This article was written by Vickie Walker, who is a Certified Peer Support Specialist who  is studying  health administration technology at Forsyth Technical Community College.  This paper was written for her English class, but shows her own dedication to helping society better understand recovery and growth, in spite of a psychiatric label.

There is hope for individuals who are recovering from mental illness. There are many misconceptions concerning those who have mental illness, but having said that there is much success as well.  Although there are difficulties for individuals to endure there are also personal rewards. Once the diagnosis is made and the recovery process begins the individual understands there is a lot of work ahead of them, which is not easy, but a person is more than willing to take that first step.

Hard work and endurance are the keys to success when addressing mental illness.  A person has to contend with a routine of daily medications, doctors, group meetings and etc, which are a  part of the recovery process as well as taking responsibility for their past.  There are those who have spent time in jail while others have to adjust to living in the public arena.  There are other challenges to consider like finding work, housing, and transportation.

The ultimate goal for the individual is to live independently.  Unfortunately, the hardest thing the individual will have to contend with, over all is the stereotyping which is something we all are familiar with.  Tragically the unfair, sad titles that society has given in reference to the mentally ill can be as debilitating as the illness itself. 

In conclusion, I cannot stress enough the difficulties of those of us who live with mental illness, but I also have to emphasize the successes and the fact that there is life after mental illness.  I would like to make the statement that there is hope for the mentally ill, but the public must understand that we did not sign up for it we just have to learn to live with it.