Reaching out

Mental illness is a horrible, invisible illness.

The symptoms are so small that those with the illness very often think they are not ill and are embarrassed to even contemplate the fact.

I got a phone call from a parent about their son to tell me he was suffering and hoped I would understand.

It can be viewed as a positive or a negating thing that I do understand.

Anyway, today we surprised the young man by turning up on the doorstep.

And we are pleased we did.

I counted out loud as he listed 6 symptoms that individually are inocuous but together are debilitating.

We listened for a long time as he talked.

And as he talked a wonderful thing happened.

He started to smile, then he made two positive decisions.

One would have done; to be honest we would have taken the smile.

It's always good to reach out. It's even better when people take tbe hand that's reaching out.