By Tre Gabriel, Flawless Intern
The Flawless team recently traveled from all over the country to congregate in New Hampshire for the Mental Health for US Unite For Change Town Hall. We heard from an incredible group of speakers and even a few presidential candidates who introduced their ideas and policies on mental health. For me, two speakers left a resounding impact and gave everyone in the audience hope and inspiration with the authenticity of their speeches.
Deval Patrick began with three main points: “mental health is health,” mental health patients are not criminals, and lastly that mental health should not be shamed. It is in this last point that he captured the heart of the entire audience by letting us behind the scenes of his life. His aim was to “bring those suffering out of the shadows” and spoke about the impact mental health has had on his family, in particular, his wife.
Dianne Patrick has lived with anxiety and depression throughout her adult life, but during Deval Patrick’s first term as the governor of Massachusetts, his wife’s private life was launched into the public sphere and seemingly “fell apart” as Governor Patrick recounts. However, Dianne was not ashamed of her challenges and against the advice of her team, who feared public discrimination, she did not want to have her medical condition to remain a secret. The response from the public was everything the Patrick’s could have hoped for.
It was helpful that the media’s response was to respect the wishes of the Patrick family and allow Dianne to remain out of the public eye, but the general public did not simply leave her alone. They responded by showering her with love and appreciation. Governor Patrick recalled receiving thousands of notes, cards, and messages from people who were inspired by his wife’s purposeful decision to let the world know of her mental health challenges. In a moment where it would have been easier to handle these issues in private, Dianne made the conscious decision to be candid about her need for privacy. As a result of her honesty, she has impacted thousands of lives and we commend her for her transparency with her personal story.
Closing out the town hall was the always-remarkable Patrick Kennedy. Patrick spoke about the necessity for action being now, and the passion in his voice was riveting. Exemplifying the need for urgent action the former Congressman talked about his lived experience with bipolar disorder and addiction. He candidly shared details about his recovery and treatment and reminded us all that our brains need to be treated like any other part of our bodies.
Too many Americans are either not receiving the help they need or are being treated as second class patients and it is having an impact on the lives of many. Kennedy offers a personal story to demonstrate how urgent this care is needed.
“Our next door neighbor, who is a retired Korean war veteran, lost his 13 year old granddaughter to suicide last year. This year – same month, same week, – they lost their son-in-law who took his life on the anniversary of his daughter’s suicide. And they live right next door to me. I get called last year to go down to Texas to see my first cousin who is burying his 18 year old son. And you know what he says to me when i come in to the church? He says “Patrick I knew you did a lot on mental health, but it didnt seem to me like it had gotten that bad yet. I didn’t want to bother you.” I’m just telling you these are real stories. They happen to me everyday – you everyday. People are affected by this and we have to do something. “
-Patrick J. Kennedy at the Mental Health for US Town Hall
Yes, we have to do something, and we have to do something now! We are very fortunate to have two inspiring people in the spotlight who have the courage to be authentic about their personal experiences. By using their platform they are amplifying the discussion and many people are able to learn from their example, and at the very least not feel alone. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Governor Deval Patrick and Patrick Kennedy for their fierce activism that motivates us all to heed this pressing call for mental health for US!
