Mental Health Month: Local man shares his experience with mental illness

GRUNDY CENTER – Each May, people across the nation observe Mental Health Month. The goal of Mental Health Month is to raise awareness and educate people about mental illnesses while removing the stigma that surrounds This year’s theme is “Life With A Mental Illness,” which gives people a look into the everyday life of someone diagnosed with a mental illness.
At the Kling Memorial Library this month, there is a display set up that shows different celebrities and notable figures who have lived with or are living with mental illnesses. Among those on the display are: Abraham Lincoln (who reportedly suffered from depression), Albert Einstein (who reportedly experienced schizophrenia), as well as actors such as Mel Gibson and Ben Stiller (who reportedly suffer from bi-polar syndrome).
The display shows that mental illness is all around us, and even celebrities aren’t exempt. Mental illness is so common, in fact, that 1 in 5 Americans will be affected by a mental health condition in their lifetime, and every American is affected or impacted through their friends and family, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
One local man, Brian Heeren, is very open about his experiences with mental illness.
At 36-years-old, Heeren was diagnosed with bi-polar syndrome.
“I could tell a year before [my diagnosis] that things were spinning out of control in my life,” he said, noting the “crazy thoughts” he was having, and the typical highs and lows experienced by someone with bi-polar syndrome.
The initial diagnosis was hard, he said, and it left him wondering if was ever going to be normal again. 
For the full story, see the May 19 edition of The Grundy Register.