The Benefits of Peer Support in the Event of Mental Illness
by The mentally ill, rather than being ostracized and left to struggle through life alone, benefit greatly from peer support in both individual, and group settings.
My own perception of the mentally ill has changed dramatically over the past few decades, exponentially with my knowledge and exposure. When I was diagnosed as Bipolar in my late teens, in the middle of my nursing school years, I felt like it was a death sentence. How could I possible live anything like a normal or productive life? The stigma associated with the diagnosis ( not being eligible for health or life insurance, fretting over those questions on job applications about being treated for a mental health disorder) was nothing compared to the internal constant fear that no matter how hard I “tried”, I still might end up in a state facility some day, just like dear old Grandma.
I have been quite fortunate in that, over the years, I have learned to handle my own mental illness in much the same way that a diabetic learns to manage his illness-, and that I have been able to work to instill that concept in others. We do not choose what we are required to deal with, but we CAN choose how we attempt to deal with it. So instead of feeling that a life lived under the constant shadow of depression was not worth living, I learned to feel that a life lived to anything other than the highest potential, no matter what that may be, is truly the life that is wasted.
One of the most important aspects of living life to the fullest, for me, requires the interactions with my peers; the support and understanding of compassionate individuals who do not say “Oh, I know, it’s awful to be depressed” in a patronizing tone, but can express their own true understanding by simply being there, and having “been there” themselves. Peer support, found to be amazingly effective in the treatment of alcoholism and drug abuse, such as through Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, can also be effective in the ongoing management of mental illness, of depression, and of bipolar affective disorder, to name a few.
Groups exist and provide support to not only the individuals suffering from the mental disorder, such as the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) ,but for families and loved ones as well, such as the work done by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
Liked it
