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Sept 4, 2001 By Lori Loschert I read with dismay and sadness the article on ASPIRE's attempts to bring a therapeutic wilderness camp for troubled youth to our community. I attended the public hearing and witnessed first hand Ray McCartney's statements comparing an emotionally troubled child to a rabid dog, both of whom he stated be "given a bullet." I also heard a school counselor voicing opposition to this program, which could potentially provide resources for the schools in dealing with students who have discipline problems. I was frankly shocked by Mr. McCartney's further statement that "if you encounter a human with a mental disorder of any kind, the outcome could be very disheartening ..." I encounter people with mental illnesses every day and what I find are individuals suffering from a medical illness that simply needs to be treated. Imagine saying this about someone with diabetes or hypertension! The lack of knowledge about mental illness, as demonstrated by some of the comments by participants at the hearing, was surprising. Stigmatizing people with mental illness because of ignorance about the disorders can and does lead to people not reaching out to get the care they need, because they fear the sort of opinion expressed by some individuals at the hearing. These comments provide an excellent example of stigmatism, which is defined as "to mark or characterize as disgraceful, not considered normal or standard." One in five people will suffer from a mental disorder at some point during their lifetime. To those people and their families, including the children, in our community, I welcome you to come see me and the excellent staff I work with so that we can help relieve your suffering and assist you on your journey to recovery. I promise that you will be treated with the dignity and respect you deserve. I hope the misguided comments expressed in the article do not deter you from seeking help. To the individuals in our community that understand and support the struggle of troubled children and wish to bring the excellent programs being proposed by ASPIRE to our area, I urge you to attend the upcoming hearing before the County Commissioners and voice your support. To the individuals working in the mental health field and medical community, we have our work cut out for us. We need to better educate the community about mental illness and work to reverse the stigma and shame often associated with it. Loschert is medical director of the Southwest Colorado Mental Health Center in Cortez. |
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Copyright © 2001 the Cortez Journal.
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