In response to the contest last month I received numerous heartfelt essays about what all of you are doing for mental health advocacy. I have chosen a winner; she is chosen for her own inspiring story and for the universality of mental illness in all areas of disability, and for the way she rose to the challenge to maximize her ability. Here is her story.
I am one of the thousand of people dealing with disabilities. My main disabilities are the result of Polio and Post Polio Syndrome, but I also have some of the all too frequent secondary conditions that people with PPS deal with in disproportionate numbers compared to the TAB (temporarily Able Bodied) population. The PPS is a progresssive condition and therefore most of the people dealing with it have a constant battle with depression. Their depression is not only because they are fighting new disabilities as time goes on, but most find themselves abandoned by friends and family, as well as the lack of information most doctors have about the condition. Things have improved to some extent as people dealing with these problems have joined forces on the internet, done intense research and shared their findings with each other and taken hard copies of the information to their doctors and physical therapists. Many have turned to counselors, only to find that most are really not prepared. As a result of my correspondence during the last six and a half years, through several support groups online, with approximately 400 people, who were generous enough to share the information they found around the world, some websites were developed to consolidate the available information.
As I collected information, I also found myself frequently contacted via the member profile search ability by people who were new to the internet, or who were suddenly having new problems and were grasping at straws trying to find out what they might be dealing with, because their doctor's were not acknowledging their new problems as real physical problems, but rather treating them with the additude that it was "all in their heads" or they were looking for attention. Families and friends were doing likewise. I eventually decided that there is no such thing as too much information and have spent the last seven months developing a user friendly website to help people find the information they need, links to some of the support groups, equipment, etc. The site itself is loaded with information and suggestions
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