May Is Mental Health Month: Courageous Survivor Carol Kivler Dispels Stigma & Myths Surrounding Mental Illness

New Jersey (PRWEB) May 21, 2008 -- This May, mental health advocate Carol Kivler celebrates Mental Health Month and her own recovery from mental illness. But there was no celebration in May of 1990 when Kivler, a 40-year-old mother of three and part-time professor, was overwhelmed with the haunting thoughts that her life held no joy or promise and that her children, her husband and herself would all be better off dead.

"Those were some of my darkest days," says Kivler, now a professional speaker and advocate for others living with mental illness. "I felt robbed of the ability to live and terrorized by an unending and uncontrollable stream of suicidal and homicidal thoughts."

Kivler was one of the lucky ones suffering from severe depression. She had the love and support of a husband that made sure she got the help she needed. Realizing that his wife was severely depressed and a danger to herself, he assisted in having her hospitalized where she remained for more than a month. After being treated with a vast array of medications that provided no relief, Kivler was eventually diagnosed with medication-resistant depression. Her only option for pushing through the darkness was electro-convulsive therapy (ECT).

"I was terrified at first," Kivler remembers. "The only thing I knew about shock therapy was what I had seen in the movies." But when a compassionate nurse explained how the therapy would allow her brain to alter some of its' electrochemical processes and that it was not the barbaric treatment as seen in movies like "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest," Kivler knew she wanted to give it a chance. Fortunately, the treatments worked and her severe bout of depression lifted.(See Carol's video www.youtube.com/user/PurpleDuckMarketing)

For Kivler, the right treatment, a loving family, and a strong support group were the lights that guided her back from the darkness. And she believes everyone with mental illness needs and deserves the same. "You can't just beat this thing alone," says Kivler. "Believe me, I know first hand. That's why it's so critical that those living with mental illness get connected to the help they need to recover and live fulfilling lives."

"Get Connected" is the theme of this year's Mental Health Month (http://www.nmha.org/go/may.) Started more than 50 years ago, Mental Health Month is committed to raising awareness about mental health conditions and the importance of mental wellness for all.

This year's theme is focused on an essential component of maintaining and protecting mental health and wellness: Social Connectedness. According to the campaign, it is important to: Get connected to supportive family and friends. Get connected to your community for a sense of belonging and purpose. Get connected to professional help to feel better when you're stressed and having trouble coping.

Getting and staying connected has helped Kivler face and manage the issues that are part of living with the disease of mental illness. It has also helped her embrace extended periods of recovery and achieve things that many, including herself, would not have thought possible.

"Sadly, there is a stereotype that accompanies mental illness that doesn't focus much on the fact that those with this disease often have long periods of recovery," says Kivler, who now runs her own communications business, Kivler Communications. "There is a terrible stigma of uselessness and helplessness that accompanies those struggling with mental illness. But being diagnosed with mental illness is not a death sentence."

Kivler points out that many accomplished individuals living with mental illness have contributed to the world during their own periods of recovery. Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway, Mike Wallace, Patty Duke, and Jane Pauley are but a few. It is her desire to contribute and educate that pushes Kivler to be visible about her own illness and recovery. Through Courageous Recovery, www.courageousrecovery.com, a division of Kivler Communications that is committed to raising awareness while helping reduce the stigma around mental illness, and as a speaker for The Alliance for Recovery, www.allianceforrecovery.org, a nonprofit that advocates for recovery from addictions that are often tied to mental health issues, Kivler is changing lives and perceptions.

"My dream is that some day the world will look at people living with mental illness as courageous survivors who need to be accepted, not rejected," Carol Kivler says. "They need to be respected, not pitied. And above all, they should be admired and not feared."

About Carol Kivler - Carol A. Kivler, president of Kivler Communications, is a speaker, motivator, training consultant, and author. Her company provides customized corporate training, development and executive coaching to a wide range of corporations, organizations, government agencies, and school systems. Carol is currently a member of the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) as well as NAMI-Mercer where she serves as a Board of Trustee member as well as a legislative advocate to the Board. Since 1990, she has had four acute episodes of depression, each time requiring hospitalization and ECT. She has undergone more than fifty ECT treatments during these times.

###

This press release has been reprinted from PRWEB per the terms and conditions of the copyright notice.

Related News:

Being Bipolar disorder will disqualify you to become a surrogate mother because you are deemed as physiologically unhealthy.

The Online Bipolar Test - What's It All About?
An online bipolar test should not be used as your sole means of diagnosis! You will be doing yourself or your loved ones a great disservice if you try to self-diagnose. Only a trained and qualified medical professional has the ability to evaluate you for any type of mental illness.

Bipolar Type 2 And Type 1 - What Is The Difference?
Both bipolar disorder categories share the same characteristics in mood swing levels. However, the drawing line between the bipolar type 1 and the bipolar type 2 is on the varied episode levels of each mood swing.

Related Articles:

From Outcast To Insider: Overcoming The Stigma of Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a complicated mental illness that often brings with it much social stigma and discomfort. Patients with bipolar disorder face many challenges when addressing society at large. Fortunately for patients with manic depression, there are many steps you can take to overcome social stigma. Roughly one in five people suffers from a mental illness. That means you are part of a large family of patients and friends.

Information for Spouses of Husbands and Wives with Bipolar Disorder
There is no blueprint for success when you're looking for information about how to support a husband or wife with bipolar disorder. I wish I could give you a checklist of things to do to guarantee whatever success you're seeking. I wish I could promise you a happy ending. But bipolar disorder manic depression doesn't work that way.

Bipolar Affective Disorder - You Are Not Alone
A number of instances may set off the mood swings which include - inadequate sleep, drug abuse, not taking medications, illnesses, fall outs with family and friends, bereavements etc. It's also common to trigger mood swings when placed in a new environment such as starting a new job or going to university.

Symptoms of Bipolar in Children
Early prevention and treatment for children with bipolar will increase the chances of getting better and living a normal life. Properly treating bipolar children will help reduce any adverse effects not only in the life of the children with bipolar but in their families lives as well.

Parenting A Bipolar Child - Help Your Child Lead A Rewarding Life
Parenting a child with bipolar disorder presents its own unique challenges. Family and friends may have attributed your child's difficult behavior to stubbornness or other personality flaws. They may disagree with your parenting skills, however it is important to recognize and accept bipolar disorder for what it is – just another medical condition.

Learn More About Bipolar Affective Disorder
Bipolar affective disease is a recurring illness that means if left untreated it can continue indefinitely. It is very important that a patient who suffers from bipolar affective disorder is treated for the disease not only when it is diagnosed but also through the course of their lives.…

Trouble In Mood City - the Bipolar Brain
This article actually is an appeal to a Medicare Part D provider who thought I should have to pay double the co-payment on a medication I had been taking for years because of it's high expense. (It's somewhere around $555.00 for a month's supply.) But I knew trying other medications would be at best an exercise in futility.

Does Your Teen and Child Syptoms of Bipolar Disorder?
Everyone has their ups and downs, but you will also discover that there are many emotions that you are going to have; euphoria, sadness, anger, frustrations, and more. You will also find that the essential part of the disorder is where you are going to feel the mood swings and loss of control. Your feelings and mental health will just seem to be going around in circles.

Why Do You Stay in Your Bipolar Relationship?
Bipolar disorder runs roughshod over relationships. The divorce rate is three times higher in these marriages than in the general population. The pressure on us from friends, family and professionals is unrelenting. Those who ask, "Why do you stay in your relationship?" are not supportive.

Bipolar Disorder Advancements
Bipolar disorder is a mental illness requiring prolonged treatment. People with this disorder experience extreme emotional highs (mania) and lows (depression.) Numerous advancements in bipolar disorder treatments have been made over the past few decades.

A Startling Fact About How To Support A Spouse with Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar never goes away, and it's never cured, only treated. There is no happy ending. If you can't live by the old saying, "It's the journey, not the destination," then I advise you not to take this trip with someone you care about who's been diagnosed with a bipolar mood disorder.

Ways To Cope With Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, has a very serious effect on the sufferer's life. It also effects those closest to the patients in a detrimental way and getting treatment as soon as possible is paramount. Sufferers need the attention of physicians, psychiatrists…

Bipolar Disorders in Children
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, was once believed to affect adults only. But researchers have found that children as young as seven years old can have this disorder. Bipolar disorder is a treatable neurobiological brain illness, characterized by severe fluctuations in mood and activity levels.