Get Educated Before It Is Too Late

     It is time to hit the books, before congress cuts the 
education budget by billions. You might say how? How
do I go to college?
     First, you should take a look at your local community
college. You can at least get covered for an A.A. or A.S.
through the financial aid department without having to 
take out student loans that never go away.
     I told my kids to let their first graduation pay for the
next. Yes, an A.A. or A.S. is just a beginning, but what
better way to spend some free time? You keep your
intellect sharp, and bolster your resume.
     There is this thing about grant moneys. Through the
application process, there is grant money available to
help with costs. These do not need to be paid back-unless
you cannot hold a C average, or bail on attendance. It's
there FOR YOU. For those that think college is out of reach.
The fact is- It IS WITHIN your REACH! That is what 
community college is all about. It is a stepping stone that
most take for granted. You could even become a nurse
in two years at a community college, or go part time for
a little while longer.
     Now, go get um! Good Luck! Start your FAFSA now!

Vocabulary ABC's
 

Healthcare to Americans with Mental Disabilities

     I have noticed a difference in treatment, when I go to the Emergency Room. They give me a different folder, take my information, and then kick me out. I am told that my concern is not life threatening and that I need to see my general practicioner for a referral.

     I worry about my health. I have been dizzy with a low-grade fever for months now. My uncle died young. He complained of a tummy ache for four months until they finally saw him and found that he had terminal stomach cancer. I wonder if they had found it sooner, would he be alive today. He was 46 and a schizophrenic.

     When I go to the hospital for chest pain, the ER tells me that it is just a panic attack and to stop coming in for chest pain. My cardiologist wants me to go to the ER when I experience chest pain, but the hospital sends a Psyche-Tech to evaluate my mood, and then sends  me home without treatment.

     This is a national dilemma. It hurts my feelings to be told that I cannot get treatment. I feel like the medical world just wants me to die. If I didn't have a disability, I would be seen as a patient in the hospital. Maybe it is just this one hospital, but it always happens at this hospital. I am scolded and sent on my way. It is not fair. It is not just. This is my reality.

     This only started when Obamacare was passed. For some reason, if you are mentally ill you get the shaft. The medical field doesn't care if you have insurance or not. They refuse to treat you. It is even harder to find a psychiatrist that takes your insurance. Horrible to be mentally ill in America!

Vocabulary ABC's

The Problem with Functional Ability

     There is a problem when you have to deal with symptoms.
This problem is feeling spiritual. Religion, faith, and spiritualness
seem to explain each other, but that is not the case. Religion is a
structured focus, faith is confidence in the Lord, and spiritualness is
the feeling of euphoria that most people get when faced with godliness.
    Many mentally ill people suffer from inner turmoil. When we
were little we were taught that our inner voice comes from God.
This inner voice keeps the inner turmoil in check. But the problem
with being religious when you are mentally ill, is the lack of
conscious thought (believing, trusting in God) where faith and
trust can be viewed separately. The mentally ill do not have the
functional ability to separate reality from religion.
     Seeing things differently, is like a mental getaway. A vacation
from whatever has become disturbing. When that happens, the
focus would more than likely be toward "trusting God" than on
reality. This behavior makes recovery difficult. Some of us get
caught up in the euphoria and don't want to "get better". It romances you, it draws you in like a slow seduction. Then, before
you notice, you are slipping into your symptoms, finding yourself
in a full-blown episode in need of emergency intervention.
     To the mentally ill- faith, reality, myth, legend, and tradition
are all wrapped up together without the ability to believe these in
a separate manner. This is why treatment is difficult and recovery
fleeting. At least the care and treatment of the mentally ill has
improved over the decades. Now, we progress farther into medically identifying mental illness and what types. Closer
than the guessing games we had in the past. Closer to a cure.

Vocabulary ABC's in Mental Health

Emotion chart