Michael Jenike, MD moderated a panel discussion about overcoming the stigma of mental illness at the annual Obsessive Compulsive Foundation conference. Special guests were Mike Wallace, William Styron and Art Buchwald. Life-long friends, they taught us the importance of friends. They had each experienced clinical depression.
The OCF could not have planned a better panel discussion. I guess the panel discussed the stigma of mental illness. Like a good reporter, I had my notebook and pen in hand, ready to write copious notes on the featured topic. At the end of the hour I looked down to see two sentences on my lavender paper. (I have a teenage son, also a writer, who steals my paper. He has an aversion to lavender and pink notebooks, thus my affinity for those colors.)
The first sentence on my lavender paper was "Mike Wallace helped educate his psychiatrist." I could relate to that! I helped educate my psychiatrist and therapist about OCD. I tried anyway. Then I wrote articles to help educate my fellow nurses, school teachers and the public. Then I coauthored The OCD Workbook with Bruce Hyman, Ph.D., an experienced cognitive-behavioral therapist. To be released in October 1999, The OCD Workbook will educate thousands of people with OCD - and their doctors, therapists and families.
The second sentence, and the point of this column, was "Mike Wallace, Bill Styron and Art Buchwald had depression around the same time. Buchwald called both to offer encouragement. Keep in touch." I'm sure there was more said, questions were asked and the panelists responded. But the audience took away more than words. These three friends showed us the importance of friends supporting friends through the difficulties of life, which often includes mental illness. As they bantered back and forth about who had the worst depression, I could feel the love and concern they held for each other.
I was impressed with the honesty they shared with each other - and with us. They could have each kept their mental illness a secret and missed out on valuable support and friendship. These could have been fatal secrets!
After much applause, the three friends stayed a few minutes to shake hands, sign books and pose for pictures. I had bought Bill Styron's and Art Buchwald's books at the conference book table, but they were in my room. I went up front and watched the long line of people file by. I took a couple pictures and chatted with my friends (cyberfriends I normally only get to "see" online). "I don't need my books signed. The line is too long." I said.
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