Research is revealing more and more about the nature of mental illnesses and great strides have been made in their treatment over the last twenty years.  Mental illnesses are nobody’s fault. They are illnesses like any other. They are brain disorders that need proper medical attention. We no longer conceal those who have these illnesses in a veil of secrecy and shame or consider them forever lost to society. Still, mental illness, even in this age of information and enlightenment, remains a mystery to so many, and the folks who suffer its ravages continue to be stigmatized by prevalent and largely inaccurate perceptions.   One perception is that recovery from mental illness is not possible. At Kitsap Mental Health Services every treatment and every service that KMHS provides is based on the assumption that recovery is not only possible but expected, and over the last 30 years we have proven it again and again.   Our Journeys of Recovery photo-essay project, launched in 2004, highlights KMHS clients who have reached a point in their “journeys of recovery” that they are able to once again find value and meaning in their lives. These individuals have agreed to show their faces and tell their stories. They generously and courageously stare down the stigma of mental illness and show us that recovery is, indeed, possible. Their Journeys of Recovery follow:

Journeys of Recovery Participants   2007 David Griffin   2006 Mary Showalter   2005 Patty Busch   2004 Steven Gordon Palmer Cathy Som

David Griffin, our 2007 Journeys of Recovery participant