Dear editor,

The mental illness defense of Dannille Vanderpool offers an opportunity to address a problem every person with a mental illness has to face: The stigma of the illness. Without passing judgment on Ms. Vanderpool, I would like to list the following statistics.

It is true that in any given year, 22.1 percent of Americans 18 and over suffer from a diagnosable mental illness. That means 44.3 million people in this country (from NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness) Each crime reported by the media that suggests “psychiatric problems” may have contributed to the crime, be it mass murder, burglary, embezzlement, or as in this case an alleged fraud perpetrated upon her friends, perpetuates this stigma. People become afraid of the mentally ill, thinking that every one of us is suspect.

The truth is that of those 44.3 million Americans who have a mental illness, only a few commit major crimes. In fact, far more are committed by people who do not have psychiatric problems. The mentally ill are your friends, your neighbors, your daughters and your sons. We value our families and friendships, many hold full-time jobs and we are not dangerous.

Mental illness is usually caused by a malfunction in brain chemistry. It is a physical problem that should be accorded the same respect as cancer, diabetes and arthritis. There are many people in our community and elsewhere who take the opportunity to seek medical and support help to enable them to lead more effective lives. Doctors can prescribe medications that often make a major difference and there are local support groups that allow a sharing of our particular problems and an opportunity to feel less alone. In Napa County, we have NAMI, a group backed by the Mental Health Division of Health and Human Services and the Depression-Bipolar Support Alliance. DBSA specifically deals with those with clinical depression and bipolar disorder and their loved ones. It can be found online at DBSA, Napa.

At this time, I hope everyone will recognize that the mentally ill are not monsters but have an illness that is usually treatable. In addition, many contribute much to our community and great numbers are highly creative. It is time, person by person, to eliminate the stigma of mental illness and bring treatment and caring into the 21st century.

Marian Johnson

DBSA board member

Napa