One Man’s Story
by Daniel J. Vance
“Gordon” is the president of a financially successful,
publicly traded corporation based in the Midwest. He agreed to be
interviewed under the condition his true identity wouldn’t
be revealed.
“In ninth grade, my son was singled out by a speaker addressing
a school gathering as ‘someone looking like a time bomb’ and
ready to explode,” said Gordon in a telephone interview. “The
speaker had been talking about high-risk children dealing with depression
and drug abuse. The principal told me what the speaker had said.”
At first Gordon attributed his son’s “punk” dress
and behavior to an “artistic nature” and “normal
teenage rebellion.” But then came serious bouts with depression
and psychiatric visits. So Gordon enrolled him in a private school.
“The principal there caught my son smoking (tobacco) and referred
to him as a ‘druggy,’” he said. “So I immediately
had him tested for drugs. The results showed no trace elements of any
drugs whatsoever.”
Two schools later, Gordon’s
son was accepted into Art College. That same fall, he was admitted
to a psychiatric ward for crying hysterically and thinking he was
dying. The doctor correctly diagnosed his alternating hysteria,
crying and depression as bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive
illness.
Son “Tim” is now 25,
and has been in the hospital six additional times. He also has
been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Said Gordon, “Our biggest struggle is that though having the
financial means to privately hire a professional “life coach” for ‘Tim,’ we
can’t find one. I have talked with hundreds of people, even
physicians. Everyone just shrugs their shoulders.”
A life coach would be a mentor, helping
Tim navigate the health provider system, and be “there for him when he challenges his
medication regimen,” said Gordon.
Without any private solutions, Tim
had to “spend down” his
savings to become eligible for government services. After two years
he began receiving disability income.
“Up until then I was paying for his personal living expenses
with money we had saved for his college,” said Gordon. “I
feel that people like my son are severely lacking resources (to overcome
their disabilities). Society is afraid to address it. You can’t
see his affliction.”
Gordon urges parents to learn more
about mental illness from groups like the National Alliance for
the Mentally Ill and to “press
for answers” from medical professionals.
For more information, see www.danieljvance.com or www.nami.org.
