Mental Health Awareness

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Some of us don’t pay any attention to mental disorders as many of us are not faced with these things too often. We may only know about some of them through television programs or movies we may have seen. One that comes to mind is “Me, Myself and Irene” starring Jim Carrey. If you enjoy watching comedies, this was a really cute one. The police officer named Charlie has a multiple personality disorder. It’s a very funny movie, but it is a rather sad reality however, that these disorders do actually exist. “Never Talk To Strangers” starring Rebecca De Mornay and Antonio Banderas, is another really good one on a more suspenseful and serious note as is “Single White Female”. There are so many different types of mental disorders, and several differences in personality and behavior that can be disordered.

The state of anxiety or fear can become disordered, so that it is unusually intense or generalized over a long period of time. Long lasting affective states can also become disordered. Mood disorder involving unusually intense and sustained sadness, melancholia or despair is know as “clinical depression”, and may more generally be described as “emotional deregulation”. Categories of anxiety disorders include Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, specific phobias, Agoraphobia, Social Anxiety Disorder, Generalized anxiety disorder, Panic Disorder, Post-traumatic stress disorder. Milder but prolonged depression can be diagnosed as dysthymia. Bipolar disorder involves abnormally pressured or “high” mood states, known as hypomania or mania, alternating with a depressed or normal mood. I could go on for days.

There was a woman here in Florida just a few weeks ago that went to a shooting range with her son, rented a gun and shot him in the back of the head, then turned the gun on herself killing them both. I read that she had a history of mental illness, 2 prior DUI’s, and was previously banned from the range for attempting suicide there 2 years prior. I’m wondering how she even managed to get into the range! With that being said, you should always have some type of personal protection product on you should you be faced with a life threatening situation. A stun master stun gun is a great choice.