Living With Undiagnosed Mental Illnesses - 1654 Words

I was born and raised in Kingston Jamaica in an area full of crime and less fortunate people. Growing up, I’ve seen a lot of people with undiagnosed mental illnesses. I’ve seen where there were no resources for people who were in need of food and clothes. Because of the poverty in the environment I grew up in, the crime rate was beyond control. Most of my family lived in what they called a tenement yard. A tenement yard in Jamaica is where a group of close relatives lives and share the same yard. I lived in a house in a tenement yard with my mother, stepfather, half-sister and my half-brother. I also have four other half-sisters on my father’s side, two of them were born and raised in Jamaica in a similar environment like the one I was†¦show more content†¦She taught us how to pray. My grandmother had 13 children and my mother is her second to last child with a different father from her other children. My mother’s father (grandfather) had seven c hildren. With this large family, I have lots of aunts, uncles, grand aunts, grand uncles, and countless numbers of cousins from different generations. Some of us are very close and know each other while some of us are distant and doesn’t communicate. We used to go to the country in the summer and on Easter break to spend time with my family on my mom’s father side of the family. My childhood experiences have taught me a lot about family. The experience of living in the same yard has taught me to stick with my family no matter what. Even though food and clothes were scarce, my family would share with each other and if one person has food, then we all would eat. We learned to utilize and appreciate the little we did have. Things weren’t as civilized in my neighborhood, but I learned to appreciate the smallest things and be grateful for what we did have. My life experiences from my childhood has shaped my desire to go into social work. I believe that I could use some of my personal experiences to help others in this world. Some of my relatives suffer from mental illnesses and has no resources to get the help they need. They received no treatment and some of them eventually were homelessShow MoreRelatedChildhood Abuse And Child Abuse1003 Words   |  5 Pagesthe US. (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2017) This is only an estimate at best because many incidents are not reported or discovered. These children then grow up to be adults with a history of childhood abuse, and they often have physical and mental health issues that occur as a direct result of their experiences. Physical and sexual abuse are the types of abuse that come to light the most often, and are the types of abuse reported the most often. Psychological abuse (also referred to as emotionalRead MoreDemi Lovato : A Well Known American Singer, Artist, And Model876 Words   |  4 Pagesand her father until 1994 when her parents got a divorce. 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