Tag: mental health

Addressing the issue of homelessness in America and our struggle to find viable solutions. A personal perspective on the importance of having a home.

The value of my homeless experience lies not so much in having learned how to live outside — at least not in the geographical sense. The value of my homeless experience lies in having learned how to live outside the box.

I completely understood why people didn’t want to have me over, because I probably wouldn’t want me over either. But at the same time, I asked them, where is compassion? Who has a heart? Can’t somebody bend for a little while? When is anybody going to realize that I’m not going to be able to solve any of my “boundary issues” or exacerbations of ADHD or Bipolar Disorder if I don’t find that somebody loves me enough to make a simple sacrifice — and, yet, nobody will.

All the experiences we have come to classify as mental health disorders are real. However, despite their being real, I sometimes question the emphasis that ought to be placed on them.

Mental health is a subject that faces a lot of stigma and shame in society. Addressing it and seeking support involves being vulnerable and open about what's going on in our minds, which is not easy to do. However, learning to care for our mental health is part of caring for God's Creation.

For every 100 girls, 614 boys and men are incarcerated in local jails, 441 boys and men aged 20 to 29 — and 293 aged 15 to 19 — die by suicide and 255 are classified as having an emotional disturbance in schools.

Anyone who knows me well will tell you I am unusually protective of my right to compose music. I often perceive external forces to be inhibiting my efforts. In reality, of course, my obstacles toward writing music are entirely internal. But this was not always the case.