Published: August 04, 2008 10:24 am      

The face of mental illness

Second in a series

Editor’s note: This is the second in a six-part series on local resources dealing with mental and retardation.



Carman Williams

cwilliams@weatherforddemocrat.com

The face of mental illness has been painted for us — as a deformed madman in a comic book-turned-blockbuster hit or as a chilling murderer in a psychological thriller.

But could these images be harming the people who live with mental illness or mental retardation?

Coke Beatty, executive director of Pecan Valley Mental Health Mental Retardation, believes many images and stereotypes do just that.

“Stigma is the number one enemy of mental illness,” Beatty said. “It’s branding, it’s labeling, it’s stereotyping. What it does is so damaging because it keeps people from getting treatment.”

Beatty cited estimates that, while two percent of Americans have a serious mental illness requiring hospitalization, as many as one out of every four Americans has a diagnosable mental illness.

The percentages of mental illness among certain groups such as the American military are much higher. In some branches, as many as half the troops have reported uncontrolled anxiety, major depression, alcohol or drug addiction or post-traumatic stress disorder, according to Pecan Valley records.

What’s more, Beatty said, is mental illnesses such as schizophrenia are not always the results of a tragic accident or shock, as many people believe.

“The bottom line is there is no predictor,” Beatty said, adding while some common threads run in many cases, there is no solid way to determine who will have a mental break.

“We’re all on the verge of having a diagnosable mental illness,” he said. “All of us have ideosyncracies. We all experience poor mental health at times, but when it interferes with daily functions of life, that’s when it’s a problem.”

With mental illness or mental retardation — defined as having an IQ of less than 70 — so prevalent in society, MHMR centers are dedicated to gaining public awareness and encouraging people to seek help.

Pecan Valley, founded in 1976, is designed to help clients “overcome the problems and disabilities of mental illness, mental retardation, developmental disabilities and substance abuse,” according to its mission statement.

Like other community MHMRs across the country, Pecan Valley provides psychiatric service and rehab for the community.

The center provides help for adults and children who meet certain standards. Adults who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression or schizoaffective disorder — a combination of mental illnesses — are eligible for help, as well as children with severe emotional disorders or who are in high-risk situations.

MHMRs are designed to treat patients with a variety of needs and levels of mental health.

Beatty explained Pecan Valley offers five levels of treatment for adults and seven levels for children, ranging from a few hours of counseling every month to hospitalization.

He fears that, even for patients who only need the minimum amount of help, the fear of being labeled will prevent them from receiving that help.

“They don’t want to be labeled as weak or face the ridicule of the general public,” Beatty said. “How many jokes are made about persons experiencing mental illness on the evening talk shows? You don’t see jokes being made about cancer victims. These individuals are victims, too. They didn’t ask to be struck with a brain that is not functioning properly.”