YOU ARE NOT ALONE
My copy of child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Ken Duckworth’s book, You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health, is filled with underlining and notes. I’d like to share with you a
selection I highlighted that gives a snapshot of the “unfortunate historical legacy” of mental illness: “For centuries, we have somehow collectively agreed that if the most complex organ in the body [i.e.
the brain] has a disturbance and provokes a mood, thought, or perceptual experience that results in behavioral issues, we need to retreat to shame and isolation or to lock the “disturbed“ person away in
an asylum. . . In a society that has long sidelined mental health conditions, it can be hard to recognize and accept that you may have one.”
This paragraph reminds me of the tragic history of how we have treated the mentally ill. While I’m grateful that we have come a long way in our understanding of mental illness and the treatment of those living with
it, we still have more work to do. The legacy of stigma and shame surrounding mental illness continues to linger in our society, but it does not have to be this way. We can break the stigma if all of us advocate,
champion, and foster a culture that allows those living with mental health conditions to be open in sharing their experience. Together I am hopeful that we can help create a different historical legacy.
Matthew Butte- Executive Director
In this Issue
Meet Teresa Norman- Our Champion in the Spotlight
An Inspiring Evening on the Columbia River Raises Spirits and Funds
Driving Donations– An Inside look at our Food and Toy Drives
Become a Champion of Hope