A city should be full of voices. These voices should be speaking about mental health. Ideally, they should be speaking about all aspects of health, but mental health has been neglected for far too long. The stigma attached to mental health is simply wrong. No one would ever doubt or judge cancer. No one would expect a cancer patient to be confined to a hospital unit without personal belongings, with nothing to distract them from the pain and humiliation of being taken from their home against their will. No one would accept that reality. Ever. So why should mental health be treated any differently?
I did not know, nor was I aware, that any city cared enough, let alone a city like New York. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that places like City Voices existed. I was genuinely shocked. Hard to believe, perhaps they need more visibility. Certainly, no doctors ever pointed me in their direction. My view of the mental health landscape before this discovery was bleak, as you can probably tell. It consisted of psychiatrists, inpatient commitments, or what felt like outpatient torture.
I actually cried when I discovered City Voices, along with other organisations and people across New York City that, unknown to me, had been there all along. I cried tears of joy, but also tears of regret. Regret that I did not know about this sooner. Regret for years lost on the wrong frequency. I cannot go back in time. I will not get those years back. But I can make a difference for someone else. Through groups like City Voices, we can all work to change the way mental health is mishandled.
I feel lucky and privileged to now be included, and I am excited to be part of helping others on this journey. I have felt supported through Zoom group meetings and have met many wonderful new people. I enjoy hearing and learning from their stories and journeys.
I believe we are all here for a purpose. It doesn’t have to be a grand purpose. Simply conversing and sharing with others is purpose. I also believe there is more to mental health than doctors and treatment. There is much to be learned from the survivors of the mental health system. Real human interaction is more healing than any doctor’s words or prescriptions.
I am very excited about my new discoveries and hope to continue volunteering and working with City Voices for many years to come.
Kim Lugacy is a long-time Komodo dragon enthusiast from northern Myanmar. He speaks Vietnamese with a hint of a Ukrainian accent.