Newspaper Page Text
June 20 2018
Page 3C
^Reporter
Mental health advocate addresses Blue Bridge Society
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr. net
Over the last two decades
Yvette Sangster has persis
tently talked about what
most people don’t want to
talk about—mental illness
and the rights of those who
struggle with it. Having
personal experience with
the governmental systems
that deal with persons with
mental illness from inside
and outside of the systems,
she has dedicated herself to
making people aware that
recovery is possible and
that all people deserve a
voice.
Sangster brought her
message to Forsyth as she
was invited to speak to the
Blue Bridge Society on May
14, especially appropriate
since May is Mental Health
Awareness Month. She has
worked for the Georgia
Advocacy Office for the last
14 years, recently stepping
down as program director
of Protection & Advocacy
for Individuals with Mental
Illness and now serving
as director of Advocacy
Education. GAO is a non
profit that operates with a
federally funded grant.
Sangster started her work
in advocacy in Connecti
cut, where she founded
Advocacy Unlimited, Inc.
In 1984 she began advocat
ing for her son who had
a traumatic brain injury.
Sangster said that at that
time recovery from mental
illness was not even dis
cussed; recovery was not
expected. Those diagnosed
with mental illness were
sent to institutions. Now
they contribute to com
munities in the same ways
as all citizens, as part of
families and as contributors
in the work
place.
“Proper
supports keep
people in the
community,”
said Sangster.
“Work is part
of recovery.
Everybody is
work ready;
we just need
support.”
Sangster said
that men
tal illness is
cyclical; those
suffering from
it deal with ups and downs.
Recovery means learning
skills to control the ‘downs’
and learning to know what
triggers them. Her mission
in the Georgia Advocacy
Office and in Advocacy
Unlimited has been to alle
viate the stigma that pushes
people with mental illness
down, to persuade people
to welcome them into the
community instead of
looking down on them.
Sangster was working as
an advocate because of her
son but had not made it
public that she had suffered
psychological disability
in her late 30’s. One year
during Mental Health
Awareness Month, a friend
urged her to ‘come out’ and
she did. She let her picture
appear on a poster, and she
began talking about her
personal experience.
“What I knew, they
didn’t,” she explained.
She said there was a
dilemma because without a
diagnosis you could not get
help, but once labeled with
a mental illness diagno
sis, you were limited by
attitudes and
restrictions. As
an example,
she told of an
experience she
had when she
had a reac
tion to some
Tylenol with
codeine she
took to relieve
toothache
pain. Having
severe stomach
cramps and
fearing she was
having a heart
attack, she
called an ambulance and
went to the hospital. When
the attending physician saw
her past psychiatric his
tory, he wanted to pass her
complaint off as a mental
issue even though she was
in acute physical distress.
“I’ll never forget that,”
said Sangster. “It’s really
sad. We can’t be treated as
whole human beings. It is
so inter-related.”
She said the concept of
whole wellness, including
body and mind, has grown
nationally. A support
group in the community
can make all the differ
ence for an individual. She
has worked to connect
people with support and
to educate communities to
be more welcoming. She
has also worked to make
people with mental illness
aware that they have rights,
even if they are in an insti
tution. They have rights to
freedom from abuse and
neglect, rights to freedom
from restraint and seclu
sion and rights to choose or
refuse treatment or medi
cation. Those diagnosed
with mental illness have the
right to work and the right
to vote.
Sangster left Connecticut
in 2001 when the legis
lature signed a recovery
policy for which she had
lobbied. She had trained
others to continue the work
of Advocacy Unlimited,
Inc. and felt that it was time
for her to step away from
it. She moved south to
Georgia and continued do
ing national consulting. She
began working with GAO
in 2003. Within the last
couple of years, Georgia
has passed the same type of
recovery policy legislation
that Connecticut put in
place in 2001.
Sangster answered ques
tions from those in For
syth regarding the role of
GAO. She said that making
people aware of their rights
and of how to find recourse
if they feel their rights are
violated is a big part of her
new job with Advocacy
Education. She said most
education comes through
word of mouth, including
speakers like herself. The
GAO website is thegao.
org. Schools play a big part
in disability advocacy. A
person, or a parent, must
call and ask for help. The
organization can’t just show
up or respond to second
party requests. First prior
ity is people in institutions
because they often have no
voice.
She was asked about
resources for those with de
velopmental disabilities and
those with mental health
issues on college campuses.
Asked where someone in
Monroe County who has a
breakdown should go, she
said that any state hospital
must accept someone but
it is most important to
build a community support
system.
“I have five people who
will support me; I’ll never
go in a hospital again,” said
Sangster.
There is the Georgia Cri
sis & Access Line at 1-800-
715-4225. It can help with
information about housing
and mental health support.
There is a ‘warm line’ for
those who just want to talk
with someone. “Sometimes
that’s all you need,” said
Sangster.
The Georgia Peer Sup
port Institute is a three-day
program for people new to
recovery. If is funded by the
state and free to partici
pants.
The Georgia Advocacy
Office serves all Georgians
with disabilities. It is at One
West Court Square, Suite
625, Decatur, 404-885-1234
or 1-800-537-2329.
Yvette Sangster
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