Is Everybody Mentally Ill?

In the past eight years we have seen over 15,800 different people at the Urgent Care. Many return six to eight times - that is a lot of crisis sessions. At times it feels like I am in a Horror Movie as the undead come crawling in trying to satisfy their thirst for human blood!

We were basically set up to serve the Los Angeles County area though we have seen those vacationing from foreign countries, those living on an island off the L.A. Coast, people from Vegas, New York, etc, etc, and how great is it for these people to have a place like this to go to where they don't need to have insurance to get their psychiatric and emotional needs handled.

A year ago I looked up on the computer how many people I had seen in a year's time - the number was over 800! Wow! THat number even shocked me. One by one we try to make a difference. Listen to what they talk about, give some suggestions, make a call or two, bring a family into the room and hash out differences. I like what I do because it is instant gratification.

This is in marked difference with my last job - working with the learning disabled. I worked with the same clients for more than two years and barely saw any changes. Oh yes, they changed - they were able to use soap in the shower, create a marketing list, and clean their apartment, but it wasn't crisis work where frowns turn to smiles on an hourly basis.

Don't get me wrong. I am not complaining about the sessions. I love meeting new amazing people who have suffered greatly and desire to do what it takes to change for the better. I really admire those with HIV who have to not only take a slew of medication, but also psychiatric medication added to it. I have difficulty taking vitamins on a daily basis. Imagine taking twenty pills three times a day!

The Los Angeles Area seems to be a magnet to not only the mentally ill, but also to homeless people. The weather is so great year round. I'd rather be homeless here then in Chicago. Imagine suffering through a winter's night there without a home? And shelters can be breeding grounds for brutes. Fifty percent of the clients I've seen here have lived in or live in shelters.

One by one, day by day, year by year adds up. I feel proud. Maybe I have provided the needed relief to a few of these folks. One thing for sure I am a great listener and give them a lot of time to vent. My support staff at first got upset with this, but haven't complained much recently. I figure if that was me in the chair opposite of me, I would want somebody to hear me out - so I do.

Every month or so I wonder if it is time to move away from this place because the stress level is very high. If I find a job with the same benefits and better pay I'd consider it. I feel I've got this down, why not test my skills elsewhere? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure. There will never be a lack in the Los Angeles area for clients. Now finding clients that can actually pay me for my work is the ultimate issue.

Good mental health to you.