Mental Health Lip Service

“What people say versus what they mean are usually two different things unless they’re an evil son-of-a-bitch”~LTC(R) Greg Roman aka “The Defendant”.

Editor’s note: This article discusses suicide and suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.

The very recent death of One Direction band member Liam Payne dominated the music industry and pop culture headlines for the customary 24-48 hour news cycle before it all slid into oblivion. The young man was only 31 years old and although the exact circumstances surrounding his final days aren’t fully known, it is abundantly clear (or should be) he had been battling with his own innermost demons for quite some time.

Regrettably it was a battle joined and a battle lost as is all too often the case in the more high profile lives of the rich and famous. Evidently money and celebrity isn’t always what’s advertised in the virtual world of “TikTok” or “Instagram”. Lesson learned right?

Wrong.

The real lesson for all to learn is at the beginning of this post, where I copied and pasted an “Editor’s note” from a virtue signaling introductory disclaimer for a USA Today story related to the mental health struggles and eventual suicide of a troubled young person who took their own life at the age of 23.

These virtue signaling disclaimers are suddenly everywhere but they all have only one thing in common: To introduce a story where something has already gone terribly wrong and “it’s okay to discuss so and so’s mental health struggles” albeit a day late and a dollar short because “so and so” is now in the ground. Pathetic.

Oops! Too late dontcha think USA Today? New York Post? Atlanta Urinal and Constipation? Des Moines Register? Seattle Post-Gazette? And on and on and on.

The actual reality is no one really gives two shits about another’s mental health when the cameras quit rolling and the lights go out or when you’re in a Federal Courtroom like I was on December 30th, 2021 and Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Stacey Bergstrom Esquire said this about me in front of the Honorable “Mar-A-Lago Magistrate” Judge Bruce E. Reinhart during my detention hearing (as excerpted from Page 10 of the captioned document):

“A condition of mental health treatment would be unlikely to alleviate these concerns either. The defendant --as the pretrial services report states, the defendant has been in treatment for at least a year prior to when these threats were being made. I don't believe that any additional treatment is going to have any drastic effect on the defendant's outlook.”

Sigh. So many errors and so little time.

Never mind the fact “Mar-A-Lago Bruce” sat up there on his golden throne, perfectly perched like a proud peacock in black robe and swallowed every word spewed forth from Ms. Esquire’s suddenly qualified psychiatric expert mind like the spoon fed government guppy he is.

Never mind Ms. Esquire de-humanized me three different times in less than a minute by referring to me as “The Defendant” while trashing my mental health care services I’d been receiving as an active duty US Army Lieutenant Colonel turned Disabled Veteran with 27 years of honorable service to his country who by the way had a ZERO criminal history with not so much as a speeding ticket on his record since the early days of the Clinton Administration.

And never mind the fact it was the government who had been stalking me for months as I’ve so eloquently described in my previous Substack posts, which finally ended with “The Ambush at Vero Beach” complete with local cop Rob Ryan playing “Detective” who so badly embellished what really happened that day the website Treasure Coast.com removed it from its platform due to all the easily proven government lies:

Page Not Found

When it was all said and done “Mar-A-Lago Bruce” denied my bond which ultimately resulted in my pre-trial detention of 15 months in some of the worst prisons imaginable so naturally it comes as no surprise I was denied the very mental health care everyone loves to brag about (but only when the cameras are on) the entire time.

It’s no wonder then why mental health is not only still stigmatized in this country (contrary to the lip service it’s been given via countless PSAs), but when it should really count i.e., IN A COURT OF LAW, it’s instead “blown off” and completely disregarded, even ridiculed. Her “AUSA-ness”…Ms. Stacey Esquire may be a good attorney (actually she’s not but she is one helluva good liar which I suppose is really the same thing) however…she’s certainly NOT a mental health professional and her remarks with regard to my mental health treatment in open court and in front of a judge were not just reprehensible, they were and are extremely offensive.

I have worked hard trying to overcome my issues as I’m sure many others are doing right now.  There are no “time tables” as Ms. Bergstrom AUSA aka Ms. Esquire aka Dr. Bergstrom who once stayed at a Holiday Inn alluded to. My wounds are deep and go back many years but I recognized them. I proactively took the necessary steps to get help. If I were an actual “threat” to anyone before my December 27, 2021 arrest for a spurious and politically motivated selectively applied cyberstalking charge, my psychiatrist at the time Dr. Greg Ellermann would’ve taken the appropriate action to ensure my safety as well as the safety of others.

All is not lost though. I have some exceptionally good mental health care clinicians and professionals thanks to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) who have helped me through some really tough times. I’m not going to lie: Each and every day is a struggle and there are days I lose the battle, but God willing I wake up the next morning and I fight all over again. It’s the days where I win that keep me going and I’m committed to seeing it through.

I promise.

Author’s Note: Whether or not this Substack post frightened you, angered you, enlightened you, or in some way moved you it’s important to know mental health issues and suicide, especially Veteran suicide, is a very real phenomena that not only affects families but entire communities. So when you have the opportunity to “Thank A Veteran” please do. I can assure you it will make their day and they in turn will thank you for your support. We are all in this together and we should never forget that we are all our brother’s keeper.

gtr