By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Mental illness is not something that people should try to fight through without help, according to the CEO of Horizons Mental Health Center.
"It's almost a brain disease," said Mike Garrett with Horizons. "The chemicals within a person's brain aren't working the way that they are supposed to, and so we have some medications that will help those work the way that they are supposed to and that reduces their symptoms significantly. They function better. Their lives are fuller and it really is a disease process."
There really are people who can't just choose to behave differently.
"We have a hard time making that shift," Garrett said. "It's not a characterological thing. It's not a reflection of character. It really is an illness that these individuals have."
It's also important to note that there is no age limit to mental illness.
"Unfortunately, in our culture, we have a lot of people that experience pretty significant trauma very early in life," Garrett said. "Whether that's due to parents maybe having substance abuse problems or other problems that may be impacting the family. That trauma can just complicate anything that may be a preexisting condition."
Horizons and other community mental health centers across the state have been tasked for the last 30 years with doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to helping the mentally ill in Kansas and with continued issues going forward, it's important that those healthcare facilities be as supported as those dealing with physical injury.