Two Years to Nowhere

Two years after Newtown, mental health still matters, and most people still don't care. This weekend, on the second anniversary of the Newtown shootings, I took my daughter to see her first performance of The Nutcracker. Unsure of the exact venue, we parked on the street and followed the hordes of blond girls dressed just like my daughter in velvet dresses with satin sashes. I have wanted to reenact this holiday tradition from my childhood with my own now 9-year-old for many years. But this year was the first time we could actually go together. Two years ago, her brother was in an acute care psychiatric hospital, and I shared our painful story with the world. A year ago, she was with her father, who convinced a judge to give him full physical custody by arguing that the younger two children were not safe in a home with their brother. Mental illness affects more than the individual: it affects the whole family. This year, two years after Newtown, our family is stable, happy, spending the holiday season the way we imagine families in Hallmark cards spend it: decorating our tree, wrapping presents, drinking hot cocoa, and making up new lyrics to "The 12 Days of Christmas." But we know how fragile, precious, and rare this gift of Christmas present is. What changed for my family in the two years since Newtown? One word: treatment. Before Newtown, I was afraid to speak up and demand help for my son. After Newtown, in large part because I shared our family's private tragedy, my s...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news