Ritch overcomes mental obstacles
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?Before I was even old enough to go to school, I remember running to my mom in the kitchen screaming that a monster was chasing me. I kept pointing to it. I could see it. But my mom couldn?t,? he recalls.
Now 20, Ritch understands the monster, along with other hallucinations he experienced when he was younger, seemed so real because his brain was telling him they were. He had bipolar disorder, a disease that scrambles images and impulses inside the brain in ways that produce sounds and sights that aren?t real, except to the person experiencing them.
Things got worse as Ritch grew older. As an adolescent, he experienced severe mood swings and rages. He hit things and became so angry at family members they were afraid of him. Finally, after a fight in middle school, teachers discovered Ritch was cutting himself ?to dull the pain on the inside,? he explains.
?My teachers saw the cut marks and said, ?I think he needs help.? So I was referred to a psychiatrist. They found out I had more than just depression. I was having manic episodes, too.?
The combination of frenzied, manic brain activity followed by periods of deep depression is the hallmark of bipolar disorder, a condition that often appears first during adolescence.
Finding Hope and Help
Fortunately, Ritch was referred to a psychiatrist in Knoxville who worked with him, trying various medications and finding a combination that worked.
?It took a while, but my moods got better. The hallucinations started going away,? Ritch recalls. ?I actually started to feel happy ? not just manic or depressed ? and I started enjoying life for what it is. I remember the day I said to my mom, ?I?m happy.? It was a big change.?
Today, Ritch is eagerly anticipating beginning training to become an LPN ? an option that would be impossible without effective treatment for his illness.
Through it all, Ritch?s mom, Rebecca Ritch, has been a constant.
?My mom is my champion,? Ritch says. ?She has been there for me and has done everything she could.?
One of the things Rebecca Ritch did for her son was take a series of Vision for Tomorrow classes from NAMI Warren County. There she learned how to recognize symptoms of her son?s disease and how to help him and the whole family cope with the pressure and pain of his illness. In NAMI, she also found a group of other parents who had been through similar experiences and could share what they had learned.
?That made a big difference for the whole family,? Ritch says. ?My dad was great, too. He drove me all the way to Knoxville for those appointments.?
Classes Starting Soon
NAMI Warren County has been offering classes and support to families like the Ritches for more than a decade. An active member in the group, Shelia Hedge says, ?We are a great group, very warm and welcoming. We?ve seen a lot of families through really rough and confusing times.?
Next month, NAMI Warren County will begin Visions for Tomorrow classes for the parents of children with mental illness. And With Hope in Mind classes, for people who have a loved one with mental illness, are planned to begin soon. To register for classes, call 939-8988.
The NAMI support group meets the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the community room at Three Star Mall. NAMI also meets on the second Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. for business and to hear speakers about mental illness.
?Everyone is welcome to our meetings,? says Hedge. ?Well all need to support each other as we try to cope with mental illness in our families.?
John Ritch agrees completely. ?I know how it is to be alone with your illness. I know the feeling. But there is help out there. You can get help, and it?s so much better asking for help than just being miserable.?