May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and it is important to me and my family. We take it personally.
As my late mother aged, we learned from an older relative that she had had early struggles with mental illness following her second pregnancy — a severe post-partum depression. In those days, she received shock therapy, and it apparently worked well, but we don’t believe she received proper follow-up care and counseling. In her generation, the stigma of mental illness ran deep, and I don’t believe she ever sought help from an outside source.
It was a long time until she really “fell apart” after my father’s death. Finally, we took her to counseling, first through the Foothills Center here in Clarkesville, and later for psychiatric help in Gainesville. The good news of the treatment is that it brought out a woman I hadn’t seen too often for 50 years. The sad news was that it took 50 years before we could treat her for a bipolar disorder that made life miserable for her and for those she loved.
My mother ended up spending 10 years in a nursing home, which is a tough reality. Fortunately, the medications, counseling, and some wonderful helpers at the nursing facilities helped her cope with her condition. She died peacefully back in 2013.
For my mother, and the thousands of people like her, we celebrate May, and we hope it brings an awareness to others that help is out there. Even if you think you can’t afford it, help is there. Foothills Counseling is a non-profit center and charges on a sliding scale, with minimal rates for those who need help. Phone them at 706 754 5155 or reach them online at www.foothillscounselingctr.org. I hope it leads to a better life for you or someone you love.
About the author: Wallace Wenn is a local businessman and volunteer board member of Foothills Counseling Center in Clarkesville.
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