A Brother’s Mental Illness Influenced John Kasich’s Views

Gov. John Kasich often speaks about mental health in his campaign for president. He has defended his decision to expand Medicaid in Ohio by highlighting its benefits for mentally ill residents.

He is probably the only Republican candidate this year to ask a crowd, “Do you know what it’s like for somebody to live with depression?”

The question, posed at a rally in upstate New York recently, threw a hush over a room of 1,000 people. Mr. Kasich went on:

“There are people here who know exactly what I’m talking about.”

Mr. Kasich is one who knows.

His only brother, Richard, 59, has struggled with depression disorders since college. He was occasionally hospitalized and today receives disability benefits for mental illness.

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It will help a lot once we finally have objective tests for mental illness. Genes, brain scans, anything. Then all of the people who are afraid people will fake MI for benefits can chill out. I would honestly say almost nothing in the realm of mental health is more important than developing such tests right now. They would help to blow denial and stigma out of the water.

I can’t help but wonder if my brain would register me as mentally ill on those tests. I’ve hallucinated before, but not that much. I have been paranoid, but a lot of people have been that. I was hospitalized over twenty times, though. Only once did I ask them to take me to the hospital. I fought my commitment in court and lost a few times. Somebody sure thinks I’m mentally ill.

Interesting him saying that his not schizophrenic, with a sza diagnosis. Sounds solid though, been through a lot.

Yeah everyone seems to want to disown SZ or anything that sounds worse than depression.

In all the pharma ads in the US it’s bipolar depression NOT bipolar disorder. Anything that sounds like a real illness gets swept under the rug.

I’m SZA but I identify with SZ more, and try not to hide from the SZ part.

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