Destigmatizing Mental Health

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Destigmatizing Mental Health
September 2nd of the current year, 2013, fell on Labor Day Monday. For many a day of celebration, a day of rest or family reunion. For me it was a day that changed my life completely; a day that I have relived every single day since. My family and I had just spent the weekend in Las Vegas. We had spent a weekend full of smile, laughter and fun and I was ready to go home. We were all packed up and ready to go. My dad and I had left my mom, grandma and daughter at the hotel entrance with our luggage while we went to check out. I waited in line thinking how unusually quick people were being helped. I handed the electronic keys to a nice lady whom handed me a receipt and my dad and I walked the long way through the casino floor until we reached the entrance doors. I saw my daughter with my grandma but my mom was not with them. She was leaning against a light post a few feet away. At first I thought she was talking on the phone as her head was tilted to the side. As I got closer I realized her hands were on her face. She was crying. I felt my heart drop to my feet. I could see that her face was red and her eyes were already swollen. I immediately came to the conclusion that something very bad had happened. In a matter of seconds I saw all of my family members in my head and I was scared to ask what had happened. When I reached my grandma her face was paled and her eyes were full of pain and terror. With fear I asked her “what happened? Something bad happened!” Before she could open her mouth to respond I took a step back as if that was going to stop her from answering me. She said three words that have lived with every day since then. “Juanito hanged himself.” I heard those words and it seemed as if they...

... middle of paper ...

... he is forever gone, but it is not late for others who need the help. Mental illness is more real than ever and needs to come out of the shadows. We cannot cure what we cannot see. It is time to help and destigmatize mental health.

Works Cited

Hinshaw, Stephen P. The Mark of Shame: Stigma of Mental Illness And An Agenda For
Change. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 20 Nov. 2013.

Jamison, Kay. “How Should Society Respond to the Mentally Ill?” Mental Health.
Ann Quigley. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2007. N. pg 102-125. Print.

Jamison, Kay R. Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide. 1st ed. New York: Knopf, 1999. Print.

Smietana, Bob. “Tackling Stigma Of Mental Illness.” Christian Century 130.11 (2013): pg 14-15. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

Wroblesky, Adina. Suicide: Why? Minneapolis: Afterword, 1989. Print.

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