Thursday 11 February 2021

The Peacock 68

 "So, what became of Kenny?"

"That was one of the saddest chapters in my life."

"What happened?"

"Kenny seemed all set to succeed.  Finally.  But apparently, no one really knew, or guessed, just how much pain he was really in.  No one, during or after his treatment, ever began to address his mental health."

"What about his mental health?"

"During the nineties, they still weren't addressing the connections between mental illness and addictions.  They still weren't really grasping the concept of addiction as an illness.  In fact, some people are still wrapping their minds around it."

"Kenny was mentally ill?"

"He seemed to be bipolar.  Really up and really down.  But he wasn't being treated by medication.  In fact, he still hadn't been through a mental health assessment, which back in the day wasn't yet mandatory for treatment of addictions."

"What happened?"

He was sleeping a lot, which usually happened when he was depressed.  This time it cost him his job. He was an assistant manager in a florist shop, and also starting to take part time classes in the university.  His life was really moving forward nicely, but every couple of weeks, he seemed unable to function.  Then, one night, he went missing.  Two days later his body was washed up on the shore of English Bay.  He had apparently jumped off one of the bridges..."


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