> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Traveling on the road to recovery - URL: https://www.smdp.com/traveling-on-the-road-to-recovery/ - Published: 2008-05-09T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T19:32:26.000Z - Author: Guest Author - Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import Re-entry into the mainstream for many psychiatric patients is difficult but important for many of us. After many years of treatment, both in the hospital and as an outpatient, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Today, I am taking steps to get off federal and state disability benefits and supplementary support from my family and make my sedentary lifestyle a thing of the past. My goal is to get back to work and become self-supporting. I realize that this will take some time and help from knowledgeable people, but I think integration back into normal society is a good objective and I want this badly. Going back almost 30 years, when I was an undergraduate at the University of California at San Diego, studying literature, I became particularly interested in writing. Since then, I have taken classes and had tutoring to develop this skill. At one point, a UCLA writing professor, with whom I was studying, suggested that I try to make money for my efforts, and do this full time. A counselor in my church who got to know me well and my work also made this suggestion. Overall, I have received some encouragement and am taking steps to make such an end possible. Work builds self esteem and removes the crippling stigma that comes with mental illness. This positive change occurs in the mind, but outside forces also make life more enjoyable because of employment and a focus. Most relationships improve, as the working person has more to talk about than his or her illness and treatment. I believe in the back of many people’s minds is the expectation that everyone must contribute something to society. Hence, the unemployed mental patient suffers rejection on two fronts: The stigma that comes from having a serious illness and being unemployed. Working is key to re-entry and a good life. Integration into the community is best achieved if the recovering mental patient provides a service in the economy. The most current research shows that many mental patients, with effective treatment and rehabilitation, can go back to work and lead productive and meaningful lives. Many can regain acceptance from a demanding society. I was blessed with great parents, who always wanted the best for me, and gave me almost everything that I really needed to be successful and independent. I blame no one for my difficulties and situation; rather, I take responsibility for mobilizing resources, services and supports to realize my goal to get back into the mainstream. By regularly contributing articles to Step Up on Second’s Brainstorm newspaper, I am building my foundation as a writer. I feel increasingly legitimized as a person as my articles appear in Brainstorm and in other publications, such as The Santa Monica Daily Press. I am fortunate for this beginning opportunity to join the world and not suffer the stigma and alienation that comes from simply floundering. Going nowhere is common for many people suffering from a severe mental illness, but this doesn’t have to happen. As I increasingly interface with the commercial world, my feelings of acceptance and self-confidence increase. I know others with mental disorders who may also have a chance to seek and gain employment and lead much better and normal lives; unfortunately, they may lack confidence, motivation and know-how for moving toward that goal. I can’t say that I’m totally out of the woods, but I have a pretty good idea now about what it takes to be successful and fully integrated into the community. I want to give back to others what so many have given me. As I succeed at each step along the way, I hope my achievements and improved quality of life will inspire others with mental disabilities. My goal is to do this with my writing. As a start, I have decided to write about what I know best; namely to describe my struggles with my illness and how I have made progress on the path toward recovery and re-entry into society. It’s a long journey and the path is not yet entirely clear, but as they say, every journey begins with a single step. My first step is “putting pen to paper” and writing articles such as this one. It feels good and my instincts tell me I’m on the right path. MARK KLEIN is a member at Step Up on Second, a Santa Monica-based organization that involves individuals with severe and persistent mental illness in developing opportunities to reintegrate into the community. Klein is a regular contributor to Brainstorm, a newspaper featuring articles written by Step Up members. For more information about Step Up on Second and Brainstorm, go to www.stepuponsecond.org. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 9, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/050908.pdf?ref=smdp.com)