I have seen some mention of Lehner's health issues and since I have a somewhat intimate relationship with mental health issues I always will take the opportunity to shed some light.
But first, and please read this carefully; I have no idea what R. Lehner's diagnosis is nor what if any treatment plan he has been, or currently is, under. I am not a doctor but rather a person who's family has a gene that runs through our line that can trigger mental health problems in seemingly random fashion. I do not claim that what is written below pertains to R. Lehner but is rather and over view of mental health struggles from a layman's position and based on personal experience.
First thing I always start out with is this, Those who suffer from mental health issues are not at fault, no more than the cancer patient or any other person stricken by disease in-spite of a healthy lifestyle. These poor folks have just gotten sick through no fault of their own. Always try and remember this as you encounter those who are sick and untreated. Now I want to put a point here, mental health issues are treated very poorly by our insurance system, even those with good insurance struggle to get good treatment and as far as the under or un-insured, forget it, they will receive minimum treatments at best and then be turned out to the streets to fend for themselves. We have all seen the results.
As far as my experiences, there is a gene that runs through my family that can trigger, depression, bi-polar disorder and anxiety. Although I have been one of the lucky one's (I think, although who really can say if our realities are sane or not?! LOL) other family members, including my dear brother who I lost at 49 years of age have not been so lucky.
Today's best science still struggles with mental health issues, they are complex diseases that need to be treated differently in each patient. When the disease first manifests itself getting it under control can be a very long very heartbreaking experience. You soon learn that it is forever life changing as, at least for now, control not cure is often the best that can be done. Once under control folks can lead very normal and productive lives. Jobs, families whatever goals set out are very reasonable expectations. But there is a big elephant that always lurks, and that's the bodies ability to adapt to treatments and thereby letting the disease take control once again. This can happen suddenly and then the long struggle to regain control begins again. Sometimes, for any number of factors, regaining control can become an impossibility, this is the worst case scenario and one that you try not to think about while struggling with these diseases.
Do I think the Islanders did this much due-diligence and decided to only offer a shorter term contract? I don't know, it seems kind of cold to me and I would like to think not. Anyway I offer this as just one mans experience and if just a small amount of compassion is the result then I will consider this time well spent.
