30 Days of Mental Illness Awareness Challenge: Day Six

"... But a black sheep with a crumpled horn." - Dylan Thomas

Question: Do you have a family history of mental illness or mental health issues?

The answer to this is No ... at least, not that we know of.

I have no family history of "disappearing grandmothers" or "eccentric uncles," or anything else of the sort. But the important thing to remember about this is that I was born in the mid 1970's, and people just didn't talk about these things then ... and certainly not before then. So, who knows? Maybe there is a history and the people in my family were really adept at concealing the afflicted, or the poor sufferer(s) were extremely good actors? It's possible, but the answer is still, "No ... not that we know of." I know that's strange, especially since I had such early onset and my symptoms are considered "high acuity." Researchers and pshrinks will shake their heads (believe me, I've seen them do it when I answer this question for them), and Medical Model doctors get their panties in a bunch about it. No genetic markers? How can this be?? (I refer you back to Day Five, and the 1.5 post in the middle of Day 3.) Not that I think mental illness is a choice. Not that at all. But a reaction to trauma in the very place we have allowed America to become ...? That certainly must be a factor.

All I know is I can't solve it for-sure-sies. (Unless the CDC or some independent researcher finally finds the elusive "genetic marker" for certain and we exhume all the bodies of my ancestors to test their DNA. But this seems unlikely.) Sorry I have no juicy stories of gothic-style, pure, literary madness to astound you. But then, maybe the odd fact that I seem to be the first one in our family's history to come up with schizophrenia might be astounding enough.

ETA: At first I wrote out "Metal Illness" in the title and didn't catch the rather apropos typo. *Jams to metal on the MP3* Jungian slip, perhaps?