Mental health seminar deals with truth, myths

By Donna Taketa
The Collegian

At a low point in her life, Karen Esajian recalled a reckless shopping spree when among other things she purchased 100 white turkey platters. Years of off-behavior and mental fuzziness culminated in her bipolar disorder diagnosis.

“I am a mental health survivor, but the reactions of some of my friends made me feel worse, even though I couldn’t help it,” said Esajian, who in retrospect can laugh about some of her eccentricities.

“Mental illness is a disease, but there are ways to live a healthier, happier and more productive life.”

In order to counter many of the stigmas attached to mental illness, Esajian coordinated the Valley Mental Health Seminar that took place Saturday on campus, titled “Break the Silence and Promote Mental Wellness.”

About 400 people attended the event, including health care professionals and community members.

Topics ranged from the role of hormone imbalance in women, treatment of bipolar depression and myths and facts about depression.

Kim Stephens from television station KMPH introduced the speakers and told the audience about her mentally ill friend who committed suicide.

“It rocked our world,” Stephens said. “Nothing had ever happened like that in our family before. It’s not his fault and there is a way out.”

Esajian said she feels society is more accepting of drug dependencies and anorexia then it is of mental illness.

“People don’t want to talk about it. It’s almost better to have cancer,” co-coordinator Rachel Worman said. “You don’t want to put that down on a job resume.”

Worman believes the media characterizes mental health issues inappropriately and that mental health terms used in everyday vernacular are offensive.

Words intended to label mental illness are trivialized when abbreviated to “psycho,” “skitzo,” and “retard” and used to describe off-behavior.

In presenting the seminar, Esajian hoped to bring attention to the repercussions of mental illness because she feels it is a topic neglected in the community. When initially seeking treatment she blamed aloof doctors and high levels of medication for some of her problems.

“My brain seemed to be fuzzy. It was like groping around in darkness,” Esajian said. “I didn’t know what was wrong with me, but I knew I had a problem.”

Psychiatrist Herbert Angel Cruz discussed depression in adolescents and ended his talk with an admission:

“Practitioners who don’t know what they’re doing or who just don’t care can cause serious damage to a person.”

Although addressing serious topics, humor punctuated the seminar, including a reference to Tom Cruise’s aversion to psychiatry.

“If Tom Cruise were here, he’d be jumping up and down,” said Cruz, whose area of expertise is medication. “I’d say to him, if you don’t want to use them don’t, but others do.”

One Fresno State student found the event helpful.

“There was a lot of informative material and it really related to what I want to do,” said Susana Escobar, a social work major. “The talk on children and adult depression interested me most, because as college students we’re closely related to that group.”

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