Michael Weitzman: What If It's All In Their Head

Goalcast

Michael Weitzman speaker suffered from a mental health problem for many years...until he discovered something that would change his life.

Transcript

00:00It's in my head.

00:02It's okay. You're okay.

00:04Doctor, how do you know my child has depression?

00:07Isn't he just a moody teenager?

00:09It's not a good day.

00:12I'm trying hard.

00:14I'm really lonely.

00:16In fact, 60% with depression and 80% with anxiety

00:20do not get any treatment.

00:22Did you feel shame or stigma or embarrassment?

00:26That's why my favorite movie is Patch Adams

00:28and my other favorite movie is Mrs. Doubtfire

00:30and the reason I'm in the mental health field

00:32for one reason only is because of Robin Williams.

00:35People want you to be a certain way

00:38and sometimes you can't help but be depressed

00:40just the nature of being.

00:42Because I am so much crazier than you.

00:45Keep your voice down.

00:50Be a resource.

00:51I'm not going to be the overall for everybody

00:54but at least have me tell my story.

00:57Tell my sad story.

00:58Tell how I suffered and I used to sleep in my car

01:02and how I'd just take medicine just to go to sleep.

01:04But what did I do to get well?

01:07I suffered over 40 years with a mental illness.

01:1025 of those years basically was just suffering in silence.

01:14Then I finally decided to do something about it in 1999

01:18when I was 40 years old with a marriage and two kids

01:21and that really was the start of it.

01:23Taking medicine, doing the psychiatry,

01:25doing the talker, whoever my therapist was.

01:28Unfortunately, I did the old I got well

01:31and then got sick again.

01:33I was never able to work.

01:36After I struggled and I was in my last hospitalization

01:39while I was in there I said I just want to stay well this time.

01:43So I worked on things in my own hospitalization

01:47in White Plains to basically use

01:50at least humor and wellness tools

01:53to get myself to stay mentally well.

01:56That's why my favorite movie is Patch Adams

01:58and my other favorite movie is Mrs. Doubtfire

02:00and the reason I'm in the mental health field

02:02for one reason only is because of Robin Williams.

02:05I believe that I as someone who has suffered

02:09for so many years with a mental illness

02:11can use my passion to help others that are suffering,

02:15suffering in silence and not suffering at all.

02:18Yes, people are still struggling in middle schools and elementary

02:22but the bulk of it is really the youth.

02:25The youth basically, the high schools and colleges

02:28are suffering so much and suffering in silence.

02:31At 14, Alex was diagnosed with major depression and anxiety.

02:36Child and adolescent mental health disorders

02:38are the most common illnesses

02:40that children will experience under the age of 18.

02:42Suicide rate in colleges is astronomical.

02:45I mean, a college student kills himself every day.

02:48...and says the brain doesn't fully mature until age 26,

02:52so college students are put in a difficult situation.

02:55Did you feel shame or stigma or embarrassment?

02:58Yeah, definitely.

03:00That's a big reason why I didn't tell anyone sooner.

03:04I'm not asking, I'm just asking the schools

03:06and other places to let me be a resource.

03:08I'm not going to be the overall for everybody.

03:11Right.

03:12But at least have me tell my story.

03:14My quest and my mission and my message is,

03:17number one, I want to get rid of this terrible stigma,

03:20discrimination, oppression, whatever you want to call it,

03:23of mental illness.

03:24What do you want your parents to know about you?

03:27I am so much stronger after coming out of this

03:31and if I didn't have the parents I have,

03:33I really don't think I could be sitting here today

03:37talking to you.

03:39I would do anything for them

03:41because I know that they'd do the same for me.

03:43There's myth.

03:44They say that it's contagious.

03:47You got my phone, son.

03:50You can't get it from touching anyone.

03:53It doesn't work that way.

03:54Also they say it's about weakness.

03:56It's not weakness.

03:57Strength when you go and try to get help.

03:59That's strength.

04:00It's weakness if you're not going to do anything

04:02about your recovery.

04:04They say you can never get better.

04:05You can get better.

04:07You will get better.

04:08And you will stay better.

04:10I've done it.

04:11Other people have as well.

04:12And then they say,

04:13I love when people say it's all in your head.

04:15Duh.

04:17Duh.

04:18Duh.

04:19But what is it that got me better, ladies and gentlemen?

04:22It's all the holistic wellness tools.

04:25What are they?

04:26Deep breathing exercises.

04:28Meditation.

04:29Not just meditation.

04:31Creed.

04:32Prayer.

04:33God.

04:34And then reading books like Wayne Dyer.

04:36He says things like,

04:37I'm not better than you.

04:39I'm just better than I used to be.

04:41You're going to have situations.

04:43You're going to have circumstances.

04:45And you're going to have disappointment.

04:47The question is,

04:48don't let these things turn into a trigger

04:50and you get sick over it.

04:52And whether you have a mental health condition or not,

04:54it doesn't matter.

04:56People,

04:57whether you're sick,

04:58in a wheelchair,

04:59disabled,

05:00without a limb,

05:01disabled,

05:02have mental illness,

05:03chronic illness,

05:04it doesn't matter who you are.

05:05We all are pretty equal.

05:06I want you to keep learning.

05:07I want you to keep moving.

05:08I want you to keep dancing.

05:10And I want you all to keep getting alive.

Category

Transcript

Recommended