Last night, I spoke with a friend whose son suffers from a mental illness. The son’s illness affects the entire family, and it is especially difficult right now for his mother. The situation has come close to the breaking point for everyone. All I could do was to sit and listen while she cried and vented.
In spite of it all, this family is very fortunate. They have access to medications and therapy. In 2005, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration found that 24.5 million adults 18 years or older had have some type of mental illness. The numbers are frightening. I thought, can you imagine what all those family members must be going through?
I can’t solve this problem for the country or for my friend, but I can help spread the word about access to patient assistance programs to help those who might need assistance with their medication. If you have a friend who is dealing with mental illness—listen and let them know that they are not alone. And, help spread the word about resource programs such as the Partnership for Prescription Assistance. Their contact information is below.
www.pparx.org | 1-888-4PPA-NOW
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