Tracy Ruckman

We lost a beautiful loved one to mental illness over the weekend. With my son Jon’s diagnosis, I always thought the lack of help for him was due to his/our lack of financial resources, or his addictions, which made finding treatment more difficult, or even my failure as parent. But the loved one we lost this weekend had the resources, no addictions, and had strong family support his entire life. They sought help for him continuously and ferociously, and yet the system FAILED them. The system failed HIM. Why???? This is why I’m not okay. I’m angry. The Shame of Mental Illness is NOT with the illness, NOT with the patient, NOT with their families – the Shame of Mental Illness is that NO ONE has answers, NO ONE can get help! This should make all of us ANGRY. The month of May is Mental Health May 5th is “Silence the Shame” Day to help bring awareness to the plague that is crippling our world right now – mental illness – and to help erase the stigma associated with mental illness. I don’t a...

After reading of Anthony Bourdain’s suicide this morning, and Kate Spade’s suicide  three days ago, I started a post on Facebook that read: I hate suicide. It's senseless and stupid. Depression stinks. Tomorrow is ALWAYS a new day. People can and will help you, but you have to reach out. If you can't/won't talk to a friend or family member, seek out a counselor, or a pet, or a plant - just talk to them. Write letters to uncork yourself. Or call this hotline. You are loved. You have a purpose. How to get help: Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Suicide is NOT the answer. For anyone. I stopped my post with that, but continued to think about the whys of suicide, and realized I need to say more. Life is not easy for any of us. We all have our own battles we face - some may be social (like bullying or loneliness, or the fame of celebrity), some may be financial (like extreme poverty, debt, or extreme wealth), some may be mental (like depressi...

In our quest to find help for our loved one dealing with mental illness, I've been provided with lists of resources. I thought it might be helpful to compile them into one blog post in case others might need access to these resources, too. Some of the resources are located in Georgia, and may be for Georgia residents only, but others are national. If you find something helpful located in GA, I recommend contacting that office to see if someone there knows of anything similar in your own state. Organizations: National Alliance for Mental Health - NAMI - www.NAMI.org Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration - SAMHSA - www.samhsa.gov Treatment Facilities & Resources: Georgia Association of Recovery Residences - GARR - www.garrnow.org           substance abuse will be primary problem but often mental 24/7 Gateway Center (affiliated with St. Jude’s Mercy Care) www.gatewayctr.org/programs-and-services/ Books: Boundaries: When to ...

Last night Tim and I had the honor/privilege/opportunity/blessing to attend a weekly family support group affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness . The funny thing is: I'd NEVER heard of NAMI before this week, even though we've dealt with mental illness for a very long time. From one of their brochures: "NAMI is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. NAMI has over 1,100 affiliates in communities across the country who engage in advocacy, research, support, and education. Members of NAMI are families, friends, and people living with mental illnesses such as major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and borderline personality disorder." Tweet: Did you know 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. has a mental health condition? Find support at www.NAMI.or...