Every time I hear about someone who dies from the consequences of mental illness, who was smart and funny and seemingly had a lot to live for, I think of the same quote from a New York Times article I read several years ago. It’s a profile of a psychiatrist who had borderline personality disorder and went on to be a therapist.
No one knows how many people with severe mental illness live what appear to be normal, successful lives, because such people are not in the habit of announcing themselves. They are too busy juggling responsibilities, paying the bills, studying, raising families — all while weathering gusts of dark emotions or delusions that would quickly overwhelm almost anyone else.
That about sums it up nicely.
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