There a a number of profound myths tied into mental illness, many of which are addressed in the thoughtful comments above. The most damaging one of the moment is that those with mental illness are violent or more prone to violence than those that aren’t. In actuality, people with mental illnesses are more likely to be victims of crimes than perpetrators of crimes yet because of all the media attention around isolated incidents in which an individual with mental illness commits a crime, this belief is running rampant. Wed that with horror films and crime shows that depict people with mental illness as violent and the stereotype perpetuates further. In actuality, four percent of gun homicides are attributed to gun violence. Likewise, the percentage of individuals living with schizophrenia, the diagnosis society is so afraid of is only 1% and many folks I know with that particular illness would never hurt a fly and are generous of spirit. Similarly, psychosis is a state of being that can occur from a number of conditions, including a bad reaction to a drug (legal or illegal), dementia, not enough sleep, etc. So one can experience psychosis and not necessarily have a mental illness, although there are mental illnesses in which psychosis is a feature.

I am obviously very invested in this topic or I wouldn’t be writing such an extensive response and my heart is coming from a place of passion and a desire to educate. My vocation involves certifying individuals to teach a course entitled “Mental Health First Aid”, a public education seminar that is gaining enormous traction in the US, although the program is an international movement. We have been endorsed by the Obama administration and given status by SAMHSA as an evidenced based program. I encourage anyone who is interested to take this course. You can find information about it by googling “Mental Health First Aid.” It is being taught in churches, universities, hospitals, police precincts, etc.

My investment in this topic is both professional and personal. My own mother took her life five years ago and lived with alcohol dependence. The latter resulted in numerous DUIs that led to long term incarcerations at different periods in her life. Yet my mother was as gentle as Bambi and struggled terribly. I don’t think anyone when they are five thinks, “When I grow up, I want to have an addiction….” I have been writing about my mother’s drinking since I was eight years old and currently have a book being reviewed for potential publication. The topic deals with transformation and how our wounds can become our gifts. It is also a valentine to my mother and reflects years of my own reflections and experiences in relation to healing.

Rachel, you mention a few books. Amy’s, which is excellent and important for the church and Jeanette Wells’ “A Glass Castle” which is beautifully written. However, I’d be careful to assume that all life experience associated with loved ones with a mental illness reads as an “unmitigated horror.” There is pain to be sure but also love, for life and individuals are so multi-facted. And I think both Amy and Jeanette’s book reveal this truth.