I volunteered and was elected to be a on a state board this year. The board is all about mental health and includes initiatives such as education, advocacy, and reducing stigma. I am really excited about starting my work on this board – so far, I have prepped for this meeting and I have even read a book about board membership that the group gave to all new board members. I am really hoping that I can contribute to this board and that we can make some noticeable progress at the state level.
Of course, if you have been reading my blog, you somewhat understand my journey to being on this board. It wouldn’t have been my top choice years ago, but now it is something I feel that I have to work on due to my family history. My top concern is that others do not have to suffer in the ways that my family (both those who were ill and the caregivers) suffered. We have to strive to do better and to take better care of each other.
Obviously this board will have to get into more specific details, but I like to dream about what the world would look like if I had my way regarding mental health. Ideally, there would be no mental illness, or any illness at all, however at this point that seems like a long range goal – but something we should work towards. Before we get to that day, I dream of a world where there is zero stigma surrounding mental illness. Mental illness would be something that is talked about and treated like any other disease or disorder and the fear surrounding it would be gone. I like to tell people that we should think of mental illness like we think about cancer – it is serious, treatment can be hard, and it can be deadly. Why can’t we show the care and compassion for mental illness that we do for cancer? That would be a huge step. In this dream world of mine everyone would understand the complexities of mental illness and understand the importance of finding cures.
Of course, now that I have dreamed about the big picture, it’s time to get to work making all of the small changes that will add up to the big ones. If you have any thoughts or ideas, both big and small, of what a board, a group, or an individual can do to improve the status of mental illness please share it with me. We can each contribute and help, but we can’t do it all on our own.