today marks the end of mental illness awareness week. here are some bloggers who wrote about it, and a poem
- a rant against mental illness awareness week and the desire to decrease stigma around mental illness
- about childhood schizophrenia, by a blogger who wants to set yo head straight
- this week appears to be supported by big pharma such as astra zeneca, lilly, glaxo smith kline and pfizer
- “awareness about breast cancer came about after years and years of hard work. mental health advocates should take notes from their strategy”
- the need for teaching about mental illness in seminary
- the need for mental health funds for inuit (also known as eskimos)
- what about all the people with mental illness who do well?
- stigma (discrimination?) is the worst part of mental illness
and here’s my contribution, a poem i wrote about 15, 16 years ago. you’ll be happy to hear that the suitcase has been emptied.
i’ve been carrying around with me
for all these years
a hidden suitcase of despair
once in a while
i go and open it
inspect it
gleefully
under the covers of my
sheltering bed
i am delighted at its contents:
colourful puppets and leftover trinkets
spill out
and one or two caterpillars, brillant in the half shade
of what little light pierces
the soft, warm clouds of my duvet
then, when i hear footsteps
i close it
camouflage it
so that no-one
can steal
not even with a glimpse
my precious suitcase
brimming with exquisite anguish