Anna Parker isn't my real name. Hey, at least I'm being honest about my dishonesty.
If you stumbled upon my blog because you or someone you know lives with OCD you're probably familiar with the stigma that accompanies mental illness. Crazy, unstable, dangerous, and psycho are all words that too often get huddled under the umbrella of "mental illness."
I fume when I hear many of the gun control discussions that have followed the tragedies in Aurora, Colorado and Newtown, Connecticut. Certainly mental illness played a role in both shootings; I refuse to believe a well person is capable of evil. But as an educator, I hate to think that the long-overdue conversations about mental healthcare and gun control are getting confused with one another. Amalgamating the two discussions will only result in more misconceptions. I believe in gun control; I love The West Wing and Rachael Maddow. If Congress passed a law banning all guns tomorrow, I'd have no dog in that fight. But I'm uncomfortable with the thought of being distrusted and penalized because I happen to have a terrible fear of communicable diseases and misspellings in emails (among other things).
Mental illnesses, their manifestations, results, struggles, and realities are as numerous as the people who live with them. Painting them with broad strokes is illogical. (But who am I to lecture anyone about illogical fears!) Much progress has been made in understanding mental health issues. However, the fact remains that if I used my real name to write this blog it would come back to bite me. The OCD part of me is deeply worried that it will haunt me despite my not-so-clever pseudonym.
So for now I will remain anonymous. I will share my life and my struggles but not my name.
I'm looking forward to the journey.
--A
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