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The shame of mental illness – healed

A cyclist pedals along Second Avenue at Napa Street past empty lots where homes stood before being removed by the Washington State Department of Transportation. The sites are minimally maintained by the DOT and it could be 15 years before construction will begin for the planned freeway expansion. (Dan Pelle)
A cyclist pedals along Second Avenue at Napa Street past empty lots where homes stood before being removed by the Washington State Department of Transportation. The sites are minimally maintained by the DOT and it could be 15 years before construction will begin for the planned freeway expansion. (Dan Pelle)

Evonne Agnello lived through the loss of her dad and brother. Both men took their own lives. She wondered if she would fall to the disease, too.

Then, she started to write.

Writing offered a path to understanding herself and healing her pain. She shares her story in her recent book “Shaking Shame from Mental Illness.”

“I think I wrote to preserve my sanity,” Agnello said. “Writing helps you think. Everyone should write.”

Perhaps everyone should write, maybe not. However, everyone should learn more about mental health. People who do suffer with mental illness are often misunderstood and forced to live on the edges of life without healthcare or compassion. Agnello’s book could be the perfect beginning to greater knowledge and empathy our society desperately needs.

(S-R archive photo)

Spokesman-Review features writer Rebecca Nappi, along with writer Catherine Johnston of Olympia, Wash., discuss here issues facing aging boomers, seniors and those experiencing serious illness, dying, death and other forms of loss.