I believe that giving the option, a person will choose good health, healthy diet, decent home, and opportunities to advance his or her self economically for blessings that will bring him or her peace and happiness. It does not have to necessarily be material because being well and enjoying normal activites without the mind and spirit hurting, makes a person peaceful and happy. Being in constant conflict with friends and family because the mind is ill or roaming the streets until shelters open and begging for food does not equate a quality life. Sometimes, the mentally ill go so long without mental healthcare, that they accept their state of being. . It seems that people tend to mesh quality of life and standard of living. In reality, these two thinks are linked in some way, shape or form. The quality of life, a person, tries to obtain is directly related to what they know and where in the enviroment they got it from. Now, the quality of someone's life is completely dependent on themselves. They control the quality of life that they recieve. Having a good quality of life means having a healthy balance. In order to have a quality of life…you need good health, stability, meaning, happiness and positive relationships. I prefer to call it the "pie of life". I have encountered many people whom ask the same question…."how can I obtain this?". Not to sound dumb or anything but most people tend to look too far for happiness. Happiness in my opinion is something we create. Trust me, I am not rich and have to work hard like everyone else in this country to make ends meet. I have seen the dark side too……and I know what its like to want to quit trying because it seems like a dead end everytime you turn. You have to keep trying and you have to sacrafice…yep thats right……most cases in order to succeed in life, you need to give up a few things. I am one of those people that really dont need much to be happy in life. Just give me a fishing pole, a few ham sandwhiches, some ice tea and a lake…..I am set. I work with people with mental health issues and it breaks my heart to see they dont or cant seem to obtain that quality of life they seek. These are real people and should not be treated as human trash. So what advice would I give to those that struggle with finding a sense of peace when diagnosed with a chronic mental illness? Hmm….first of..make sure you have a good support system…its not healthy to isolate yourself from the world because trust me you will dwindle down under then it will be twice as hard to get back to being somewhat stable again. Support systems can include family, friends, non-forprofit agencies in your community and online support. Even though the government is cutting programs left and right…there are still some around..you just have to look. Routine…routine ….and more routine….a lot of folks that suffer from severe cases of bipolar disorder and depression tend to "shut themselves out" from the world. This is not a healthy approach and trust me, they will get sicker if they do this. I am all for mental health treatment centers ..however…I feel clients need more exposure to the outside world as well. Once you get a new patient who is newly diagnosed and needs intensive treatment….they start to lach on to that way of life..so after a few years…..this is all they know. This is the problem with the mental health system…they feed them pills and keep them between four walls all the time. I am not saying this is the case all the time but most of the time. Granted there are some patients who need more help than others and I am aware of that. Its important to let these people know that they are a part of society and they are accepted. The stigma right now is really messed up….and this definately puts a damper on the mentally ill in our society. The hospitals are filling up and institutions are filling up…..what happens when there is no more room for these people? This is why the government needs to keep some of these programs so we can ensure that we give these people the support they need to maintain a sense of self worth and stability. Another big problem I have with the mental health system is medication. Now, this is a fairly controversial topic so I am gonna be careful. Medication…..in my opinion is for people with chemical imbalances….and should not be perscribed with those with mood disorders. I have seen so many people become worse off on medicine and become zombie state. I feel this is the way for companies to make "thier dollar" off of people.