We ALL Need to do Better!
“You can not just give up on someone because the situation is hard. “It doesn’t matter how slow you go as long as you do not stop” - Confucius.
We ALL need to DO BETTER for the greater good. Each person in our society plays a role in the bigger picture of our world; from parents, to extended family and friends, to teachers, to doctors, to police, to emergency responders, to insurance companies, to business owners, to the media and more. We ALL play a role in the outcome of our society and those who are a part of it. We all need to do our part with compassion and care and work together for the greater good of our world.
We have all heard the term “reduce the stigma”. Terms like this have quickly fallen on deaf ears. Too many people live their lives in a way that if something doesn’t affect them they don’t learn more about it and they ignore it. In my opinion, that is a very arrogant and ignorant way of life. We need to have more compassion, empathy and understanding of mental health and addiction diseases. People fighting these diseases are all around you. A countless number of people are suffering silently to avoid being judged, ignored or shamed. We need to do better.
Where do you work? What is your profession? I can’t tell you the exact number of times I have sought help from a professional for myself and/or my children and wondered if anyone was listening. I wondered if these generously compensated professionals were qualified or trained to do their jobs with the lack of compassionate care I/my children received. Finding professionals who care, who really listen, who follow up, and who provide compassionate care is very, very hard to find, especially when you are in a crisis. I should also mention that if you do find a qualified professional they most likely won’t take your health insurance. We need to do better.
We need to do better to provide the compassion, empathy and direction to help those with mental health and addiction diseases so that everyone gets the care that they need and treatment to recover with the dignity they deserve. School professionals should not be saying “We can’t help” and turn a blind eye, Doctors should not be saying “I choose not to take you on as a patient” or “You are too challenging of a case for my workload”. Hospitals should not be releasing patients without a proper follow-up plan. Insurance companies should not be cutting off insurance before a person has received the full treatment they need. Rehabs should not be kicking people out before they are ready because of insurance companies and/or profit margins. Police and EMTs should receive more training in compassionate care for patients (and their caregivers) in a mental health and/or substance abuse crisis. We need to do better.
I heard the phrase “casserole illness” recently and that resonated with me. Mental health illnesses are invisible illnesses that do not get the support and compassion they deserve. I can guarantee you that there are numerous people in your community struggling silently right now, feeling defeated and feeling ignored. No one is making them a casserole or a meal train to get through the crisis they are going through. These are private, personal illnesses that are not talked about or shared to protect those suffering/struggling. We need to do better.
When seeking care for my son, Jack, the misunderstandings and lack of professionals listening to what we were saying were exhausting. The looks of disgust and the dismissed approaches of professionals were never-ending. Jack was trying his hardest to get the help he needed. I was trying my hardest as his biggest supporter to help him get the help he needed. We were fighting the system/society almost as hard as we were fighting the disease. Education needs to be offered, demanded, and expected of professionals in all professions to help. We need to do better.
We have to treat those struggling with mental health/addiction with the same compassion and empathy that we give to those with cancer and other illnesses. It is not fair/right to shame people for having a disease. We can’t and we shouldn’t have to do this alone.
There are so many failures in our system. We as caretakers only can do so much. We seek experts to help us and our children. The failures are in all areas: families, friends, doctors, hospitals, schools, rehabs, social media, etc. throughout our communities.
WE ALL NEED TO DO BETTER!
Always be Kind,
Mindy
Every kind word matters.
Every person that listens, matters.
Every professional that goes the extra mile, matters.
Every act of grace matters.