“Human brains are the most
complex objects in the known
universe.”

Did you ever lose something that you recently had in your hand or forget when you placed it? If you answer yes,it probably just means you are getting old. When it started happening to me I was really worried since I have experienced my father’s Alzheimer’s disease which eventually lead to his death. I had a lengthy test done at the neurological department of a local hospital and although the test was very difficult the Doctor said I was showing no signs of preset Alzheimer’s or dementia of any type at this time. However, misplacing things still happens and happens today.

When my son was suffering from a brain illness and from other people I learned that human brains are the most complex objects in the known universe and one we know little about. There have been all types of research on cancer, Aids and other diseases and conditions but very little research, until recently, on the brain. We label brain illnesses with various names like Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Schizophrenia, Bi-Polar, Alzheimer’s etc but are just beginning to learn about them and how the brain works. We know the differences between breast cancer and prostate cancer but little about different types of brain diseases. Certain brain diseases we label at mental illnesses and often do not understand the physical causes and the connection between brain diseases.

I have observed that persons with brain diseases, often the ones we label mental illnesses, have certain key moments of crisis, just like other physical diseases or body injury do. We know enough to take a person unconscious after a car accident to the hospital but cannot take a person with acute symptoms of a brain disease, although they have no awareness of the illnesses, to the hospital. In fact, seldom, if ever, they are taken to a full hospital. If fortunate they may be taken to a partial hospital, called the Behavior Health Center but most often end up in jails or prisons. The County Jail and the House of Correction have many more persons with brain illnesses than the Milwaukee County Behavior Health Center.

If a person is taken to a Mental Health facility they most likely will be released in a few days without long term treatment. I have some friends who have a son with a brain illness that is labeled as a mental illness. Crisis after crisis they tried to get their son in a hospital for treatment and failed because the hospital would not take him without his consent or he would withdraw cooperation in a few days. When he a young adult he he was severely beaten by some youths as he was walking down a street. He was taken to the emergency room of the hospital near death and some of his injuries to head and brain were treated. When his outside physical injuries were healed his parents asked if he could be taken to mental health floor of the hospital for other treatment of his mental health illnesses. At the time he had no health insurance and being over 18 the hospital refused him treatment and said he had to go to Behavior Health Center. Since that time he has had a number of brain (mental health) crises and either has been refused entrance to hospital or being taken in for a few days and released. Our system, especially if you are poor, does not give families an opportunity to seek treatment for a loved one. Families are forced to live by crisis to crisis, to seek out treatment and cooperation of ill persons who due to the nature of the illness, does not accept his or her injury.

Agencies that work with persons with mental health often treat them as ‘clients’ and not as physically ill persons and, like loved ones, need the consent of the person with brain illness for treatment.

In my lifetime I have seen many movements for civil and human rights for groups, women, gay persons, minority groups like African Americans that have met with various levels of success. Rights are obtained when persons in the group working together with others, struggle and fight for their rights. I do not expect to see this happen in my lifetime since persons with brain illnesses, like schizophrenia, often do not realize they have a brain illness, and if they do they are scared by the stigma associated with such illness.

When we become aware of persons with brain illnesses, like war veterans with Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) we deal with the symptoms of disease not with causes, like violent environment they are in war where at times “they must kill or be killed” or watch a close friend die.

The Brain is a beautiful and mysterious creation that we need to understand and when this organ is ill we need to know causes and treatment. We need to be aware of Brains.

Comments

Please send any comments on this post to . Let us know which day’s post your comments pertain to. If the comments are appropriate we will post them here for you.