Hempfield’s Brandon Thomas, who has dealt with bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorders and depression for two decades, said it’s important for those dealing with mental health issues not to give up and think they’re a bad person because of what they might have. done.
“Bad decisions don’t make you a bad person,” said Thomas, 50, who overcame his struggles to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in the past two years and landed a job as a training coordinator for the University of Pittsburgh. Pharmacy faculty.
Thomas said she has been dealing with depression and bipolar disorder since her 20s and post-traumatic stress disorder since her 30s.
“The main thing is never to give up. I don’t want anyone to give up. Nobody is a failure,” Thomas said.
To raise awareness of mental health issues, a mental health and wellness program will be held from 4 to 7 pm Friday at the Greensburg YWCA, 424 N. Main Street, Greensburg.
Among the 15 organizations participating in the Unity in the Community-sponsored event are Blackburn Center, Clarion, Medmark, Sage’s Army of Hempfield and Westmoreland Community Action, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Westmoreland County Behavioral Health, Clear Day and Dream’s Life, said Ronel Baccus, organizer and founder of Unity in the Community. Information on mental health resources will be available.
Research shows that mental illness affects nearly one in five adults in the country: 53 million in 2020, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. While millions suffer from different types of mental illnesses with varying degrees of severity, only about half of those people receive any treatment, according to the institute.
Thomas started out on a typical post-high school path, attending Slippery Rock University in Butler County, where he was studying to be a nurse. He also played volleyball until an injury derailed his time on the court.
He moved to Wisconsin for 15 years, working in mental health, as a volunteer firefighter there, and then in Pennsylvania. His mental health problems led to a suicide attempt, in which he said he “coded” (his heart stopped twice) in an ambulance on the way to a hospital.
He returned to his family in western Pennsylvania and received inpatient mental health treatment and therapy.
And his struggles didn’t affect him alone.
“It’s just not you… It’s the whole family,” said Thomas, a father of two daughters, ages 23 and 19, who lives in Arizona.
He became a non-traditional student at the Bidwell Training Center in Pittsburgh, where he obtained a Physician Assistant license. He served as a patient care technician in the psychiatric emergency department at UPMC Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh, which involved dealing with patients in a mental health crisis.
Seeking further education so he can help others, Thomas earned his bachelor’s degree in social work in 2020 from the University of Pittsburgh. She was in a five-year program to get her master’s degree in social work so she could become a therapist when she had a problem in the midst of covid. She ran out of money to pay her rent and bills.
Thomas almost resorted to living out of his car, but was saved by scholarship funds generated by Pitt’s Day of Giving. Encouraged by the faculty to continue his education, he received financial assistance and was able to earn his master’s degree last December.
“If it wasn’t for the support I received at Pitt, I wouldn’t have finished my (master’s degree),” Thomas said. “A person has to ask for help and they have to accept it,” noting that the latter is sometimes the most difficult.
She is using her life experiences in her job, advising emergency medical personnel on opioid abuse in a territory that stretches across the state and covers parts of Ohio and Virginia. Although he has turned his life around and is working full time, he is emphatic that “the journey is not over.” He continues to go to therapy to help him process what he’s been through.
“I am not unique in my history when it comes to mental health. If I can get this message across that it’s okay to get help and accept help…things can get better.”
Joe Napsha is a staff writer for Tribune-Review. You can reach Joe at 724-836-5252, [email protected] or via Twitter .
