All about acceptance
Gregory Porter’s depression started when he was a ninth-grader at Canon-McMillan High School – he just didn’t realize it then.
“It was hard not knowing what was wrong with me,” Porter said.
He struggled to communicate and became isolated. He coped, he said, by listening to music and writing song lyrics.
After graduating from high school, Porter attended the University of Pittsburgh, but he had to drop out his freshman year when he became sick. He tried a technical school the next year, and, again, he was forced to drop out.
“My illness really affected my education,” he said.
Porter was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, a cross, he said, between bipolar illness and schizophrenia. He suffered from delusions and severe mood disorders, such as mania and depression. According to the Mayo Clinic, schizoaffective disorder is not as well understood or well-defined as other mental health conditions.
But with proper medication, the 51-year-old Porter is thriving, and on May 1, he earned honorable mention for his poem, “Attack of the Humanoid Chickens,” a silly poem, he said, written during one of his manic episodes, at the sixth annual AMI Inc. Poetry and Fine Art Show in Washington.
Mary Jo Patrick-Hatfield, mental health program director at Behavioral Health and Development Services in Washington, said AMI’s show illustrates perfectly that people with mental illness can be contributing members of society, and it goes a long way in trying to combat the stigma often associated with mental illness.
“I think it’s just an opportunity for expression,” Patrick-Hatfield said. “We all need an outlet to show who we are, who we’ve become. It’s a medium, if you will, to express your thoughts, feeling and experiences.”
That’s exactly why Porter began to write poetry in high school.
“Actually, it was the only way I was able to express myself,” said Porter, who also was the featured artist at the AMI show. “I’m a Gemini, so I’m either real serious or real silly. That’s how I express myself.”
He often will take walks at night, he said, when “waves of words just keep coming.”
“When I’m by myself, I can write,” said Porter, who resides in Washington. “As I pace, I get inspiration. When I’m in a manic state, I’m more upbeat. When I’m in a depression, my poetry is really deep and dark.”
Patrick-Hatfield has worked for behavorial health for nearly eight years, and even though inroads toward positive change have been made, she believes there is still “quite a ways to go” to eliminate the stigma of mental illness.
“It’s such a shame,” she said. “Depression and anxiety are common illnesses that impact people’s lives and are very treatable, but people are afraid to get treatment because of the stigma.”
Washington County has increased its educational outreach efforts, and it is slowly making a difference. Patrick-Hatfield said there has been a gradual increase in the number of people seeking treatment for mental illness.
“Hopefully, we’re encountering more people not because there is a greater incidence, but because there is a greater understanding,” she said. “A lot of times, it just takes giving people an opportunity to understand a person with mental illness.”
The onset of mental illness is most likely to occur in late adolescence-early adulthood, Patrick-Hatfield said, although depression and anxiety can occur at any time. Mental illness also affects people of all occupations and all socio-economic classes.
She added that acceptance, along with awareness, are the keys to changing the way mental illness is viewed.
“We have a plethora of services,” Patrick-Hatfield said. “We never turn anyone away. With acceptance, I think we can do a lot of good.”
To that end, several local events have been planned during Mental Health Awareness month. Among them are:
Mental Health Association of Washington County’s 50th Anniversary Awards Celebration, 7 p.m. Friday at Southpointe Golf Club. Guest speaker Julie Ann Sullivan, known as the “Attitude Enhancer,” will discuss “Good-Hearted Living.”
Honorees include Lori McAfee, volunteer coordinator at Presbyterian SeniorCare, who will receive the Robert A. Harms Professional of the Year Award; the Rev. Andy Scott of First Presbyterian Church of Bentleyville, Clara L. Deems Neighbor of the Year Award; and Staunton Farm Foundation, Corporate Citizen of the Year Award. There also will be a silent auction.
To make a reservation, donation or for more information, call MHA at 724-225-2061 or email mhawashco@verizon.net.
Celebration of Recovery, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 22 at the Stone Pavilion in Washington Park. The event is for those with mental illness, substance-use disorders and addictions and those with co-occurring disorders.
In addition to resource displays and inspirational testimonials, there will be live music, a DJ, food and giveaways. RSVP to Aline at 724-228-6832 or Ashley at 724-223-1181, ext. 120.
The event is sponsored by the Washington County Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and the Washington Drug and Alcohol Commission.
Washington County Mental Health Awareness Day and Walk, May 23 at North Strabane Municipal Park. Sponsored by the National Alliance of Mental Illness, Washington County Chapter, the event will begin with registration at 11 a.m. The walk will be held from noon to 4 p.m.
Registration fee is $5. Donations also are being accepted. Call Arthur Dowler at 724-754-7490 or Jim Gleason at 724-225-1607 to make a donation.
In addition, MHA will hold its fifth annual Washington County Wine, Jazz and Pops Festival from noon to 7 p.m. Aug. 1 and noon to 5 p.m. Aug. 2 at North Strabane Municipal Park. The festival will feature food and wine vendors, entertainment by the Washington Jazz Orchestra and Washington Symphony Orchestra, an amateur wine competition, raffles and paint-and-sip sessions.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the Mental Health Association’s festival website, http://winejazzpops.org.