In my perspective, I think that every mentally ill person is potentially treatable. However, it is the most difficult illness to treat, for the following reasons:
1) It is a very subjective
illness. It cannot be detected by blood test, x-ray,
MRI or other methods to diagnose an illness. Even the psychiatrists have a lot
of limitations in knowing how each patient feels and what type of illness they
actually have. Like me, I was not correctly diagnosed until 3 years after my
injury. Therefore, patients are the only
ones who can access their own inner state, but most of them are too sick to
even think and too easy to give up. And most importantly, they lack the
knowledge and insight to help themselves.
2) It’s hard to find the
right type of medication, the right combination of medications and the right
dosage. The side effects of some medications can even
worsen the symptoms and make a person even more suicidal. Other side effects,
such as appetite change, weight gain, acne, aloofness, etc. are big deals to
most people. They could become the very cause of depression. Therefore, if one
medication doesn’t work, keep on looking and trying on other types of
medication. Do not give up on meds. Do not stop taking meds even if you are
feeling better. My condition is treatable but I don’t think it’s curable. I’ll take
my meds unconditionally every day for the rest of my life. I might compromise
my chances of having my biological child, but nothing is more important than
the quality of my mental health.
3) The lack of social
support is also a big problem for the mentally ill.
When you are crazy and lose your mind, you really need someone to take you to a
psychiatric facility and act on your behalf. But unfortunately, in many cases,
when someone is mentally ill, people walk away from their life when they need social
support the most. When a person lost their job, their romantic partner and
other meaningful possessions during their acute state, how would they be able
to feel happy again even if they are bio-chemically restored?
