lifetime mental disorders, those that are considered serious mental illnesses, begin by age 14.
Children with these conditions face special challenges, and their families struggle daily to manage symptoms and get them the care they need. Nearly five million children have a serious brain disorder that significantly impacts their daily life. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, half of all lifetime mental disorders, those that are considered serious mental illnesses, begin by age 14. As scientists discover more underlying genetic, chemical, and biological bases for these diseases of the brain, it becomes clearer that patients often exhibit symptoms many years before they’re diagnosed and treated — often in childhood.
Far too many adolescents fail out of school, make contact with the criminal justice system, or otherwise harm their life’s potential due to symptoms of these illnesses. This often happens before they’re able to seek diagnosis and medical assistance. And far too often, their families are left with few treatment options and little guidance about how to help a youngster who is in crisis.
Several years ago in a hearing that I requested before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Pete Earley, who wrote a book about his college-aged son’s battle with mental illness, testified about this very problem: “It is difficult enough to battle a biological brain disorder. It is even more frustrating and more heartbreaking when you encounter a mental health care system that is callous and so deeply flawed that it throws up roadblocks to recovery rather than offering a helping hand.” This is the case for too many parents, and it’s a state, local, and national problem that should continue to be addressed.
Far too many adolescents fail out of school, make contact with the criminal justice system, or otherwise harm their life’s potential due to symptoms of these illnesses …
And far too often, their families are left with few treatment options and little guidance about how to help a youngster who is in crisis.
We have made strides forward, but there is much more work to be done. Research on mental illness continues to provide new clues about its causes and treatments. More resources are being made available to parents who, years ago, would have found very little in the way of a support system. State and federal mental health parity laws, while not perfect, hopefully provide some security for families working through the insurance maze of inpatient psychiatric stays and medical visits. Advocacy organizations have sprouted up across the country to assist families in finding psychiatric providers and other mental health care services.
There is hope for families who feel hopeless in the wake of a diagnosis. It is possible to overcome these conditions if proactive steps are taken to get help and seek support. As research advances and we learn more about how the brain works, the stigma of mental illness is being lifted.
I’m hopeful that we can continue these advances, both in the public arena and in Congress, to make real progress towards treatment of these brain illnesses, so that American children and young adults who struggle with them can reach their potential.
Sue Myrick represents the 9th District of North Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives.