Overcoming mental illness: To seek treatment, sufferers must combat stigma

It's hard to find a person whose life has not been touched by mental illness.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, mental illness affects nearly 1 in 4 Americans ages 18 and older. In Utah, 7.2 percent of youths have mental health needs, according to the UTMB Synthetic Estimates of Needs for Utah survey.

Although the numbers point to a widespread issue, the stigma remains, said Becky Harding, public information officer for the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health.

"There is so much stigma around mental illness, and that is one of our big missions — to eliminate or reduce the stigma associated with mental illness," Harding said. "It keeps people from getting help, and it keeps people who have gotten help from getting jobs."

Edith Wheeler was 15 years old when she first realized she needed help. As she watched her younger brother lose his battle against leukemia, she grew increasingly depressed and suicidal.

In a dark place, Wheeler didn't seek help until she hit rock bottom. She said that she finally decided to go to a local hospital where she talked with counselors who diagnosed her with depression and put her on medication.

"In the beginning, you just don't want to believe that you have a problem that you can't solve yourself," Wheeler said. "I tried a couple medications, went off the medications. Tried counseling, quit counseling. It always came back."

She struggled on and off for years, dealing with an abusive marriage and ultimately finding respite from her situation through education.

"I think the biggest thing (the counselors) did that helped me was that they directed and taught me about setting goals and things that you could do," Wheeler said. "So, to help me battle my situation, I used education."

Since being diagnosed with a mental illness, Wheeler has earned degrees in cosmetology, criminal justice and social work. She said she has come full circle from her teen years and is now counseling others at Weber Human Services in Ogden.

Despite her success, Wheeler said, she still feels the stigma surrounding mental illnesses.

"What I find is, a lot of times people with mental illness are mistaken for people who are stupid, and they're not," Wheeler said. "I have a lot of clients with college degrees, a lot of clients who are very smart, and I think they get treated differently. To be honest with you, a lot of times I think my clients are more normal than other people."