Support groups

So I made time to try out another support group recently in this city.  There really aren't too many free or discounted mental health programs so support groups are a good option for people looking to connect with others facing mental illness.  There are waiting lists for lots of groups around town so obviously there are interested people out there seeking helpful groups as they cope with these really difficult illnesses.

A lot of people don't take mental illness seriously, and I just don't know why that is.  Also, it is my finding that there are many highly functioning people diagnosed with a mental disorder who run from the diagnosis and drop out of mental health entirely.

I think there's a strange sort of self assessment that goes on in some minds.  What do I mean?  Well, quite frankly, there are varying degrees of mental illness and people tend to focus on those with serious mental illnesses as their point of comparison of their own stability and measure of their worth.  

I have been that person with a serious mental illness on several occasions during psychosis.  And here's the thing: 

I still am that person with a serious mental illness.

I am currently in another facet of Bipolar1 disorder, and that is one of remission.  I take my medication and have developed coping strategies and included multiple types of therapy in my recovery.  But the fact that I have encountered breaks from reality on more than a few occasions which required taking medical leaves and being hospitalized will never leave me, nor my medical history.

And my insight into the "madness" that accompanied episodic periods of my life will always be there.

I know I can't work in the field without years of schooling, so I'm not going to even try.  I can't study well due to poor memory and comprehension and severe classroom anxiety.  So I know I will never have the respect of the Highly Educated in the field.  My experience will NEVER mean a thing to some psychology scholars.

But I can be there to offer an empathetic hand to people.   And maybe that's my role in all this?

I am a peer and ally in mental health.