Editorial: Non-profit's actions on PTSD help strengthen fight against all mental illness

In recent years, American society, Illinois government and even many localities around the state have made important institutional advances toward helping people who have a mental illness. As valuable as these steps are, an unspoken byproduct of such statutory and process-oriented actions may be even more important in the long run.

That is that they have helped coax conversations about mental illness out of the shadows of our lives and our relationships.

For, when it comes to truly helping someone with mental illness, the greatest difficulty often is not finding appropriate resources or agencies but encouraging the person to speak up and reach out.

From tuberculosis to cancer, AIDS and more, stigma often has been as much an obstacle to combating diseases and getting treatment as the ailment itself. And, this involving diseases whose physical characteristics are often visible and easily identifiable. How much more challenging, then, to bring a complex, subtle and unseen condition out into the open.

And how gratifying it is to see people like Zoeie Kreiner of St. Charles taking on the topic at the grass-roots level.

Kreiner's specific focus is on post-traumatic stress disorder and military veterans. She comes from a large military family, so she can speak firsthand about the needs and troubles facing people with PTSD. And she knows that one of the first steps toward effective treatment is to overcome the particular stigma of mental illness - felt by people who are struggling as well as by the society around them.

"We want to make this so much a part of everyday conversation that people don't feel the stigma attached to it. That's what keeps so many people from getting help," Kreiner told our Elena Ferrarin for a story we published Sunday about the nonprofit she founded called Support Over Stigma at supportoverstigma.org.

Throughout the year, Kreiner's organization works - often in conjunction with other community groups and agencies - to create care packages, sponsor events or identify services for veterans, military personnel and first responders. The goal? To lift people's spirits, open conversations and help people who are suffering know that they are neither alone nor powerless. Others share pain like theirs, and resources are available and effective.

"What I tell them is, 'Walk through this one step at a time,'" Kreiner said. "'As long as you keep taking those steps, keep taking those breaths, there is hope. There are people here who will walk with you.'"

That's such an important message, and the work is so important, too.

It's important for people suffering from PTSD. It's important for people with depression. It's important for people with mood issues, substance abuse problems, eating disorders, anxiety and a whole host of conditions it still is hard for people - whether sick or not - to acknowledge as physical ailments and not personal weaknesses or shortcomings.

Thankfully, government and community institutions are clearing paths and developing programs that, by the mere fact that they exist, help raise understanding of mental illness. Thankfully, too, Zoeie Kreiner and countless volunteers like her are also working at the neighborhood level, providing services, yes, but just as importantly, increasing awareness and defying stigmas.