Fieldtrip

The fieldtrip yesterday made me proud of the facility in my hometown. I was very impressed with the gym and the equipment that was available for patients. The young man and young lady that allowed us to see into a very emotional and private part of their lives was inspiring to me. I could not get them off my mind last night. The advice from the lady about how to treat future clients was something we all need to remember. Her advice was to remember that the clients disability was just a part of them, that they were a person with feelings and dreams and they wanted to be treated with respect. Even though she went through a period when she could not communicate verbally, she said she was still there and knew what was being said and done. Some people may have thought she had a mental illness even though she did not. Some people may have thought by watching and listening to the young man that he had a mental illness, but he did not. When a person has a mental illness it is not always visible. If it is visible, we should not assume the person does not understand what we are saying. To quote from the trailer we watched the other day, "different, not less".
Because of the stigma's attached to mental illness, many people do not seek help. Click on my title for an article on stigma's and mental illness.