It’s Dec. 29, 1 p.m., and I’m at a hospital in Prince George’s County. The emergency room is packed with people with varying degrees of illnesses. Many have severe colds; others have flu symptoms. Some have broken ribs or fractures and cuts and bruises from domestic violence (and broken hearts). Sadly, some have come here to die, their families clinging to the hope that this talented yet overwhelmed staff can whip up a miracle.
And then there are the hidden wounded, the too-often voiceless who are treated as though they are the living dead. They don’t seem to matter. Those whose souls are tormented, those with delusions, with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The mentally ill fight a battle every day — they battle to want to live, to not hurt others so they may live, to run from those who would take their life because the hidden wounds of mental illness are too often misunderstood.
The Washington Post