Why do we call someone schizophrenic when we don’t refer to someone else as cancerous? In other words, why do we dismiss people living with mental illness as nothing more than their diagnosis?
Of people living with one of the seven so-called “serious mental illnesses,” recovery happens in approximately 1 in 3 individuals. For those living with any mental illness, over two thirds reported not only symptomatic recovery, but significant numbers of individuals were found to be doing better than 75% of people who were not living with that illness, including those with substance use disorders, depression, anxiety, and other common concerns.
Recovery isn’t about a cure. Rather, recovery is about a return to a healthy state of mind. It’s about restoring people whose illnesses may have temporarily deprived them of the ability to maintain stable housing, gainful employment, and social relationships, to a place where they have the tools and coping mechanisms to sustain the quality of life that they all deserve.
Recovery is not only possible, but it is statistically probable. And as important as that message is to the masses who watch our friends and family members suffer, it is far more important to those who may have lived with their illnesses for decades but never heard about or been made aware of the resources available to help them live with their illness. If you know someone in need of assistance in their recovery journey, take some time to learn about the organizations here in Wichita who can help, and be that advocate for our city and for those you love.
