[__ Prayer __] FORMER mental patient

[Christ_empowered]

Yeah, its me again, lol.

It just dawned on me...I'm really not who I was. I don't think the same, act the same, talk the same...and its all because of Jesus Christ.

I kept thinking "restoration," "healing," like...like I was going to be made whole, and the whole-ness would look like who I used to be. That's not how things work, at least not in this situation.

For instance: my hair. I Manic Panic-d it, bleached it, all that. Fell out on me, and it wasn't supposed to return. It did return, thicker than ever...and a completely different color. Close to what I used to have naturally, but different enough that its noticeable. Its just not the same hair color.

Along those same lines...yes, there's an element of healing and restoration to my testimony. That's wonderful. There's also a stronger element of transformation, which I sorely needed.

So, yeah...I get to be someone completely different, a new creation in Christ Jesus. And I'm finally growing up. I've grown up a late since getting saved. I think a big part of The Lord's work in my life has been maturation at every level imaginable, so I wouldn't go through life a perma-child.

Back to the title. I take a few meds. But I don't live through my diagnosis anymore, I don't...I dunno...live through my problems. The mental health people I go to now call it "recovery." As good a word as any, I suppose. Recovery was supposed to be impossible for me. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me...

This is a praise report, and a big one. I'm 30 and I'm finally "coming of age." Some of us...don't get to grow up on schedule, you know? But thanks to Jesus first and foremost forgiving my sins (that's a big one for me...I always liked to view myself as the victim, when in fact my sins killed Jesus) and then seeing fit to undo a lot of what I'd done to myself and what the world did to me...I get to grow up. And change.

 

[AirDancer]

Becoming a new person definitely follows when one takes that monumental step of complete faith and joins our Lord's family! The 'new' person continues to grow and mature as the studying of scripture and sharing in fellowship strengthens. Ours become most wonderful lives when we become sons & daughters of our Lord's!

 

[Eugene]

Some of us...don't get to grow up on schedule, you know?

I've now coming to my 58th wedding anniversary and my wife still thinks I'm a kid at heart. Speaking of a bible teacher at the assembly I've attended, another sweet sister in the Lord once said that there's a 13 year old boy still hidden in him, and it is expressed though his teaching. Congratulations on making it to thirty.

 

[By Grace]

Whatever you do, DO NOT STOP TAKING THE MEDICATIONS.

If you feel good, and because you feel good, you believe it is possible to stop taking the meds, DO NOT DO IT.

The reason that you feel good is due to the simple fact that the meds are working, and doing their job. Of course there may be reasons why some meds must be discontinued such as unwanted tics or shaking of extremities, but altering your meds should only be done in consultation with your medical professional.

You mentioned not wanting to "live through my diagnosis any more". I understand that because there is a tendency among mental health professionals and mental health patients to define themselves by their diagnosis. The facts about mental health is that it is a disease, and that the facts that the medications can lessen the effects of the disease through pharmacology demonstrate that there is often a chemical component that is deficient (or yo-yo-ing in people with depression of bi polar disorder)

There are five steps that I believe you should be taking, and the first is paramount:

1) Study and memorize Scripture. Often there is a spiritual component in mental illness. One psychiatrist answered the question of a client I had who asked "Doctor, how can I get rid of the demons I hear speaking to me?" He said (and I later verified it with the psychiatrist) "Only through the blood of Jesus Christ." I will go no further than that except to note that there are books out by Evangelical Christian psychiatrists who say the same things.

2) Read up on your particular diagnosis. By becoming a better informed mental health consumer you can self advocate better, and discuss with your mental health professionals ways that you can notice and avoid the pitfalls of your diagnosis.

3) Become better informed of the role that you can play in your recovery. Recovery is not a destination; it is a journey, and there are bumps on that road. HERE is a book that you can rent (as opposed to buying) because you can pass it off to others who are entering the same Recovery journey that you are on, and you are free to pass it on to others.

4) Join a self-help group like Recovery International. It will help you in many ways. There are details in the book, or you could do a web search on "Recovery International + your location"

5) Learn to forgive yourself. Mental illness is characterized by failures in this area or that area, and the sincere efforts of anyone does not always guarantee a successful outcome. One thing I enjoyed doing with the clients I had was to help them to implement their own treatment plan based upon their goals. When the plans went kilter (often) I needed to revise the original plan, and help the person come up with a new plan B. When they were discouraged because their plan A derailed, I could come back and help them to see their successes, and help them to modify where they left their plans. Notice that I did not use the negative word "failure" here.
​

If you can follow these steps, then you will become a strong self-manager. That is the goal of all recovery, because no one wants to be hospitalized again.

 

[Christ_empowered]

yeah...the meds are tolerable and relatively minimal. I don't even seem to have significant cognitive dulling, which is huge.

More importantly...

I get to move on, which is huge. Going to Liberty Online, getting along well with my family. Thinking about a future not defined by mental ailments, past or present. Predictably, my community is less-than-thrilled. I swear to you, this is straight out of the 70s. For a while there, everybody wanted me in the state mental hospital, particularly shrinks from back in the day. Can't blame them, I guess. From their perspective, recovery is/was/should be impossible for someone like me. Luckily for me, the community mental health centers here run on The Recovery Model. The Recovery Model works for a lot of people, which is a huge plus. The only downside I can think of is that maybe the state mental hospital is under-utilized, but that's more because of the budget they're working with than anything else. Its far cheaper to at least try to keep people in the community--even if they're on disability--than it is to keep them hospitalized, whether its a local hospital or the state mental hospital.