Yesterday, I watched a video of a young man "coming out of the closet." This was incredibly difficult for him, and honestly, I don't doubt for one second that it was nearly impossible. Coming out with any secret that defines or marks you as different is the most difficult thing anyone could do in our society.
It's not just the gay and lesbian community, though. There are countless rape recovery centres who have adverts alongside freeways, on the tele, and on the radio. I applaud anyone who has the courage to step up and admit they need that kind of help and the fact that we need that many centres breaks my heart.
What really irks me about coming out as gay, getting help as a rape victim, or what have you, is that there is endless support for these courageous people, yet coming out with a mental illness basically makes you a leper.
Trying to find a support group for those with Bipolar Disorder (around here, at least) is like a headless chicken seeking food. I have just Googled "rape recovery centres" and "LGBT support" and countless things popped up, but when I searched "Bipolar Disorder support groups," I got sent to a site that sent me to another site that was absolutely useless. I narrowed my search to include "Utah" and got articles from web magazines about the apparent Utah epidemic.
I am not now, nor have I ever dismissed the plights of rape victims or those struggling with identity, I just wish that there was less fear about and more help for mental illness.
Toby Keith~ I Wanna Talk About Me
The only one I know of is through NAMI. It's not Bipolar Disorder specific, but is for all mental illnesses.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.namiut.org/peer-support/free-support-groups/item/117-connection-recovery-support-group
Cool! Thanx!
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