Mental Health Awareness Month: Little Blue Box
by Zach Kobayashi, Marketing Assistant and Tumblr, DoSomething.org
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, DoSomething.org will be sharing stories from our members and staff. Each of these stories must include resources for mental health, which can be found at the bottom of each post. I am participating in this project to help spotlight mental health and end the stigma around mental illness. I encourage everyone willing to share their story to do so. Take care of yourself this May; exciting things are ahead for you!
The last thing my mother gave me before she passed away was a little blue box that she had painted during her stay at a mental health facility. There’s still a little bit on the front that she never painted; she had been distracted by something else and forgotten to come back to it. The box symbolized her struggle living with mental illness. It’s a daily reminder to me of the difference I want to make within the mental healthcare space. Mental illness directly affects about one in four people in the world and indirectly affects a significant number of others. Those living with mental illness have an increased risk of unemployment, poverty, abuse, self-harm, and suicide. The box my mother gave me, a representation of both her mental illness and my own, inspires me to work toward making mental illness a worldwide priority and increasing the accessibility of mental health resources.
Source: crisistextline.org
Mental illness has always played a significant role in my life. My mother suffered from what her doctors believed to be severe Bipolar Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Five days before my junior year of high school began, my mother succumbed to her mental illnesses and took her own life. This was her third attempt to overdose, but the doctors treating her were more concerned with the costs of her stay at their health facility than her mental well being, and she was released without question after each suicide attempt.
It wasn’t until she had passed away that the doctors from the facility told my family that she had suffered from Borderline Personality Disorder, not Bipolar Disorder. Without the proper care and resources, my mother was unable to cope with her illness and win the fight against it.
Losing my mother had a profound impact on me, but these were not my only encounters with mental illness. Prior to my loss, I was also diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. ADD is often hereditary, so it’s not uncommon for the children of parents with the disorder to share a diagnosis. . I am currently taking medication to manage my ADD, but the medication is expensive and requires a monthly visit to the psychiatrist. Because of my insurance coverage, I am required to visit my doctor at home, which means leaving school and sometimes missing classes. When untreated, ADD can eliminate an individual’s motivation to act, cause minor instances of memory loss, and pull focus from relevant tasks — among other symptoms, which vary among individuals with ADD.
I have worked hard to fight the symptoms of my illness and have made a number of personal and academic accomplishments that are said to be impossible for individuals living with ADD by many who don’t understand mental illness. Last June, I graduated high school with honors, and I started my freshman year of college at New York University’s Stern School of Business last fall. I am actively involved in my school community, and I am currently working as the marketing intern at DoSomething.org, as well as running the Tumblr account. Beyond school activities, I have received certification as an Emergency Medical Technician, and I volunteer weekly with the Hillsdale Volunteer Ambulance Service when I’m not in school. I have been able to manage my disability with proper treatment and a strong determination, and I want to make the same opportunities available to every other person affected by mental illness.
My experiences have shown me that a number of mental illnesses can be managed with appropriate medical treatments and proper self-care practices; however, accessing these treatments is not always possible. Individuals struggling with manageable mental illnesses may not be able to afford expensive treatments, and the stigma surrounding mental illness may prevent others from seeking treatment. These barriers must be broken.
Strides toward breaking these barriers are being made every day. One organization working to help those in need of mental health care is Crisis Text Line (CTL). It’s an anonymous and free service that allows individuals in a moment of crisis to text with a trained crisis counselor, usually in under 5 minutes. Born out of DoSomething.org, Crisis Text Line works to ensure that nobody suffers in silence. To help Crisis Text Line in their mission, DoSomething.org is kicking off Crisis Crew, a simple and easy way to make sure that young people in need learn about the vital services CTL provides. You can sign up for DoSomething.org’s Crisis Crew campaign to help those in crisis find help.
IF YOU ARE IN REAL CRISIS, TEXT DS TO 741741.
IF YOU ARE IN NEED, CHECK OUT THESE MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES:
Mental Health Awareness Month on Tumblr
We’re all in this together. The story of your life can change someone else’s. #PostItForward
#MotivationMonday every day. A daily text to help you thrive.
Trevor Project Support Center
A place where LGBTQ youth and their allies can find answers to frequently asked questions, and explore resources related to sexual orientation, gender identity and more! Remember, if you need immediate support or help, Trevor’s counselors are just a phone call, chat, or text away. You are not alone.
Learn to meditate in just 10 minutes a day with the Headspace app. Daily meditation has been shown to help people stress less, exercise more and even sleep better.
Your guide to the transition from high school to college and adulthood.
