From: Basil Miller
Seymour
As I watched the news the past few days about Las Vegas, I realized we need mental health reform.
I have a mental Illness. I work hard to keep good insurance to keep my medicine and appointments up to date, and I still have bad days. The scary part is there is nothing I can do about it. I have a great counselor and above-average psychiatrist, and I still have bad days.
When that happens there is nothing I can do. My psychiatrist does not have an a on-call person, and my counselor may not have openings. I learned the hard way; emergency rooms are not set up to deal with a mental illness breakdown unless you try to hurt yourself or others. That has to change! I don’t have all the answers; I just know we need change.
I am dealing with a trauma from May that also triggered some childhood issues. I started looking for a support group to help with the other things I’m doing. The closest one to this area is in Chicago. There are groups in Bedford or Indianapolis that I can use, but for a different issue. I called all the local mental health offices, I called hotlines, I called 211 and I tried the Internet, and that’s all I got.
And if you are low income without insurance you have to jump though hoops to get help. It is sad.
Mental illness affects the rich and the poor, the young the old, any race and any religion, the good the bad. If this area wants to truly deal with drug abuse, people abuse and gun control, then let’s deal with the root of it and the lack of good mental health help.
