{"id":2000350,"date":"2023-08-14T17:19:02","date_gmt":"2023-08-14T21:19:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rep-adam-smith-opens-up-about-mental-health-recovery-it-was-really-difficult\/"},"modified":"2023-08-14T17:22:32","modified_gmt":"2023-08-14T21:22:32","slug":"rep-adam-smith-opens-up-about-mental-health-recovery-it-was-really-difficult","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rep-adam-smith-opens-up-about-mental-health-recovery-it-was-really-difficult\/","title":{"rendered":"Rep. Adam Smith shares his challenging mental health recovery journey."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frep-adam-smith-opens-up-about-mental-health-recovery-it-was-really-difficult%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2000350&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>With suicides on the rise and the opioid crisis plaguing the nation, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/health\/mental-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">mental health<\/a> has come to the forefront in \u2062recent years as \u200ba\u2062 critical\u2062 issue facing the United States.<\/p>\n<p>For Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), it has \u200dalso been a very personal struggle\u2014one he \u2063details in his new book \u201cLost and Broken.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy calculation is there\u2019s probably tens of millions\u2063 of people in our country\u200b who\u2062 are \u2062suffering from some combination of anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. \u2064So, I want to help those people, <strong>a)\u2064 understand\u200b they\u2019re not alone, and b) navigate the system to find\u2063 a path to getting better,\u201d<\/strong> Mr. Smith told\u2063 The Epoch Times\u2019 sister outlet, NTD News, during an appearance\u200b on \u201cCapitol\u2064 Report.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border border-[#D3D3D3] px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\">\n<div class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related\u2062 Stories<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/house-passes-defense-bill-with-restrictions-on-abortion-transgender-procedures-5399059\">House Passes Defense Bill With Restrictions on Abortion, Transgender Procedures<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-[14px] leading-[18px] text-[#737373]\">7\/14\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/house-passes-defense-bill-with-restrictions-on-abortion-transgender-procedures-5399059\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/in-depth-house-gop-spar-over-culture-war-amendments-to-886-billion-defense-budget-5395121\">IN-DEPTH: House GOP \u2062Spar \u200dOver &#8216;Culture War&#8217; Amendments to $886 Billion Defense Budget<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-[14px] leading-[18px] text-[#737373]\">7\/12\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/in-depth-house-gop-spar-over-culture-war-amendments-to-886-billion-defense-budget-5395121\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>According to provisional data released on\u200c Aug. 10 by the Centers for Disease Control and \u2063Prevention (CDC), suicides \u200dreached the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/us-suicide-rates-hit-record-high-of-nearly-50000-in-2022-provisional-cdc-data-show-5458976\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">highest number \u2062on record<\/a> in 2022 as an estimated 49,449 Americans made the decision to prematurely end their lives.<\/p>\n<p>The number represents a 2.6 \u200cpercent increase from 2021\u200b and breaks the previous record of 48,183 suicide deaths\u200d recorded in 2018.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople\u2019s inability to deal with the basics of mental health can absolutely snowball into larger problems,\u201d Mr. Smith said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd it definitely raises that issue of\u200c how should we address those problems publicly. What should we \u2063do to put \u2062people in a better position to deal with their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-perfect-storm-father-blames-covid-19-isolation-for-12-year-old-sons-suicide\/\" title=\"\u2018A Perfect Storm\u2019: Father Blames COVID-19 Isolation For 12-Year-Old Son\u2019s Suicide\">mental health challenges<\/a>, I think, is one of the central\u200d public policy questions that\u200b we face in this country right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Overcoming the Fear<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The 26-year congressman\u2019s book \u200drecounts his\u200c difficulties finding \u2063treatment for \u201ccrippling\u201d anxiety that he developed while in his 40s.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was an uncontrollable, nonstop, existential fear that made \u2063it impossible\u200c to sleep,\u2064 eat, function\u2014it was really difficult,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd \u2063it didn\u2019t\u2063 have,\u2064 like, any specific \u200bidentifiable cause. \u2064And that\u200d is a deeper \u200dproblem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although he tried \u200bto cope with \u200bthe anxiety on his own at first, \u2062Mr. Smith\u2063 said he eventually realized that he was going to need some help. He sought treatment from psychiatrists and psychologists, but \u2064during that \u200dprocess, he also ended up needing\u2062 physical\u2064 therapy \u200dand\u2064 surgery for chronic \u2064pain in\u2063 his hips.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI saw over \u2064100 \u2062different <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ten-gop-senators-counter-bidens-1-9-trillion-relief-plan-request-meeting\/\" title=\"Ten GOP Senators Counter Biden\u2019s .9 Trillion Relief Plan, Request Meeting\">health care providers<\/a>,\u201d he noted.\u200b \u201cNow, a\u2064 lot of\u200d them\u200b were\u200b physical therapists, massage\u200d therapists, that kind\u200c of thing. But it took \u2064me a\u200c long time to find a psychologist and a muscle activation therapist\u2062 who diagnosed me correctly and gave me the treatments \u200bthat I needed to get better. So, \u200bI chronicle that voyage \u2064in the book.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Roadblocks to \u200bRecovery<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>One key\u200c message of Mr. Smith\u2019s\u2062 book is that there is a \u2063road to recovery for those who are \u2064struggling with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/two-killed-in-new-zealand-shooting-hours-before-the-womens-world-cup\/\" title=\"Two dead in NZ shooting prior to Women's World Cup.\">mental health\u200c issues<\/a>. But he also notes that, along that path,\u200b there \u200dare certain\u200b roadblocks that can make the healing\u200d process more difficult.<\/p>\n<p>One\u2064 of those hurdles is \u2063the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rep-adam-smith-opens-up-about-mental-health-recovery-it-was-really-difficult\/\" title=\"Rep. Adam Smith shares his challenging mental health recovery journey.\">negative \u2063connotation \u200bsurrounding mental health<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe\u200d stigma around mental \u200dhealth, it\u2019s a\u200b big problem\u2014certainly was a problem for \u2062me\u2014and I document this \u2062in the book,\u201d Mr. Smith said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I \u200dstarted\u200b feeling\u2063 this, I was like, \u2018Oh my \u2062gosh, no one can find out about this. If anyone\u200d finds\u200b out about this, they\u2019re going to think \u200cI\u2019m crazy and \u2026 it\u2019s going\u2063 to jeopardize relationships; I\u2019m going to lose my job.\u2019 So,\u2064 we have to reduce that stigma.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But stigma \u2064aside, the congressman stressed that certain\u200b limitations of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-republican-assemblyman-calls-for-corruption-investigation-into-newsom\/\" title=\"California Republican Assemblyman Calls for Corruption Investigation Into Newsom\">health care industry<\/a> can also pose a stumbling block for\u200d patients seeking help.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, \u200cnot all patients will have access to affordable care. While in Mr. Smith\u2019s case, he had health insurance, many of the providers from whom he sought help either\u2063 did not take his \u200cinsurance or didn\u2019t accept insurance at all.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, he said providers\u2019 dependence on \u200dmed<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With suicides and the opioid crisis surging, mental health has emerged as a pressing concern in the US. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) shares his personal battle in his book &#8220;Lost and Broken.&#8221; He believes the nation is facing a critical issue, estimating that there are likely&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1804,"featured_media":2000351,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2000350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1804"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000350\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}