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For Those With Mental Illness: Portland Isn’t The Place To Be
If you’re in a mental health crisis, maybe paddle over the river to Washington.
Portland, Oregon. Known across the U.S as a hipster town filled with artists, writers, marketers, and fortune 500 companies.
But did you know we also have shit mental health care?
Did you also know that we have such a high population of folks with Borderline personality Disorder that our DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) Institute has an admittance list that’s currently 8–9 months or more long?
That’s bleak.
I was in crisis myself a few days ago. Having suicidal thoughts ain’t fun kids. And when I went to the hospital, they asked me,
“What can we do for you? What do you want from us?” It was nice of them to ask, however, the only thing I could think of while I was sobbing in a hospital recliner was, “Shouldn’t you know what to do?” I was obviously in mental distress and constantly saying that I was in pain because of it. Yes, they helped me find resources, and I understand they are an ER room and there’s not much they can do for perceived non-physical ailments. But this was an emergency. And during my mental distress, my brain could only think, “I shouldn’t have come here in the…