Myths of Mental Illness

Moe Armstrong

1. Nothing is wrong with me.

I'm not OK, You're not OK.

All people who appear effective in life seem to have a system of self monitoring.

Self monitoring means that:

• I care and watch out for myself.
• I ask a lot of questions.
• I get a lot of opinions.
• I rest to make good decisions.
• I open the door to have people react to me.
• I listen to what people have to say about me
• I don't have to agree with people.
• People don't have to agree with me. I'm not for everyone.

2.What is effective

Effective is personal satisfaction in balance with community and family reaction/satisfaction to ourselves.

Our family and community react to ourselves.
We are not driven isolated individuals.

Part of "effective" is also being healthy.
Both physical and mental health.
Both physical and mental health.
Both physical and mental health.
Both physical and mental health.

3. Recovery means doing, being, thinking and living--just like we used to.

The psychiatric crisis can be a positive warning sign. We might have to change our lives.

We can live in limits.
We can also set out for new directions and new accomplishments.

We might have to learn with less.
Earn less money. Live in one room apartments. Maybe, forever.

I had the opportunity to live above three college students who were also mental health consumers. They attended Tufts University. They enjoyed each having one room and sharing the kitchen.

Did they get along? No
Were they able to enjoy the space they had? Yes

They based their enjoyment of life on learning. Learning is very cost effective. There are free public libraries. Conversation and sharing ideas can be free. Recovery can be new life style . A radio, some music, books and room can be gotten by most people today. Room mate referrals abound. Rest and quiet are inexpensive.

Recovery might mean more rest than I once thought I needed.Most people can only live this high paced workaholic life style by taking something. Even today, I drink more coffee than is healthy for my body.

Are we willing:
To give up the fast track for an appreciation our life?
To discover and step back from a threshold where we lose our peace of mind?

"Voluntary Simplicity" might be a way of life for many of us.

4.The term to get high might be defining what is really going on?

The opposite of high is low, down or could be depressed.

Movies have done a great dis service to psychiatric treatment.

Most people who are depressed are not basket cases.
Most people who are depressed seem well to the world around them. We have a legitimate condition which needs appropriate care

Again, pharmaceutical interventions and extra rest go a long way toward slowing the skids toward depression.

Even with the extra rest that I get today, I still don¹t waste or lose as much activity time as I did in the days when I got high. I would lose whole weeks by being too spaced out. Today, I might sleep a couple of extra hours a day but I wake up fairly fresh. I can still get a few chores done before I rest, again. Sometimes on the weekend, I take two or three naps a day. I still don¹t lose all day Saturday or Sunday to extra sleep.

I will be remembered by what I learned and how I cared for people around me.
Not what car did I drive. How many radios, televisions or clothes did I have. The biggest myth of mental illness is that we lost life¹s opportunities. We might have gained an opportunity to live with respect and dignity. Our life of recovery might be our biggest chance in life. We might get the real high off health and knowledge.