Point of clarification:

As a graduate-level trained counselor of 30 years who diagnosed my own severe depression and severe anxiety, I eagerly put myself in outpatient psychiatric care in 2012, the year I had to start on disability and retire, happily. As an advocate for those of us with brain health issues, the term “mental ILLNESS” makes me nauseous, because each of those words has a most negative connotation, as we attempt continuously to stamp out the bias and discrimination against yet another ostracized group. SO, clarification: I meant to say “mental illness”, not “mental health”. With that said, the word “mental” attached to any word will never be in my vocabulary. We have a brain condition, and we need treatment for it, just like someone has a heart condition and needs treatment for it. The brain is the only organ of the body that is not, typically, studied BEFORE it is treated. Echocardiograms, EKGs, stress tests represent common tests given BEFORE treating a heart condition. Most psychiatrists throw meds at us hoping one is going to stick after six weeks. The brain is another organ of the body that needs to be medically treated. PERIOD. And if you haven’t already, get genetically tested before you start any psych med. I was on four antidepressants simultaneously at one time and even that cocktail did not control the depression. Now I’m on one . . one . . that is doing a pretty darn good job all by itself, thankfully. And all it took was a cheek swab!!