Good morning.
I know I've been MIA from this blog for some time. But today I'm beyond sad and felt the need to share with my fellow readers and writers.
Anthony Bourdain was found dead of an apparent suicide in his hotel room in France this morning.
On the heels of that and the apparent suicide earlier this week of fashion icon Kate Spade, a companion headline ran on the news outlets today:
"US suicide rates up 25% since 1999."
1-800-273-8255 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
The loss of Bourdain is significant for me. I've been a fan for years, watching his shows "No Reservations" and "Parts Unknown" and reveling in the episodes of "Top Chef" where he was a judge. My husband and I have enjoyed reading his books. He wrote not only cookbooks and detailed travelogues, but he delved deeply and well into the world of fiction. In short, this loss is personal for me.
But it's more than that. At 61, (A young age by this era's reckoning) and on top of his profession, how does this happen?
But mental illness is still something that's only whispered about, as if it's a shortcoming, or a crime. While more and more celebrities and sports figures are coming forward and talking about their own struggles, there are millions in this country who suffer in silence, without proper support or medication.
I believe it starts with the US work culture. I have worked many different jobs in different industries over my life and I have yet, in more than 30 years of employment, to work for a company who understood that "mental health days" are a real need for those with mental illness. If I had the flu, or needed physical medical care, my employers were supportive and wished me a quick recovery. But, learning through many conversations with management, I understood that any days taken because I was "blue" or couldn't get out of my bed would be counted against me and would be a black mark on my annual reviews. I was written up by one employer for missing a day of work after I'd spent the night in the ER with one of my children after they attempted suicide. If I had to leave work an hour early to take another child, a minor at the time, to a Psych appointment, which they could not attend without parent, my employer complained that I was shirking my duty.
The message so many employers send to their employees is that if you miss work and it's not due to a physical illness, then you may as well not bother working at the job. This keeps many people who are mentally ill from realizing their full potential. Many stay in jobs that are less strict about schedules, such as food service and low level unskilled jobs because even if they are fired for attendance problems, they can jump into another similar job quickly. The problem there is that they never rise much above the poverty line, the struggle to survive is continuous, and the depression increases.
US medicine is also a problem. Mental health treatment and meds are EXPENSIVE. Without insurance, it is impossible to get treatment for a mental illness. But health insurance coverage is expensive and sometimes won't cover mental health issues. Also, if the employer doesn't offer it, those who suffer from mental illness have to find their own health care, which is more expensive.
Those who are open about their illness are looked on as unstable, a liability to work. Some are even in a strange gray area, listed as having a disability by the government, but not allotted the social
Here's the thing: There is no cure for mental illness. There is treatment, but even with treatment there are going to be good days and bad days. That's just a fact.
My grandmother was schizophrenic in an era when people simply did not admit to having "emotional issues." Because of that she went untreated until she was well beyond middle age. My childhood is littered with stories of her illness affecting the family negatively. It was something that wasn't explained until I was in my 20's, so as a child I didn't understand my grandmother and I feared her because she accused me of some terrible things. Had I know it was because she had an illness, I might have been able to relate to her better instead of resenting her.
I'm sharing this with you because I believe it's time for us to all wake up and understand that mental illness is just that: AN ILLNESS. It is a disease that affects the sufferer their entire lives. Rather than shunning the ill or hiding them away, we should find a way to open society up and find a place in the light for the mentally ill.
Meanwhile, what can we, as authors, do?
We can give the world more light. We can speak out about our own mental illnesses, if we have one, and we can support those who suffer. We in the creative community probably have more contact with the mentally ill than any other industry simply because the creative community doesn't have set hours or rules and tends to be more inclusive. We need to step up and speak out, we need to wake up other industries to the fact that the mentally ill have so much to offer and should be looked upon, not as a liability or as a lazy person, but as a person who is every bit as hardworking, loyal and diligent, but who has a disease and will need time for appointments and sick days.
We as authors can, and should, create characters who suffer from mental illness but are able to function in our world. It is our responsibility to wipe the stigma of mental illness away, We need to erase misunderstanding and fear by giving readers characters who are vibrant and relevant, but who just happen to have a mental illness. We need to create characters who are heroes and heroines who may also have an illness, but who are not defined by it.
Anthony Bourdain had everything and still felt the darkness, the hopelessness.
Since 1999. suicide rates in 49 states have gone up by double digits, some states as high as 40%.
Mental illness does not care about age, gender, wealth, education level. It strikes where it strikes and until we as a society look at it as a medical condition rather than a weakness, it's going to continue to take our loved ones from us.
RIP, Tony. I pray you've found peace at last. And I pray your death will not be in vain, that we can rise up and end the stigma.
1-800-273-8255
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
