Recovery
"A process of change through which
individuals improve their health and
wellness, live a self-directed life, and
strive to reach their full potential."
-- SAMHSA
Stephen Puibello, consumer advocate for mental health and HIV since 2004
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On September 24, 1996, I lost my sixty-six-year-old Mom to breast cancer. Two months later I was diagnosed HIV positive and my life went gray. I was extremely depressed. Soon after, I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder--otherwise known as Manic-Depression--which is a form of mental illness. I went for a walk on the Charles River in Boston, then went home and for close to two months didn't leave. I can remember early on needing someone to accompany me to my doctor's appointments as I wasn't hearing what was being explained to me. I became detached from my community, stopped working, and really just wanted to let go, but I didn't and went on to create this Web site in 2004. It is a work in progress, and is the core of my recovery for both substance addiction and mental health.
The main focus of this site to date has been on HIV, HIV and Mental Illness, and HIV, Mental Health and addiction. Below you will find quotes that I've researched. As a gay man struggling with all of these issues, I was searching for answers. The more I read the more I realized I was not alone. I learned about the stigma associated with HIV and the compound stigma associated with HIV and mental illness.
"One population identified as under-served relative to its need is the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Nearly 1 in 4 LGBT New Yorkers—report having any kind of mental health disorder, this trend is consistent with the national research. The research also suggests that people who are LGBT, particularly youth, are more likely to attempt suicide, and more likely to suffer from co-occurring disorders, particularly substance abuse." (New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 2008)
"Dr. Glenn J. Treisman, MD, Ph.D., who is Director of the AIDS Psychiatry services at John Hopkins Hospital estimates that at any given time 1 in 5 HIVers is suffering from a major depression and require psychiatric treatment." (HIV Plus Magazine March/April 2009)
18 million people have a serious mental illness. A reasonable estimate suggests that about 720,000 are LGBT. (Reducing Stigma and Discrimination among People who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender, March 12, 2008 SAMSHA)