Talking about death...

Depression can be powerful.  It can…and does…lead to death.  Even for those blessed with privilege.  Here is an account of a suicide that I read today. http://bit.ly/10qEu7l  The suicide was the result of mental illness in the son of a famous pastor. Rick Warren is very well known.   He even gave the invocation at President Obama’s inauguration in 2009.  However, his family was not immune from the impact of mental illness.  And that led to the death of his son.  This is a sad thing.   It is also a reminder of the awe-inspiring power of mental illness.   Even for a young man from a well-known and spiritual family, the overwhelming nature of depression killed.  His story is experienced by many families.  Many with little ability to obtain the kind of support and medical intervention that the Warren family could.  I am not pointing this out to say that there is a problem with the Warren family being able to get help.  I was just trying to point out that even with access to the best help that can be found, healing from mental illness can be difficult.  So, when we don’t provide people with access to medication and support, we are gambling with death.  That is a frightening thought.  Depression, and other forms of mental illness, are not trivial.  They impact lives.  And for many, they impact the continuation of life.  In other words, people die. 

Reading this article about the death of Matthew Warren was a reminder of the seriousness of mental illness.  And a reminder that struggling with depression is not simply a struggle with sadness.  It is a biochemical disease.  And just like cancer, heart disease, or other potentially fatal illnesses, it sometimes leads to death.  It isn’t really surprising that people die from depression.  We hear about deaths from suicide all the time.  But in my opinion, depression influences the occurrence of death in other situations.  People who are depressed may be prone to other illnesses.  Does depression actually weaken your body and your immune system?   I’m not a doctor or a scientist, but I believe so.  I think that depression influences every aspect of your health.  And when your health declines, then your depression can increase.  Kind of a never-ending circle.  Spiraling downward.

So, what is the answer?  We need to start taking mental illness seriously as a health condition.  We need to give people access to the level of care that is needed.  Programs that serve the mentally ill are not something expendable to society.  We have to start looking at the cost to families and to society as a whole when we don’t provide the opportunity for care.  If you have ever seen someone committed to a mental hospital and ‘Baker Acted’, you frequently see them handcuffed and brought to the hospital.  Mental illness isn’t criminal in and of itself.  Would you see someone suffering from cancer handcuffed before getting medical care?  I don’t think so.  We have to learn to explore our attitudes towards the mentally ill and towards treatment in order to deal with this health crisis.  And without trying to sound like ‘Chicken Little’, I do think of it as a crisis.  

I have spoken very clearly throughout many of my articles about my belief that the stigma of mental illness is costly.  When we look at the fact that the term mental illness covers a wide-range of problems and many people,   we can see that the cost is enormous.  If you know someone who is addicted, you are seeing a mental health problem.  If you know someone struggling with depression, you are seeing a mental health problem.  If you are looking at homelessness in this country, you are frequently looking at mental health problems.  We know that many of those populating our jails and prisons are suffering from mental health problems.  How many lose jobs and are unable to work as a result of mental health problems?  What is the cost?

         In my opinion, the biggest cost is the loss of life.  The people who die leave families and friends.They leave the pain of a life ended way too soon.  Matthew Warren was 27 years old.  He died before he had a chance to really have a life.  So, before you discount the importance of providing treatment, look at the impact on Pastor Rick Warren and his family. They lost their son.  Someone who they describe as gentle and loving.Someone who had a great deal to share. A valuable human being. Remember Matthew as you look at the cost of treating mental illness. The cost of not treating promises to be greater.