So Much Hype About Mental Illness – What Defines Mental Wellness?

Mental illness has a wide range of definitions, from personality disorders, to depression, anxiety and psychosis. Personality disorders, since they are part of the basic personality, show up early in life. Things like conduct disorder, truancy, a lack of empathy toward others, a disregard for the rights of others, juvenile delinquency, lack of impulse control, etc. are some of the early signs of a personality disorder.

When it comes to personality disorders, if it does not show up early in life, the person probably does not have a personality disorder. Those who do have personality disorders will be in constant trouble at school, and at home. They will often drop out of school at an early age, have multiple discipline problems, fight with, and attack other children, run away from home, steal, and go from early childhood conduct disorder, to full blown juvenile delinquency, and trouble with the law.

In other types of personality disorders, such as BPD, the person will have poor impulse control leading to things like dropping out of school, or having multiple partners. They might get married on a whim, or move in with someone a week after knowing them. They too, will often have trouble with the law at an early age.

One of the key features of this disorder is highly manipulative behaviours, often with aggression or incredible persistence in getting what they want. I recall one woman with this diagnosis in a small mental health facility, and she was one of the most difficult people I have ever come across. She had been a forensic patient for several years. Prior to admission she stabbed members of her own family, and then as a psych patient, stabbed another patient. This is an extreme example, because most people with psychiatric disorders are not violent. Those who are violent though, can be very dangerous and unpredictable.

Another feature of those with BPD, they often dramatically, and frequently change their appearance. These changes in appearance can be anything from shaving one’s head, to multiple tattoos, excessive plastic surgery, etc.

Or it may manifest outwardly by cultural type shifts, like going from a goth or punk look, to becoming a jock or a cowboy. There is no rhyme or reason to it, because theoretically, the person is not comfortable in their own skin. So they try multiple different looks.

I think this must be quite stressful for people. Of course it is common for people, especially teenagers, to experiment with different looks, without having BPD. But if it becomes excessive, and is in conjunction with other symptoms, it has to be a difficult life to lead. If we rely solely on outward appearances, we will never find complete satisfaction, self awareness, or peace of mind. We are merely changing the layers, over top of who we really are. Image is important, but it is not everything.

Schizophrenia is something that gets diagnosed and treated by a psychiatrist, because often the person has completely lost touch with reality. The cause could be secondary to hard drugs like crystal meth, or vulnerabilities to other drugs like cannabis use. From the years I worked in mental health, it seems the person with schizophrenia often had the first psychotic break between eighteen and twenty-one years old, and seemed more prevalent in young males. There may be an association with the demands of adulthood, and the transition involved.

Bipolar disorder is characterized by extreme mood swings. It used to be called manic depressive disorder. My mother-in-law was bipolar. She had her first serious episode at around age fifty. After that, she was hospitalized many times, and in her sixties, spent up to forty-eight weeks of the year in hospital. Before an extreme manic episode, she would have disrupted sleep. Following a few weeks of disrupted sleep, she would spiral completely out of control.

What is it like to watch a person go into a manic psychosis? It was extremely difficult for the family. The behaviours included tearing the house apart, pulling things out of all the closets and cupboards, and then doing the same thing in the garage. She would gather all kinds of foliage from the yard, and make concoctions out of the leaves and twigs. Often she would pin all kinds of branches and twigs onto a hat, and wear it. She would start fires, go out in public naked, and even walked up to a police officer and pulled the gun out of his holster.

In addition to the household and community behaviours, she would go on massive spending sprees, buying up all kinds of strange things, like a massive roll of barbed wire, and tires, or various other things that had to be returned or gotten rid of.

Each manic episode would build to such a crescendo, she would have to be admitted as an emergency patient to the psych unit, and then given massive doses of drugs. After weeks of sleeplessness, she would often be exhausted and dehydrated, by the time she was admitted to hospital. After the manic episode, she would be the opposite extreme, very sluggish and depressed. It was very sad to watch, and also very disruptive.

Her early childhood was not marred by the manic episodes, but I do recall her talking about not wanting to go to school. She also told me about an accident, where she was responsible for the death of a younger sibling. That may have contributed to her mental health breakdown in later years. Who knows?

In cases of severe mental health disorders requiring frequent hospitalizations, it is obvious the person is sick. They may not realize how extreme it is, but nevertheless, the behaviours and disruptions caused, are very obvious, and stressful to the people around them. A person who is spiralling into a manic psychosis cannot be ignored, and it will not resolve itself by waiting it out. In such cases the mental health disorder is out of control, and requires intervention.

Many other mental health disorders are caused by drugs like meth and cocaine, since they have a stimulating effect on the central nervous system, and can lead a person into a manic or psychotic state. Alcohol can also wreak havoc with a person’s system. If used pathologically, it creates a roller coaster of instability.

Other mental health disorders such as anxiety, PTSD, depression, etc. may or may not interfere with a person’s functioning to the extent they have to be hospitalized.

To be truthful, we all have signs and symptoms of certain mental health disorders. Whether it is perfectionism, OCD type behaviours, outbursts of anger, highly manipulative behaviours, addictive tendencies, grief reactions, etc.

For those with addictions, the solution is abstinence. I know many harm reduction programs advocate for safe supplies etc. but in my opinion and experience, abstinence is the only option. Many things we do in life are directional, meaning we are heading in one direction or another. If the direction is an overwhelming roller coaster addiction, it means it is time to change course, head the other direction and quit.

As far as the use of psychotropic medications, I do think they are needed in certain cases, but for the most part, we should exercise extreme caution when it comes to psych medications. Many of them cause severe movement disorders, suicidal ideation, or may cause adverse reactions when taken with other medications or certain foods. If a person needs them to stay stable, as in the case of my mother-in-law, then so be it. But if a person who does not need them is coerced into taking them, it is unfair and potentially abusive.

The only thing I use now, is oregano oil, if I think I am catching a cold. I was taking cod liver oil for awhile, but decided to stop that too. For a few months a year or so ago, I tried probiotics, but they gave me a headache, so I stopped taking them.

As the years have gone by, I have gradually, one by one, eliminated alcohol, all medications, including over the counter medications, cannabis, CBD oil, and various supplements. I am glad to have finally kicked them all. Many things are rooted in habits and patterns. After awhile, even if we are taking something medicinally, it may just become a habit, without much benefit, other than the fact it is a mini-ritual. If we take nothing, we have a much better chance of being able to monitor our overall health, as there is nothing to cloud our judgement, perceptions, or mask how we are feeling. Medications like antibiotics, antihistamines, and even Advil – can have a long term adverse effect on our health.

Life is full of struggles, and sometimes we don’t even know how to identify good mental health. We can recognize very unhealthy or disruptive activities, but what exactly is good mental health? I will readily admit, the recent surge of MAID in Canada, along with the plan to add mental health disorders to the MAID criteria, I was very upset, and triggered reading about it. It opens a Pandora’s box, if there is familial abuse, and gaslighting inflicted on a weaker person by a family member with power, and the motive to silence you. It also goes against the grain of our basic humanity.

The biggest problem with mental illness, is that it is open to abuses and false accusations. With all other illnesses or injuries, a person heals and recovers. The same thing does apply to mental health conditions, but the system does not seem to see it that way. I certainly know of people who were very depressed, suicidal, and hospitalized following a crisis in their life, yet they recovered and moved on. Many people have grief reactions, or go through a marriage break up, or drink pathologically, and overcome it. If that is the case, they do not need to be saddled with a label of mental illness forever.

If we break a leg, it heals. If we have surgery, we get back on our feet. If you had your gallbladder out twelve years ago, no one says – “Oh poor thing, she has an organ disorder, or a missing organ.”  Is the person organ deprived for life? Maybe so, but it does not cling to her as a stigma, or sign of weakness. That would be absurd.

The same thing goes for alcoholism. You don’t have to sit around and tell everyone over and over that you are an alcoholic for the rest of your life. Your life becomes much more than that. If you do not drink, you do not need to call yourself an alcoholic. I think AA is an organizations that causes people to think they have to keep rehashing the years of alcohol abuse.

They have to keep claiming it as a personal label, as if it never goes away, and as a result, they get addicted to the AA meetings, and do not move on. Their life paradoxically, still revolves around alcohol. I remember talking to a guy a few years ago, who was hooked on AA meetings. He told me he had been on the twelfth step for sixteen years. I thought “Wow, why not take a few more steps, and walk away from that concept?”. I have never gone to an AA meeting, and don’t discount the fact it works for some people. But it does seem that people wallow in their attachment to alcohol, and don’t get away from it, even though they stopped drinking.

There are countless examples of healing, that do not cling to the person like a bad smell. If we are healed, great! Thank God and carry on. It does not mean the alcoholic can start drinking again, just like a person who has had their gallbladder removed cannot put the gallbladder back. They may have to avoid fats or certain foods, just like the alcoholic must avoid alcohol. If you cannot eat bananas, you simply don’t eat them. You don’t have to go around labelled with a banana disorder.

A quick Google search identifies the following as being evidence of mental wellness: self awareness, emotional agility, strong coping skills, live with purpose, and manage stress. Another answer focuses on exercise as the best avenue for maintaining a healthy outlook. Many others believe that diet is the most important contributor to a sound mind.

Without a doubt, all of these answers are correct. Some people are fortunate enough to have intrinsic stability. If they came from a loving stable home, they do not have the past traumas, or rejections, fears, etc. to deal with. Childhood trauma is one of the most difficult things to overcome. Those who are blessed with a good childhood, are not immune from developing mental health disorders, but they do have a foundational stability to fall back on when the going gets tough.

No matter what we are going through, one of the most sustaining factors, is our faith. This is not something that is taught or expressed as an option in the secular world, as it may interfere with a person’s choices, or family background. People should not be forced or coerced into any religious belief, especially if they are going through difficult times.

In my own humbling life’s experience, I found that religious extremism, based on rewritten interpretations of the Bible, or authoritative, dogmatic, overbearing, cultish superiority in religious beliefs – to be very damaging. In fact, some of the most heinous crimes have been committed by people who call themselves Christians. The prosperity preachers are insane and exploitive in my opinion. So for those who seek a higher authority and spirituality to help find calm and stability, discernment is critical. If someone is ranting about things that don’t sound right, don’t listen to the person. There is a phenomenal amount of deception to be found in religion.

But once you sort through the falsehoods, and get to the truth contained within the original version of the Bible, it is very reassuring. There is hope, justice, love, promise, and belief in the future, to rely upon, even if you feel you have nothing else. God does not turn us away, if we are diligently seeking his guidance and stability in our lives.

Of all things I have been exposed to over the years, including a couple of mental health counsellors, one who was helpful, and another who was dreadful, I have not found any self help or external options that offer anywhere near the reassurance that can be found in the Bible.

I prefer to listen to Alexander Scourby read the King James Version, and if I wake up at night, will listen to some of my favourite Books of the Bible. For years, I was almost afraid to read the Book of Revelation, because I had been indoctrinated with fear and falsehoods about the end times scenarios foisted on us by false preachers. But now that I have become familiar with what it actually says, in my opinion, it is the most beautiful and intriguing book of the Bible.

Instead of listening to the bizarre interpretations of ranting cultish preachers, listen to the real thing. It makes all the difference in the world.

We all consist of body, soul and spirit. It makes sense then, to look after all components of our existence. So the diet, and exercise is good advice. The soul consists of our mind, will, and emotions. Our spirit is from God. We can be spiritually deadened if we get into the wrong material, and some people can have evil spirits. But if we get an alignment between our body, soul and spirit, we are more likely to be able to manage our mental health, regardless of what gets thrown at us, or how much tribulation we are forced to endure.

Faith gives us an unseen belief in what we are hoping for. It gives us patience. It assures us of God’s love. We know that through faith, belief, and prayer, eventually our prayers will be answered.

Optimal mental health is rooted in truth and in love. I now believe in the assertion that the just will live by faith. We are saved from the many pits, and snares we fall into, only by the grace of God. Like the lyrics in a Guy Clark song, “we all got holes to fill – some fall on us like a storm – sometimes we dig our own”.

Therefore to age gracefully, and with a sound mind, we live by faith. That’s my personal testimony and solution, and I can honestly say – what a relief!