If you come from certain kind of family—like I do—discreetness is instilled in you at birth. For some of us, to a fault. For almost 17 years I have held a serious, private matter close to my heart. As many of you can attest, keeping anything “private”—let alone a secret—is impossible in Creek County proper. Most recently I faced an absurd amount of scrutiny and undue judgment for merely operating within the law and in favor of my mental health and the overall health of my father.
To this end, I wholeheartedly refuse to stand in the shadows for fear of shame. Admittedly, I am “crazy” by your standards, but not by mine. Creek County’s fatal flaw has always been and will continue to be—ignorance. It is as if no one around here really knows mental illness…they use simple words like “crazy” to describe people who are nothing of the sort — and yet we have one of the most rapid drug overdose and addiction afflicted counties in all of Oklahoma.
Addiction, Alcoholism, Anxiety, Asperger’s, Autism, ADHD, Bi-Polar, Depression, Epilepsy—these are just a few of the illnesses largely misjudged by the people at large. We don’t judge those with Diabetes or heart disease. Even having cancer will get you a pink cookie. Why is mental illness largely ignored? Why do we keep it a secret? Our minds are the processors which provide the proper function to everything else. The mind is the MOST powerful part of us. I often wonder, are there people on earth who are so perfect they do not have someone in their family who has experienced ANY of these types of struggles?
So let me clear the air: It was the summer of 2002 when I was diagnosed with Bi-Polar Disorder at the age of 23. The previous summer I had graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. I had spent the past year working at a Tulsa law firm and preparing for Law School when it dawned on me that I was not sleeping; something as simple as not sleeping can wholly dismantle someone’s everyday cognitive and behavioral functioning. So Imagine, if you will, what those emotions might feel like to someone who understands all too well what ANY sort of diagnosis will mean as well as its social stigma as referenced in the DSM-V.
Luckily I was able to recognize the signs in my behavior and admitted myself into Laureate. For the last 15 years, I have seen a therapist, had regular visits with a Psychiatrist and take my daily prescribed medicine. I have been so rigorous in my treatment to stay balanced, I have also suffered four miscarriages—a lasting side effect of my prescribed medication I was not made aware of until a few years ago. To the loss, it has a been the price I paid to stay on the straight and narrow.
I’d like to say a very special thank you to the administrators and staff at CREOKS’ Spring Creek Facility in Sapulpa for their professionalism and discreteness. I am hopeful Sapulpans will no longer wish to stand in the dark, and perhaps turn the other cheek allowing the light and truth to shine upon their faces.
“Don’t believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see,” was a piece of advice given to me at a young age from my very wise grandfather. I lend that piece of advice to you, dear Sapulpa.
A.L. Long
