Mental Illness: A Heart Rending Story

It’s a story we hear all too often.  A kid gets a serious illness…communities rally around him to support him and his family as he battles through treatment…money is raised to pay for hospital bills.  Heartwarming stories come out of it all.

While this may be the case for many diseases, those who suffer from mental illness rarely have heartwarming stories!  Read this letter from the father of a child who has childhood bipolar disorder. 

 

By Anonymous (a physician)

I have a terrible wish that breaks my heart. I wish my son had childhood leukemia instead of what he does have, a mental illness called childhood bipolar disorder (BP).

You see, if only my son had childhood leukemia instead of BP…

He would have a 90% chance of being cured and only a 10% chance of dying.

Family and friends would rally to support him and us. They would stay at his bedside. They would send cards and balloons and flowers. They would prepare meals for us. They would be there for him and us.

Foundations would answer his fondest wish, and professional athletes and clowns would come to his bedside to bring him a smile.

He would be treated on a caring cancer ward in a beautiful children's hospital made possible by gifts from private individuals and foundations. Our insurance company would not put a limit on the number of days he could spend in the hospital, and there would be plenty of outstanding pediatric oncologists willing to treat him.

If he needed $100,000 for a bone marrow transplantation, medical insurance would cover it. If not, family, friends, and strangers would donate money to ensure that he received the life-saving treatment.

But my son does not have leukemia. He has a mental illness and…

He has more than an 18% chance of dying from suicide or drug overdose or some other complication of his illness, and there is no hope for a cure -- only the hope that maybe someday he can take care of himself.

Family and friends avoid us. They do not rally to help us. They do not ask how he is and how we are. They are not there for him or us.

There are no foundations seeking to grant his wishes, and professional athletes and clowns do not come to give him a smile. Our son has a mental illness, and that means his illness is not like leukemia, because surely it is his fault or our fault or both. His illness is certainly not something worth caring about. His wishes are not worth granting, and few people want to volunteer their time just to bring him a smile.

There is no beautiful psychiatric ward for him, because who would want to waste their gifts on children like him? Instead, we close psychiatric facilities for children and put up barriers to their receiving treatment. Our insurance company limits inpatient coverage to 30 days a year, so we pray he does not need more than that. Insurance companies do not adequately pay child psychiatrists, so, naturally, there is a shortage, and we feel lucky because we were able to get a child psychiatrist to care for our son.

If he ever needs residential treatment, which may require many months of therapy, our medical insurance will not pay for it. Family, friends, and strangers will not come forward to raise the $100,000 that is needed for this treatment, no matter how life-saving it may be.

Yes, if my son had leukemia, he would have a realistic chance of being cured, and would receive the best possible medical care and the support of family and friends and strangers. But he doesn't. He has BP, and that means inadequate medical care, cold indifference from others, and no hope for a cure.

What a terrible wish for a father to have. To wish that your son had leukemia instead of what he does have, a mental illness called bipolar disorder.

 

It’s easy to forget that mental illnesses are physical in nature.  People with mental illnesses aren’t morally deficient…they aren’t ‘weird’…they aren’t ‘problems.’  They are sick people in need of treatment.  They are children of God in need of care and compassion…just as every person struggling with an illness needs care and compassion.

This week is national Mental Illness Awareness Week.  As people of God we are free to reach out to those struggling with mental illnesses…and the families that love and care for them!