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My Name is Mental Illness (A Poem)

Exact from poem published by the Association for Pastoral Care in Mental Health Newsletter. In honor of Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) I found this poem online from the Jewish Association for the Mentally Ill (JAMI), U.K. (http://www.jamiuk.org/).

(Untitled)
My name is mental illness
I have been around since man was created
Many different names have been given to me
In the past - Loony, Nutter, Village Idiot, and so forth were used by
society.
To describe WHO I AM
In modern times - I have become sophisticated.
I am now labelled Depressive, Manic, Obsessive, Schizophrenic.
By people who have not lived with me.
To know me, and my capabilities.
You have a life that you think you own.
But I would like to remind you.
When I strike I pay no regard to who you are.
Or what you have achieved in society.
I take you Rich or Poor.
I take you Young or Old.
I take you Beautiful or Ugly regardless of colour or creed

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Comments

kw said…
Hey sweets~ Another wonderful post. Well done on finding and sharing this insightful poem.

In America, there are birds called Loons, and in Philadelphia our mayor is Mr. Nutter. As to village idiots, we have our fair share. A certain Mr. Bush springs to mind.
October 6, 2008 at 10:42 PM
Anne said…
Thank you for visiting my blog. I like your movie picks you have in your profile and I like that Scrabble game to. You seem to have a great resource here for others who have mental illnesses. I'm sure they will appreciate you for sharing. Best wishes from Peek-A-Boo Street!
October 7, 2008 at 8:20 AM
Priscilla said…
It's true. Mental illness can strike anyone. Good thing that there is hope for those who need it.
October 7, 2008 at 6:09 PM
Cätlyn said…
Wow, i really like it.. I also have schizophrenia and I write poems about it and life. http://klaiscat.blogspot.com/
December 19, 2012 at 4:43 AM
Anonymous said…
thank you so much for that poem I understand completely it's like a war zone mental illness
January 15, 2015 at 12:58 PM
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