Chronic Mental Illness:: A Living Nightmare

By Eace Bee, Honey Bee and Priscilla Bee

Chronic Mental Illness:

A Living Nightmare

A plea for compassion, better understanding, and more funding to help those with mental illness and their caregivers.

Eace Bee was a promising young student hoping to become an architect or a rapper when, nearing the end of high school, he was, by his own account, struck down by crippling mental illness. Diagnosed as a severe paranoid schizophrenic, he has for 20-plus years struggled with mood swings that can make him seem menacing, voices from animate and inanimate objects that only he can hear, and behavior patterns that have put him into hospitals again and again. His propensity for not taking his meds hasn't helped. In this unusual book edited by Pickles, Eace; his mother, Priscilla Bee; and his sister, Honey Bee, all debut authors, tell their intimate story of the sheer horror and stigma of mental illness. Priscilla-a teacher and school administrator and a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness-adds numerous recommendations to the narrative. She calls for substantial increases in public spending to train mental health professionals, teachers, counselors, administrators, police, and others who come in contact with mentally ill or at-risk young people. Stronger emphasis is needed, she says, on job programs and early intervention that goes beyond merely funneling students into special education curriculums. For Eace, she says, what is so obviously required is long-term comprehensive care in an open and supportive environment. But her search for such a program has yielded disappointing results. Instead, the care Eace receives has been episodic, disjointed, not especially compassionate, and too often complicated by bureaucratic quagmires. Her point that the historic malady of racism has infected treatment of the mentally ill is well made.

Succeeds in helping illuminate the realities of mental illness, what it does to families, and how it is treated-or mistreated.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jul 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9781496967701

Eace Bee

Eace Bee Eace Bee has never been married and has no children. He is a compassionate, kind, and caring human being. Eace is a high school graduate. He had aspired to be an architect before he was struck down by a thought disorder at the age of sixteen. On several occasions, he attempted to further his education and training. He has held jobs in food service, maintenance, and product assembly. Eace enjoys reading and writing, drawing and painting, listening to music, swimming, and walking. Eace is a member of the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI). Honey Bee Honey Bee has been married for twenty years and has four children. She is results driven, and to get results, she focuses on building relationships. She is a lifelong educator and administrator. She has taught secondary science: biology, chemistry, and physics. She is currently an administrator at the secondary level and is working on her doctorate degree. She received her bachelor’s degree from Jarvis Christian College and her master’s degree from Prairie View University. Honey enjoys going to theaters, dancing, painting, drawing, Zumba, and walking trails. Honey is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (AKA) and the Texas Secondary Principals Association. Priscilla Bee Priscilla is a divorced mother with two children. She provides essential and persistent family support, protection, and guidance. She is a lifelong educator and administrator. Priscilla taught secondary English literature and all-level reading. She also served as an administrator for preK-12 education systems. She has become active in social reform and provides training opportunities through the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill (NAMI). Examples include Family-to-Family and Parents and Teachers as Ally’s. By rendering support to others through signature research programs, she touches lives, one person at a time. She believes there is healing in hope. Priscilla enjoys swimming, walking, reading, writing, meditating, and reflecting. She enjoys the opportunity to spend quality time with friends and associates, her children and grandchildren. Priscilla is a member of AKA and NAMI.

Book preview

Eace Bee, Honey Bee, and Priscilla Bee. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 07/16/2015

ISBN: 978-1-4969-6771-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-6770-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015901582

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Dr. Patricia L. Pickles, the editor, is not a medical doctor. She has a Ph.D. in education and administration. The book is intended to share information only and should not be interpreted as providing medical advice.

Pseudo names have been provided in order to protect the identity and privacy of individuals.

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgments

About the Book

Introduction: It’s Not Stigma, It’s Indifference

Preface: Coming Out of the Mental Illness Closet

Why We Wrote The Book And Ended The Silence

Consumer’s Voice – My Experiences Are Valuable

Mother’s Voice – My Son’s Story Deserves To Be Told With Dignity

Our Story

Support

Education

Advocacy

Resiliency

Early Detection And Intervention

Historical Backdrop

Not Recognizing or Understanding What We Observe

Medication for Young Children

Building Relationships

Special Education

Public Schools’ IEP:

Identify the Need

Examine Human Resources

Provide Special Services and Opportunities

Emotional Stages, Conclusions And Suggestions

Victim’s Story

Denial

Frustration

My Reality

Hopelessness

Reluctant Acceptance

Recovery

Conclusions and Suggestions – Mother’s Voice

Workforce and Educational Opportunities

Mother’s Story: Emotional Stages Before and After Diagnosis

Confusion

Blame

Guilt

Fear

Hopelessness

The Acceptance Process:

The Complex Brain

Treatment - Measuring Progress, Performance and Improvement

Symptoms and Signs of Relapse and Recovery

Define and Address the Problem

My Recovery

Self-Care

Conclusions and Suggestions – Mother’s Voice

Housing

Insurance Benefits and the Parity Law

Increase the Number of Hospital Beds

Sibling’s Story

Fear

Grief

Guilt

Shame

Acceptance

Conclusions and Suggestions - Mother’s Voice

Community Crisis Intervention

HIPPA Law

Diversity And Cultural Competence

Disparities and Barriers to Treatment

Systemic Barriers

The Tale of Two Cities

Fear and Lack of Trust

Communication Strategies

Historical Racial Injustice

Spiritual and Cultural Beliefs

Lack of Transportation

Inadequate Health Insurance

Stigma

Outreach to Minority Communities

Inclusive Research

Culturally Competent Care

Summary: Treatment Works

References

Poem

I Lost My Mind!

Short Stories

Why I Love Me So Much

True ID: The Word Salad

Illustrations

A Mother In Anguish

The Complex Brain

The Brain and Chronic Mental Illness

Relapse Mode

Psychotic Transformation

Appendix

Philosophy of Education

Philosophy of Education for Those Living with Mental Illness

Language for the Twenty-First Century: Power Talk

Ten Strategies to Avoid Relapse: One Mother’s Perspective

Envisioning a Model Mental Health Program

Inspire New Ways of seeing the Mental-Health-Care System

About the Editor and Authors - Ending the Silence

Dedication

Compassion is the ability to put yourself in the place of another, without judgement, criticism, or the need to control. It is realizing what someone else is going through. It is sharing your experiences in the hope of helping someone else in a similiar situation. This book is dedicated to: families, individuals experiencing mental confusion, and caregivers. I am not a medical doctor but I do have first hand experience. Usually, when one family member is affected, it impacts other family members as well.

By sharing our family story with integrity and dignity, we want you to know that you are not alone. The struggles and cries for compassion, deserve to be heard. We want to inspire others with hope and faith. Combined efforts make a difference. United together, altering attitudes and demanding justice for those with thought disorders becomes easier. Significant change takes the will of a village, action from the people, and the heart of our nation. This is our American dream.

One of the great conundrums with America health care is the great disparity between the need for mental health care and the lack of resources to address the huge need. Of course this is nothing new. Over the course of our history the mentally ill have been ignored, abused, victimized, imprisoned, misdiagnosed and just generally kicked to the curb. Dr. Pickles’ book is a welcome addition to the growing demand for compassion, science, equality and justice for those suffering with mental illness.

Danny K. Davis

U.S. Representative, Illinois

Acknowledgments

In a world full of fear and lack of knowledge regarding mental illness, it takes a great deal of courage for the Bee family to share their personal story and talk about a topic that is still taboo. Priscilla is the mother of a son with schizophrenia. The book is written from the mother’s perspective but there are contributions from, her son Eace Bee and, her daughter, Honey Bee. Illness is a family affair. Sharing their knowledge and experience so that others can benefit is their greatest gift in the world, and in their hearts they truly believe that there is a family somewhere who can use what they now know. Stop blaming yourself for what you didn’t know. We learn from one another, from researching, and from experiencing.

Priscilla also acknowledges Samuel Bryant for sharing his vision for this book more than a decade ago. Thanks to Adrienne Kennedy and Quevarra Moten for their contributions that go beyond this book. Appreciation is also extended to, the Honorable Avel Louise Gordly, the Honorable Royce West, The Honorable Danny Davis, and Mary Gilbertie from Nami national.

About the Book

Chronic Mental Illness: A Living Nightmare

Let’s face it, everybody knows somebody suffering from mental illness. Most of us pass them on the streets every day. The leading author for this book is Priscilla Bee, a mother who has a son suffering from a diagnosed mental illness. It is the lead author’s purpose to encourage other families, particularly those in minority and ethnic communities, to come out of the closet and provide an important voice for one of our most vulnerable populations. Silence will only continue to guarantee lack of services.

The book is concise but it is also comprehensive and a broad range of barriers to care and recovery are addressed. Significant and timely topics are covered, including: employment and educational opportunities, supportive housing, coordination and integration of services, insurance benefits and the Parity Law, limited number of hospital beds, community crisis intervention, the HIPPA Act, and cultural competency. Examples and real scenarios are provided that readers can relate to but may have been afraid to talk about. Priscilla explores mental illness from a triple edged sword from the perspective of the consumer, caregiver, and a sibling.

The author’s authoritative advice and experience comes from lived experience and actually being in the trenches with her son. From a mother’s perspective, she shares the challenges and injustices they have faced as well as her vision for a new mental-health-care system that addresses the needs of the (chronically) mentally ill. The book, Chronic Mental Illness: A Living Nightmare encourages and ignites change in the way our nation currently understands and responds to this disease. Readers are encouraged to use their voice and actions to provide support, education, advocacy and hope. The goal is to start a movement where others tell their own story.

Introduction: It’s Not Stigma, It’s Indifference

Remember the age-old saying, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do