When the Going Gets Tough

For most of us changes in our eyesight usually prompt a call to the optometrist or ophthalmologist or other medical professional. If we have a toothache or chipped tooth, most likely we will make an appointment to see a dentist; and if you experience knee, shoulder, or joint pain, like I did last week, you will call an orthopedic specialist posthaste. Most folks, if they're ailing or feeling pain, typically seek some kind of medical treatment.

So why is it when some of us experience emotional pain or psychological trauma, we hesitate to visit a mental health provider? Given all of the strain and stress caused by family obligations, school, our jobs, dealing with difficult people, and unreasonable expectations that we and others place on us, it is no wonder that many of us are “disconnecting” from reality. Sometimes you don’t even know, let alone feel, that you’re under stress because you’re so used to operating at or above 100%. You become immune to the signs and symptoms.

We’re in constant motion. That’s the society we’re living in. We’re constantly meeting deadlines, running the kids around, caring for loved ones, and serving on multiple committees and boards. We spend more time advancing our careers and education than we spend nurturing healthy relationships with our families. And what’s worse, we spend even less time developing a relationship with our Creator, whom all blessings flow. Then what’s leftover we give to ourselves—maybe.

With this kind of imbalance there is no wonder why we feel overwhelmed or under appreciated and choose to disconnect. After giving away so much of ourselves, how can we possibly expect to maintain good mental health?

The Louisiana Weekly on Sunday examined suicide and depression in the black community. According to the Weekly, "Still suffering from the vestiges of slavery and still targets of institutionalized racism and discrimination today, with health and economic disparities in their disfavor in almost all societal categories, blacks are the first group of people who need to seek help for possible mental illness and depression, yet the last ones to get it." Author and Harvard Medical School psychiatrist Alvin Poussaint said blacks "see mental disorder and depression as a sign of personal weakness or moral failure." In the book Lay My Burden Down, Poussaint and co-author Amy Alexander write that blacks downplay issues of depression and mental illness, which can lead to suicide (Jackson, Louisiana Weekly, 4/6).

According to an article in the Beacon Journal, one in five Americans has some type of mental disorder— defined as a change in mood, thought or behavior, causing distress and/or problems in day-to-day functioning. Nationwide, mental illnesses cause a disability rate second only to heart disease, according to a 1999 report by the U.S. Surgeon General.

One way to improve mental health is by talking. Through dialogue people can come together for a mutual exchange of ideas, observations and experiences. Dialogues go beyond the usual interactions between practitioners and recipients of mental health services. They provide a safe environment in which participants may speak freely to create better understanding and mutual trust and respect.

Temporarily disconnecting from the strain and stress of life is a natural response. But how and when you choose to reconnect will determine your success in managing life’s challenges. If you are experiencing any of the problems listed in this post, please seek help. If you don’t have adequate health coverage, there are many ways you can still seek help. Contact a mental health provider in your community.

Here’s a list of resources that may be helpful:

· American Mental Health Counselors Association
· National Mental Health Information Center
· Online Health Resources
· Mental Health America
· Mental Health Organizations by State
· Mental Health Agencies
· Treatment Advocacy Center
· Mental Health Today
· HealthyPlace.com
· The Bright Side