Paramus pledges to end silence on mental illness
After initiating the Stigma-Free Zone last year, Paramus brought its vision full circle last week with an evening discussion devoted to understanding mental illness and continuing a pledge to highlight available resources, the prevalence of these conditions and how misconceptions can have devastating consequences.
"Let's Talk" came to Paramus High School on May 8 and included a video, personal stories about mental illness and how it has affected families and self-esteem, in addition to changing misconceptions about this population. A six-person panel answered questions about mental health and awareness, reflecting the theme of "we can all make a difference."
Mary Ann Uzzi, of the Stigma-Free Zone initiative, said those living with a mental illness are much more likely to become objects of violence, not perpetrators. She said this misconception allows the stigma of having a mental illness to go unchecked and as a result, many do not seek treatment.
"Mental illnesses are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character or poor upbringing," the National Alliance on Mental Illness states on its website. "Most people diagnosed with a serious mental illness can experience relief from their symptoms by actively participating in an individual treatment plan."
Mental illnesses include depression, bipolar disorder, attention deficit disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders.
Mayor Richard LaBarbiera shared some statistics, including that mental illness affects one in four adults and one in four children. He was proud that Paramus was one of the first to establish a "stigma-free zone."
Paramus resident Cynthia Chazen shared a personal story about how mental illness has affected her family, particularly her brother, Mitch. After years of suffering with depression, Mitch committed suicide.
"This is the hardest thing I've had to do," she said. "But silence breeds stigma ... Stigma starts with us and ends with us."
She said there are many ways for people to change the view of those with mental illness, starting with compassion and an understanding that people are suffering but do not always know where to seek help. "We need to offer support, not silence," Chazen said.
The panel included CarePlus CEO Joseph Masciandaro, Superintendent of Schools Kenneth Rota, resident Kristen Benedict, Children's Aid and Family Services CEO Robert Jones and Irene Maury, director of the Paramus Department of Human Services.
"It's not your soul that is sick, it's your brain," Maciandaro said.
He shared that one of his daughters was diagnosed with bipolar disorder - a condition with extreme highs and lows. He, like so many parents, did not initially believe she was sick, thinking drugs could be at fault. But in discussing the stages of coping, he said his daughter had to "reinvent" herself as a person now living with a mental illness and the family had to make changes, too.
Benedict shared her struggles with addiction and how it took a hard lesson and persistence to become clean. She said she was in a lot of pain as a result of spinal disease and was prescribed strong pain killers, to which she quickly became addicted, but told others she was taking the medication properly. In reality, she was "eating them like candy."
Today, she proudly says she is two years clean and credits the supportive mental health services in Paramus and her own will to get better as reasons for why she is still alive.
Maury said a lot of time denial plays a key role in preventing people or their loved ones from inquiring about mental health services. She said it is a process and recovery does not happen instantly.
The panel also said mental illness does not affect one particular group.
"Some of us will not win the battle with mental illness," Jones said. "But you can be caring and observant." He said there are warning signs, especially with suicide, such as a "hopelessness" or giving away beloved belongings.
Rota stressed the importance of parents having a conversation about mental health and illness around the dinner table, like they would for other topics.
The event ended with a request from all those in attendance to "bring change to mind" with a pledge. The panelists concluded that to rid the world of stigma, people need to seek awareness, be non-judgmental, become informed, have compassion, recognize that mental illness is not contagious, be flexible, and spread the word about mental illness and the effects of stigma.