Damaged goods...

I overheard one of our clients refer to himself as "Damaged goods" because he has a mental illness. I can't tell you how sad that made me.

Think of yourself on an average day...
Maybe you get up, get some breakfast, get the kids off to school, get ready for work, take on whatever the work day brings you, a yelling boss, a disgruntled customer, a co-worker in a bad mood. You have expectations put on you. Whatever it is you do, you have to produce. Then you go home. You may have to stop and pick up a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread. Then you pick up your kids and the teacher tells you how their day went. You get home, make dinner, clean up. Watch some tv, maybe? Pay some bills?

Now think of yourself on an average day with schizophrenia...and your voices...
Maybe you get up ("you lazy son of a bitch, you're worthless") get some breakfast ("you don't deserve to eat, you piece of crap!") get the kids off to school ("they hate you, they've always hated you, you're a piece of shit!") get ready for work ("failure!! you're a screw up!! you can't do anything!!") take on whatever the work day brings you ("how can you possibly think you can do this!! you're an idiot!! STUPID ASS!!") a yelling boss ("worthless!! no one needs you here!!! IMBECILE!!!") a disgruntled customer ("I told you you would fail, ASS!! You smell, you're stupid, they'd be better off without you, you should just die!!!") a co-worker in a bad mood (EVERYONE HATES YOU, JUST DIE!!!"). You have expectations put on you. Whatever it is you do, you have to produce. ("You should just kill yourself. Go ahead. Everyone would be better off without you!!")

You get the picture. Try recording your family or friends shouting those things on a loop. Then put the ear buds in your ears and go to the grocery store and try to buy a gallon of milk. It's almost impossible to think. It can even effect your ability to walk straight or go up a single stair.

My point is this, everyday I see people living with mental illness. They're trying to maintain a job, keep their family together, or just have one friend they can trust. They have to maneuver through each day hearing or seeing things only they can see or hear. They have to take medications that add weight, make them impotent, make them drowsy, make their food taste bad, decreases their sex drive, their appetite or increases those thing which has a whole different effect on their lives. Their families don't always understand it and want them to "snap out of it". They often choose to not have friends or socialize because it's too difficult. They persevere, fail, bounce back and try again...and again... and again.

I don't see them as damaged goods. I see them as champions. I know I couldn't do it. Could you?