Interviews with Everyday People with Extraordinary Issues
The following interview is the first of many interviews planned. It is time to shed some light on the stigmas surrounding mental illness. I am sure you have heard many different falsehoods about mental illness. Some might include, "Oh, if the person was just stronger, they could get over it." Or "It's all in their head, or they are faking for attention." All because these disorders cannot be seen. Well, here is a true story of a person mental illness affects. Christelle Abreu, from Calgary, Canada, has agreed to speak with me today. Christelle is a working mother and good friend of mine.
Melissa Dann (MD): Thank you, Christelle, for agreeing to speak to me today.
(CA): Thank you for having me.
MD: Well, let's get straight to the heart of the issue. What mental illnesses do you face?
CA: I faced depression/suicide/eating disorder; now free of it all with hard constant mental health exercise.
MD: What are some of the challenges you dealt with in your day-to-day routine?
CA: Getting up in the morning and making sure I eat enough to fuel my body for the day.
MD: Are you concerned others are judging you or providing you special treatment and if so, how does that make you feel?
CA: Everyday makes me feel like a bad person as I always get told that I should eat more.
MD: Are you happy with our current mental health system? What would you like to see fixed?
CA: Yes, I am very happy with my mental health system. I would like though to see more support groups for parents dealing with mental health.
MD: What is the biggest challenger overall you have had to fight or are still fighting?
CA: My biggest challenge was to force myself to eat and to not listen to others.
MD: What would you like people to understand about your illness?
CA: That it was an illness because I was dealing with a lot of stress, I was forced to quit my job at an airline, be a single parent and deal with a child with autism and that all I needed was support not judgment.
MD: That had to be very rough! Have you noticed any changes in your friends' or families' attitudes toward you since you were diagnosed?
CA: My parents never believe that I had any problem, and so they would turn their backs on me if I needed help.
MD: Do you feel you are successfully being treated or do you feel that more could be done?
CA: I feel successfully being treated as I now have tools to help me cope with everything.
MD: When did you first realize you needed help?
CA: When my boss at work told me to time off and I didn't have energy to do anything.
MD: Do you know if there was a major life event that triggered your illness? If so, do you feel comfortable discussing it?
CA: My daughter was born July 08, my husband's father died August 08, we were told December 08 that our son will need to get diagnose for autism. My son was officially diagnosed in November 09 and my husband left us December 09, and I had to quit my job in Jan 2010 as they told me they couldn't help me with short-term disability as my problems were more toward my son stressed and not my own health issues.
MD: What side effects, if any, are you concerned regarding your medications?
CA: I got really ill on medications. I had a hard time keeping my food down.
MD: What advice would you give someone recently diagnosed with a mental illness?
CA: To surround yourself with positive people and stay far away as possible from negative. If you have to cut ties with a good friend due to the negative then it's probably cause they weren't good friends to begin with.
MD: Very great advice! Have you ever been hospitalized for your illness? If so, could you discuss what it was like?
CA: I never was hospitalized, but I did have the emergency team come and talk to me at home every other day.
MD: Has your mental illness ever caused you to commit a crime? If so, are you comfortable telling us about it?
CA: Never a crime but I was ready to take my own life. I was tired, stressed and I had no one to help me. My kids were really the only reason I didn't do anything.
MD: Do you have any memory issues or black out dealing with your particular disorder?
CA: I blacked out a few times in the bathroom usually in the morning when my kids woke up and I didn't eat with them.
MD: That had to have been very scary and disorientating. One final question then we will wrap this up. Do you have any opinions on the level of care that people get who were born not being able to care for themselves or can no longer do so, ie. group homes?
CA: I work as a home care worker helping others who want to live at home but can't take care of themselves. I found group homes weren't the best place to live it was almost like a hospital nursing home set up.
MD: Thank you for your candid answers. I really enjoyed talking to you today.
CA: It was my pleasure.
As you can see, living with a mental illness/disorder is no walk in the park. Just because the illness/disorder is not visible does not mean it doesn't exist. Hopefully, through this series of interviews, the myth can be separated from the fact, the chafe from the wheat, the truth from the fiction. I hope you enjoy this series as much as I have enjoyed doing this project.
Melissa Dann (MD): Thank you, Christelle, for agreeing to speak to me today.
(CA): Thank you for having me.
MD: Well, let's get straight to the heart of the issue. What mental illnesses do you face?
CA: I faced depression/suicide/eating disorder; now free of it all with hard constant mental health exercise.
MD: What are some of the challenges you dealt with in your day-to-day routine?
CA: Getting up in the morning and making sure I eat enough to fuel my body for the day.
MD: Are you concerned others are judging you or providing you special treatment and if so, how does that make you feel?
CA: Everyday makes me feel like a bad person as I always get told that I should eat more.
MD: Are you happy with our current mental health system? What would you like to see fixed?
CA: Yes, I am very happy with my mental health system. I would like though to see more support groups for parents dealing with mental health.
MD: What is the biggest challenger overall you have had to fight or are still fighting?
CA: My biggest challenge was to force myself to eat and to not listen to others.
MD: What would you like people to understand about your illness?
CA: That it was an illness because I was dealing with a lot of stress, I was forced to quit my job at an airline, be a single parent and deal with a child with autism and that all I needed was support not judgment.
MD: That had to be very rough! Have you noticed any changes in your friends' or families' attitudes toward you since you were diagnosed?
CA: My parents never believe that I had any problem, and so they would turn their backs on me if I needed help.
MD: Do you feel you are successfully being treated or do you feel that more could be done?
CA: I feel successfully being treated as I now have tools to help me cope with everything.
MD: When did you first realize you needed help?
CA: When my boss at work told me to time off and I didn't have energy to do anything.
MD: Do you know if there was a major life event that triggered your illness? If so, do you feel comfortable discussing it?
CA: My daughter was born July 08, my husband's father died August 08, we were told December 08 that our son will need to get diagnose for autism. My son was officially diagnosed in November 09 and my husband left us December 09, and I had to quit my job in Jan 2010 as they told me they couldn't help me with short-term disability as my problems were more toward my son stressed and not my own health issues.
MD: What side effects, if any, are you concerned regarding your medications?
CA: I got really ill on medications. I had a hard time keeping my food down.
MD: What advice would you give someone recently diagnosed with a mental illness?
CA: To surround yourself with positive people and stay far away as possible from negative. If you have to cut ties with a good friend due to the negative then it's probably cause they weren't good friends to begin with.
MD: Very great advice! Have you ever been hospitalized for your illness? If so, could you discuss what it was like?
CA: I never was hospitalized, but I did have the emergency team come and talk to me at home every other day.
MD: Has your mental illness ever caused you to commit a crime? If so, are you comfortable telling us about it?
CA: Never a crime but I was ready to take my own life. I was tired, stressed and I had no one to help me. My kids were really the only reason I didn't do anything.
MD: Do you have any memory issues or black out dealing with your particular disorder?
CA: I blacked out a few times in the bathroom usually in the morning when my kids woke up and I didn't eat with them.
MD: That had to have been very scary and disorientating. One final question then we will wrap this up. Do you have any opinions on the level of care that people get who were born not being able to care for themselves or can no longer do so, ie. group homes?
CA: I work as a home care worker helping others who want to live at home but can't take care of themselves. I found group homes weren't the best place to live it was almost like a hospital nursing home set up.
MD: Thank you for your candid answers. I really enjoyed talking to you today.
CA: It was my pleasure.
As you can see, living with a mental illness/disorder is no walk in the park. Just because the illness/disorder is not visible does not mean it doesn't exist. Hopefully, through this series of interviews, the myth can be separated from the fact, the chafe from the wheat, the truth from the fiction. I hope you enjoy this series as much as I have enjoyed doing this project.
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