Because of my experience with Maxine, I've always known that people have value in spite of their mental illness. I knew my Mom as a wonderful human being. She was funny. She was loving. She was willing to play with her children. And she was beautiful. Until her mental illness took over. So, I have always been willing to see past the mental illness into the essential nature of the person. I used that heavily in working with clients. I wanted to know about them. I wanted to know who they were underneath it all. And as a result, I have many awesome memories of the people that I tried to help. I felt true affection for them. And I saw myself as a significant part of their support system. It made my work amazingly fulfilling. And I think that they recognized that I felt that way. I cared. And I wasn't terribly intimidated by the illness. I've always thought that I owed Maxine thanks for that...although explaining why I felt that way wouldn't have been productive. Telling my Mom she was mentally ill would have caused a fight. Therefore, I usually kept my opinion to myself. It seemed easier and was certainly better for our relationship.
Why do I think that this is important to mention? Because most people have good in them. And recognizing that mental illness doesn't necessarily make people dangerous is an important thing. I've known some real characters as a result of my experiences. Luckily, I don't think I was ever in danger from any of my clients. I certainly tried to pay attention. I knew that getting into certain situations could put me in danger. After all, I was in the community working with mentally ill people. I remember situations that could have escalated, but I learned early in my career that I needed to be aware. As a younger social service worker, I remember calling a supervisor and telling her that a family told me that my potential client had a gun and was so angry that they feared that the client was willing to use it. Being young, and working in a crisis program, I thought that I had to go see this family and deal with the situation. She told me that I certainly wasn't to go into that situation and that she wanted me to come straight back to the office. And she took responsibility for notifying the police. It was really a valuable lesson. And part of the lesson is that I learned that I could keep myself safe in my work by paying attention and relying on other members of the team. I followed that basic idea in my continuing work in the field. And I was never in danger as far as I knew. None of my clients were a threat to me.
But as I have learned that not all mentally ill people are dangerous, I have also learned that stigma keeps people fearing the mentally ill. We have all seen situations in which mentally ill people commit crimes involving great violence. We only have to look at the headlines. But when you begin to equate mental illness with violence, you are truly ignorant. If as many as one in five experience mental illness, you are fearing a whole lot of people. Maybe a friend or family member. And the fear is most likely not necessary. If you have spent any time at all reading my blog, you know that one of my primary goals is to convince you that mental illness is not necessarily something to be feared...it is something that requires treatment. If this helps you to find peace with a loved one, I have accomplished what I set out to accomplish. Let me know what you think! I love to hear from people about what they are learning. Let's talk!
Why do I think that this is important to mention? Because most people have good in them. And recognizing that mental illness doesn't necessarily make people dangerous is an important thing. I've known some real characters as a result of my experiences. Luckily, I don't think I was ever in danger from any of my clients. I certainly tried to pay attention. I knew that getting into certain situations could put me in danger. After all, I was in the community working with mentally ill people. I remember situations that could have escalated, but I learned early in my career that I needed to be aware. As a younger social service worker, I remember calling a supervisor and telling her that a family told me that my potential client had a gun and was so angry that they feared that the client was willing to use it. Being young, and working in a crisis program, I thought that I had to go see this family and deal with the situation. She told me that I certainly wasn't to go into that situation and that she wanted me to come straight back to the office. And she took responsibility for notifying the police. It was really a valuable lesson. And part of the lesson is that I learned that I could keep myself safe in my work by paying attention and relying on other members of the team. I followed that basic idea in my continuing work in the field. And I was never in danger as far as I knew. None of my clients were a threat to me.
But as I have learned that not all mentally ill people are dangerous, I have also learned that stigma keeps people fearing the mentally ill. We have all seen situations in which mentally ill people commit crimes involving great violence. We only have to look at the headlines. But when you begin to equate mental illness with violence, you are truly ignorant. If as many as one in five experience mental illness, you are fearing a whole lot of people. Maybe a friend or family member. And the fear is most likely not necessary. If you have spent any time at all reading my blog, you know that one of my primary goals is to convince you that mental illness is not necessarily something to be feared...it is something that requires treatment. If this helps you to find peace with a loved one, I have accomplished what I set out to accomplish. Let me know what you think! I love to hear from people about what they are learning. Let's talk!
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