By Stacy Wolford
VALLEY INDEPENDENT
Saturday, July 29, 2006

From the Pittsburgh Valley Independent:  "As the wife of an Orthodox priest, Kathy Pfeil is worried that some people will think of her differently once they learn she suffers from a mental illness.

But she is also confident that many from the congregation at St. Michael's Antiochian Orthodox Church in Monessen will embrace her desire to tell her story so that she may offer support to others.

"I was once told to remember that I am not my illness," Pfeil said. "I am a person with an illness."  More here.

From the Whittier, CA Daily News:

"MONTEREY PARK - Until the 1970s, people suffering from mental illness had little more to look forward to than a bleak, institutionalized existence, dependent on the care of others.

The new Pacific Housing Development in Monterey Park is a far cry from such a fate. The six-unit project on Newmark Avenue features bungalow-style buildings, warm colors, hip decor and all the necessities for an independent, productive existence for its mentally disabled tenants.

All but one of the units have been rented, said Jeanette Choi, program director for the outpatient mental health program of the Asian Pacific Family Center. The center, inaugurated in June, joined with the Little Tokyo Service Center to open the more than $1 million project, aimed primarily at serving mentally ill members of the Asian community."

Ohio isn't alone in this situation - many states have exactly the same inequity issue.

From the Akron Beacon Journal:

"COLUMBUS, Ohio - Some Ohio families struggling with mental illness are discovering that health insurance doesn't pay nearly as much to cover their bills as it would for physical ailments.

In Ohio, insurance companies usually cover no more than 20 mental health visits and 10 hospital days a year for hundreds of thousands of families. The maximum coverage for general health is typically $1 million over a lifetime, compared to $10,000 for mental health."

Copyright - by Cassandra Jardine of the London Telegraph:

"Over Christmas 1998, a change came over 44-year-old Dr Allan Levi, a high-flying heart disease researcher. For the previous few months, he had been depressed and lethargic, sitting on the sofa, staring into space. But when he returned to work at Bristol University Medical School in the new year, he was frighteningly energetic: bubbling with ideas, firing off memos non-stop, and, without consulting his colleagues, inviting all and sundry to the opening of a new laboratory for his cardiovascular research. Before long, relationships were so bad that Allan had to leave."

By Robin Williams Adams from The Ledger Online:

"LAKELAND -- At his mother's home in Lake Gibson, baseball trophies spread across the dresser in Marc Gonzalez's bedroom are remnants of a childhood filled with promise.

Holes punched in walls throughout the house tell a different story. They are sad reminders of what has become the reality for the boy who once pitched nohitters, hit home runs and was scouted by college coaches.

The damaged walls speak volumes about the impact of bipolar disorder and methamphetamine use on Gonzalez, 21, and his family."