Removing the Stigma of Mental Illness

Former Gov. Richard Codey told an audience of elected leaders and mental health professionals Friday morning that it is an ongoing challenge to make sure the mentally ill are treated with dignity and respect.

Codey, who spoke at a legislative breakfast at Mayfair Farms in West Orange, recalled checking the temperature inside the rooms at the former Greystone Hospital to make sure clients weren't sweltering in the summer heat.

He talked about visiting a group home in Newark only to find the patients huddled together because their beds were spartan and there was an open sewage leak in their home.

"We have to be judged about how we treat the most vulnerable in our society," he said.

Codey, who was one of the keynote speakers at an event sponsored by the Mental Health Association of Essex County and several partners, said that current economic conditions and joblessness are making it harder on the mentally ill in New Jersey. He said with 15 percent of the state living in poverty and numerous people applying for food stamps and other public assistance, these hardships are taking a toll on the state's most vulnerable citizens.

"I have never seen the divide between the rich and poor in our state so wide," he remarked.

Codey, and other speakers, talked about fighting the stigma of mental illness that affects the families of the mentally ill and the patients themselves. Other speakers at the event were Dr. Clement A. Price from Rutgers University, and Author Tom Davis, who recently published a book called, "A Legacy of Madness: Recovering My Family From Generations of Mental Illness."

Davis is also a Regional Editor at Patch.com and oversees news coverage of the Jersey Shore area.

Another speaker was Joanne Paul, a grandmother and activist, who spoke about losing her daughter Monica, a Montclair mother who was shot to death at the YMCA in Montclair in 2008 during her son's swimming lesson.

Many of the day's speakers talked about offering support for those families affected by mental illness and ensuring that treatment, support and medical care are available for them.

The event was supported by some 30 mental health agencies, including The Bridge Inc., of Caldwell; Main Street Counseling Center of West Orange; Mountainside Hospital in Bloomfield/Montclair; Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Wynona's House of Newark; and Jewish Family Services of MetroWest.

Several legislators attended, including Assemblyman John McKeon (D-Essex), Assemblywoman Mila Jasey (D-Essex), Assemblyman Albert Coutinho (D-Essex), Assemblyman Ralph Caputo (D-Essex), and Assemblyman Thomas Giblin (D-Essex) in addition to state Sen. Codey. Essex County Clerk Christopher J. Durkin and Irvington Mayor Wayne Smith also attended.