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Blue eyes, blond hair and mental illness run through my family tree like a runaway freight train, myself included, and I anticipate that the number of leaves on the tree that are affected will only increase with time. There will be more DSM labels such as schizophrenia, bipolar and depression, which are just a few psychiatric labels that have been passed out to our family like Halloween candy. It has been these differences that have set the lives of people that I love on different courses. I am angry. I am tired and yet I will never give up.

We often believe that the homeless man that is standing in the middle of the street and having a conversation with the sky is what mental illness looks like. But there is more. There is an in-between that affects families, like mine, that live in quiet Prosper neighborhoods. Mental illness can disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and their daily functioning, but with the proper support and intervention, the individual is often able to lead a very productive and fulfilling life.

When someone that we love receives a diagnosis of cancer, we will stand on the rooftops and tell everyone and anyone that will listen, but when someone that we love is diagnosed with a mental illness, we often become silent. My own aunt refused to use the word schizophrenia in connection with her son until after he committed suicide. Even then, she whispered the words and made sure to distant herself as much as possible from her son’s disease.

Mental illness is the leading cause of disability in the United States and it is estimated that 26 percent or roughly 57 million people suffer from a diagnosable mental illness. This represents approximately one out of every four adults suffer from some sort of mental illness. And yet if I was to stand up in my children’s PTA meeting and say, “I have schizoaffective disorder…now whose children will be spending the night at my daughter’s birthday party tonight?” I would imagine that the room would become silent and few if any children would be available for the party.

Serious mental illness include major depression, schizophrenia, bi –polar, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post- traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality. And according to the World Health Organization, four of the 10 leading causes of disabilities in the United States and other developing countries are mental disorders.

Within Collin County and the Dallas Fort Worth area, we have a large network of resources that provide help for those suffering with mental illness. It can be easy to get connected with a psychiatrist, counselor or mental health facility for help. But if you are in need of immediate assistance with someone that is either endangering themselves or threatening to hurt others, then you should immediately call 911.

For Texas residents, according to the Texas Health and Safety Code, which was provided to me from Stacey Kemp, a Collin County Clerk within Collin County’s Department of Mental Commitments, the definition of someone being in need of mental health assistance is defined as “the person evidences mental illness, the person evidences a substantial risk of serious harm to himself or others, the risk of harm is imminent unless the person is immediately restrained, and the necessary restraint cannot be accomplished without emergency detention.”

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, found at www.nami.org, “between 70 and 90 percent of individual have significant reduction of symptoms and improved quality of with a combination of pharmacological and psychosocial treatment and supports.” But for the individual who refuse treatment, are unable to, or the treatment is not being affective, families in our area do have support.

If you are concerned about someone’s welfare, but they are not in an immediate or dangerous situation, then you can find assistance by filling out a mental health warrant, which can be found in the office located at the University Drive Courts Facility, 1800 N. Graves St., Ste. 120, or the Justice of the Peace Office that handles the Prosper area, which would be Judge Yarbrough, which is located at 8585 John Wesley, Frisco.

It is important to know that a mental health warrant is only meant to initially take the person into custody for examination only. According to Kemp, “This warrant does not guarantee that the patient will be held any length of time. The patient will be taken to the nearest Mental Health Faciltity; this is normally Green Oaks Dallas.” It will them be left up to the discretion of the physician that examines the patient.

Many individuals turn to God. Praying for healing for themselves and for the ones that they love. One scripture in particular, Isaiah 53:5, can bring peace to anyone that is seeking comfort. From the King James Bible it says, ”But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

I encourage everyone to seek the help for themselves, or for someone that they love and not to be misdirected or confused by the words mental illness. Remember, at the end of the day, it is just two words. Two simple words and they only have power if you allow them to. Embrace yourself and the people in your lives that struggle and remember that nothing about that individual will change after the diagnosis. From someone who understands, I encourage everyone to embrace our uniqueness and find joy and peace in everything.