Tears won’t change a thing, but words can
Harriet Brown has written a thoughtful piece calling for compassion and science to bring understanding and support for these young people and their families, rather than brand them with devastating stigma. There are doctors and nurses in her community, she writes, who still blame the families or think that it’s a lifestyle choice....
A young woman I didn’t know died last week. She was bright and talented and had many interests—acting, writing, music. She wanted to teach and have a family when she grew up. Only she’s never going to grow up.
I didn’t know this young woman, but I know the disease that killed her, because it nearly killed my daughter. We don’t talk about it much. We don’t talk about the fact that it’s the deadliest psychiatric disease, or that it kills 20 percent of its victims and makes life hell for the other 80 percent—for a year, for five years, forever.
We don’t talk about it because so many people still think that people with this disease are spoiled rich kids acting out, looking for attention, or trying to punish their parents. They think this disease is a lifestyle choice, and they can’t imagine why anyone would choose it....[Click on link above to read the rest.]
<< Home