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"Feelings don't try to kill you, even the painful ones. Anxiety is a feeling grown too large. A feeling grown aggressive and dangerous. You're responsible for its consequences, you're responsible for treating it. But ... you're not responsible for causing it. You're not morally at fault for it. No more than you would be for a tumor." -- Patrick Ness, "The Rest of Us Just Live Here"
When the Michigan Supreme Court gathered in Cheboygan this week in front of an audience that included Northeast Michigan students, the court was short one very brave justice.
Justice Richard Bernstein missed the special session of the Supreme Court at the Cheboygan Opera House because he is out of state getting mental health treatment, he announced earlier this month.
"I encourage everyone who struggles to seek the help they need," Bernstein said in a statement released by the court. "I appreciate the opportunity to temporarily step out of the courtroom to focus on my mental health."
The justice, who's been on the bench since 2015, continued to work remotely "on all active cases," he said in the statement, but he announced he would miss oral arguments during his treatment. He did not say how long that treatment would last.
I applaud the justice for seeking help.
It reminded me of Simone Biles stepping back from the Tokyo Olympics as she dealt with her own mental health struggles. In both instances, folks at the pinnacle of their careers bravely took a step back to get the help they need while encouraging others to reach out for help, too.
This country needs more of that.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness says one in five American adults and one in six American kids ages 6 to 17 experience a mental illness each year. Most commonly, those folks experienced anxiety or major depression, according to NAMI.
That equals nearly 58 million adults and nearly 8 million youth -- 66 million people -- battling anxiety or depression every year.
Still, those numbers likely underrepresent the issue, because mental health remains stigmatized.
You still hear things like "get over it," "grow up," "buck up," "suck it up," "just be happy," "turn that frown upside down," and similar cliches when people experience mental illness, despite years of research suggesting people experiencing mental illness can't control their illness on their own willpower and can't just flip a switch to make it go away. Facing that stigma, too many people still won't seek help.
Some people still look down on others who need to step away from work or other obligations without an ailment that physically prevents them from performing. Some of you reading this now might think Bernstein a weakling for needing time away.
The science says he's not.
Remember, the brain controls our emotions through a mixture of chemicals and hormones, and the brain is part of the body. A mental illness is a physical illness, a mismatch of chemicals in the brain.
And it can be just as debilitating.
Working with a mental illness is like flexing all your muscles simultaneously while running a marathon. Your body tenses to the point of exhaustion just trying to act "normal" enough to focus on the task at hand without raising any suspicion that you're having a problem. That can cause fatigue and pain throughout the body. At the end of every day, you can feel like you've been raked over the coals.
I don't know precisely what Biles or Bernstein are going through, but, if they've dealt with their illnesses for long periods of time, it's remarkable they made it as far as they have. Both reached the peaks of their professions. If they did so while experiencing mental illness, they did so while experiencing the kind of physical anguish that can knock you on your back.
And so, if they need to step away briefly to get some help for that anguish, they deserve it, and no one should castigate them for it.
In fact, they should be praised for having the courage to admit they need help and to hold themselves out as examples of what other folks ought to do.
Mental illness can be treated, usually with a combination of talk therapy and medication. It can go away or it can be managed. Except for those with the most severe sicknesses, people with mental illness can continue to lead successful lives.
Untreated, however, the illness only gets worse.
So I say kudos and godspeed to Bernstein for what he's doing. He's a brave man.
And I encourage everyone who's dealing with anxiety, depression, or other mental illnesses to reach out for help. It can get better, but getting help is the only way.
Justin A. Hinkley can be reached at 989-354-3112 or jhinkley@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinHinkley.