I experienced one of the most difficult reads of my life, one born of imagined nightmares and parental fear. If you haven’t read “What Made Maddy Run,” by Kate Fagan, you absolutely must. Aside from Fagan’s heartfelt analysis and shared personal introspection, Maddy’s story enlightens an often buried illness, an affliction encompassed in unwarranted shame and misunderstanding–mental issues.
Maddy, an 18 year-old college freshman and athlete, suffers a relentless and bewildering mental change as she attempts to navigate her first year of college, unable to trust the strategies that helped her become an academic and athletic standout in high school. Even if you’ve never suffered from any form of mental illness–depression or anxiety, for example–you’d be hard-pressed to lack the empathy and compassion required to comprehend the overwhelming predicament Maddy faced. Many–our youth included–face struggles for which they’re unable to seek help because of the societal pressure to be okay all of the time. To be strong. To be self-sufficient.
If Maddy had a complication with her heart, or lungs, kidneys, or joints, even, she would easily decide to make a doctor’s appointment, searching for the necessary diagnosis and remedy. The brain, unfortunately, is both problematic to diagnose and steeped in negative connotation when an issue presents itself. Maddy sought help as best as she could, telling–in vague terms–her worry that she was not “right.”
For reasons I can’t comprehend, the most fascinating organ in our bodies–the brain–seems to garner unfathomable criticism when it comes to illness and disease. Why is treating the brain any different than treating any other part of your body? Can you imagine anyone suggesting an asthma sufferer not use an inhaler, or someone recovering from a torn ACL to forgo surgery or physical therapy? The same understanding and protocols for other internal and external bodily injury should be applied to changes in mental function. The brain is as important–more so, actually–as any other organ in your body.
We have to shift our thinking in our view of mental illness, shedding the idea that treating our brains in any way differs from treating any other part of our bodies. All of us experience depression at some point in our lives. The thought that we’re on our own, with no recourse, should our symptoms become unmanageable, compounds those symptoms at best. Consider the countless we’ve lost: Kate Spade, Robin Williams, those, like Maddy Hollerman, who don’t make national headlines. How many should suffer for our ignorance?
And should you need help, To Write Love On Her Arms is a nonprofit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. It exists to encourage, inform, and inspire, and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery. http://www.twloha.com. Crisis text line offers free 24/7 support for people in crisis. Within the U.S., simply send a text to 741741. A trained crisis counselor receives the text and responds quickly. http://www.crisistextline.org (Fagan, 303).
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is, of course, available 24/7 as well. 1-800-273 TALK (8255).
Quote of the Day
“There’s no difference between my brain not being able to produce the correct levels of serotonin, and my pancreas not being able to make the right amounts of insulin.” Paul Cayer
Designs on Life 