Beth Purdy's Short Story

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My name is Beth Purdy and I am the mother of 9 year old twin boys and along with my husband Steve, we are members of this church. Thanks so much to Lisa for asking me to come back and speak again. I’m honored to be here and am most grateful you’ve come to listen. It was two years ago this past February, in this room, when I gave my first real talk and with everything that has transpired since then, it’s pretty cool to be back here speaking, especially in this room, which has become very special to me. About three years ago I wrote to the clergy here in order to offer up my services by speaking about my personal experiences with mental illness…I had spoken once before, many years ago, and I really felt like it was time to share again.…show more content…
Today I’ll tell a part of my past “story” so to speak…very similar to the talk two years ago …then next week I’ll speak about why I started to talk in the first place and what it has been like since then, and then two Sundays from now I’ll give practical tips/insights/advice on mental health, both as the person dealing with the illness and those that are part of the support. Mental Illness is something I’ve been trying to speak out on, to advocate for and reduce the stigma around …in order to help others see it more as Mental Wellness rather than just Mental Illness. So again, I really appreciate you being here today and hope you can be back for the next two…show more content…
I am going to read you what I spoke about in 2002 and then give you a more detailed look at some of my experiences. Speech for Mental Health Association 2002 Event Being physically fit is “in”. Health clubs and gyms are packed. And even if we haven’t acted on it yet, all of us know the importance of physical health. If we don’t take care of our physical bodies, we are vastly increasing our chances of disease and decline. Discussing and working on one’s mental health, on the other hand, is not exactly what I would call “in”. Talking about your body is one thing, but talking about your mind is another. People don’t often think that a person diagnosed with diabetes actually got the disease due to their weak and deficient character. Unfortunately, however, that is often not the case for people with mental illness. People with depression, for example, are often perceived as if they have “brought it on” or “created it” themselves. While the stigma surrounding mental illness has become less intense, it is still very much an issue. These words often come to mind: crazy, unstable, irrational, overly sensitive, weak, less-than-whole,
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