Got my diagnosis, made peace with my pills and went to therapy every week. to my surprise, my doctor prescribed a PSD – Psychiatric Service Dog. Gracie was rescued from Los Angeles kill shelter at a “”clear the shelter”” event. $20 bucks and $500 later at the vet, she was all mine. Best money I ever spent. It is my hope is that after hearing this talk and meeting Gracie, you will be able to respond with more compassion and less judgement toward people who truly need their dogs as part of their treatment. So the next time you are sitting in a restaurant, and someone comes in with a little dog in a vest. I invite you to remember this idea worth spreading…… Not all disabilities are visible …and not all dogs are just pets. I guess all I’m really asking is … In a Crazy world…show me some grace.”
My Diagnosis and The Wonder of Gracie
I’ve faced bipolar 2 Disorder all my life. The more career stress I felt, the more vulnerable I became, and the older and less resilient I was, the less I was able to cope. When my own highs became too high and my own lows too low, I knew I couldn’t get control of my life by myself. My marriage was rocky, my family estranged. I began to have suicidal thoughts. That’s when I knew I needed help. I went to a therapist and was diagnosed with Bipolar 2 Disorder. I took control of my life by going to therapy, taking my meds and my doctor prescribed, to my surprise, a Psychiatric Service Dog, I just needed to find the dog. Gracie came into my life. We saved each other. This is why I founded The Crazy Good Life Project. At crazygoodlife.com, we encourage real conversations around all issues related to mental health, including meds, therapy and role of PSDs. CrazyGoodLife.com For More Information. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
“Heather Lutze founded Crazy Good Life Project as a Bipolar 2 Disorder survivor and activist. As a mental health speaker and trainer, I am fueled by my passion to dispel the stigma and model what a successful Bipolar women can be in this world. CrazyGoodLife.com is my life’s work. I took control.
Video Transcript:
0:07thank you
0:12[Applause]
0:23hi I’m Heather lutzy and I’m crazy
0:28but it turns out I’m not alone
0:31twenty percent of adults
0:34will suffer some kind of mental health
0:36issue every year
0:3820 percent
0:41so that means
0:43you could be crazy
0:46probably crazy
0:51potentially okay great potentially crazy
0:56and let’s see
0:57um this row right in the back
0:59definitely crazy
1:02I can say that because they’re my family
1:05love you kids
1:09one and five in this room isn’t that
1:12amazing one in five
1:14so let’s do a quick experiment shall we
1:17guys up for that
1:18all right so here we go we’re going to
1:20turn to the left
1:21check out the people over there
1:23turn to the right
1:25check out the people over there
1:27here’s the deal if those people look
1:30okay
1:32guess what it’s you
1:36yeah
1:38have you ever noticed the way we talk
1:39about crazy in our everyday
1:41conversations
1:43we don’t even know we’re doing it
1:47have ever been in your car
1:50and said this traffic is insane
1:55have you ever spoke to a colleague and
1:56said not now I’m crazy busy
2:00have you ever looked around the holiday
2:02table
2:06do you know where I’m going with this
2:09have you ever looked around the holiday
2:10table
2:11and seen this
2:17family is not
2:19look familiar anyone
2:21that big dinner’s coming up isn’t it
2:24I have a theory
2:27that we use language like this to
2:29explain things
2:30that scare us
2:33being crazy
2:36my special brand of crazy is bipolar II
2:39disorder
2:41thank you
2:44because one wasn’t enough
2:48I’m an overachiever what can I say
2:51let’s talk about bipolar shall we
2:54it’s kind of a scary word a lot of
2:56people don’t understand what it means
2:58so high super highs super lows
3:02okay called mood episodes
3:04and sometimes they might happen in the
3:06same day
3:11my mood swings
3:15where extreme highs and extreme lows
3:18I was trying to be a super mom
3:22a super business woman
3:24and a super wife
3:26and I had a wall
3:30I was jeopardizing my relationships with
3:33my family my kids
3:37and my husband
3:40and that’s the last thing I wanted to do
3:44I knew I’d hit rock bottom
3:46when I started hearing people say
3:48so
3:50what Heather are we going to get today
3:57that’s when I decided
3:59to get help
4:02I got an official diagnosis
4:05bipolar II
4:09seven years ago I was diagnosed
4:13it was quite a journey
4:15I had to figure out what my meds were
4:17which for a lot of people suffered from
4:19mental health is really really hard
4:24when you look at your pills in your hand
4:25and you don’t judge yourself
4:29you don’t judge you do it because that’s
4:32what’s best for your body best for your
4:34brain
4:36okay I decided that I was going to go on
4:39meds go to therapy
4:42and to my surprise my doctor prescribed
4:46a psychiatric service dog
4:49and I’m like
4:51okay just gotta find the dog
4:54right
4:58I’d like to introduce you to someone
4:59very special in my life
5:01my psychiatric service dog Gracie
5:05a very sweet and spoiled
5:08Chihuahua
5:13take her color off
5:15[Applause]
5:19say hi Gracie
5:23well that was that’s supposed to be her
5:24line yeah
5:33it’s got lipstick on you
5:38we’ve been on quite a journey the two of
5:40us
5:42quite frankly I hate chihuahuas
5:49they’re bulgy eyes and mean right I mean
5:52not this girl
5:54so let me tell you how this she and I
5:55met
5:59I was in Los Angeles
6:01on a business trip strolling around
6:03looking for something to buy because I
6:04love to shop
6:07and we come around the corner and
6:09there’s all these cages
6:11all of them empty
6:12dogs cats they’d all been adopted
6:16except for one dog
6:18Gracie
6:20she was emaciated not healthy no one no
6:23no wonder no one wanted to adopt her
6:26doesn’t look real good does she
6:28um
6:29I fell in love
6:31twenty dollars cash right there and then
6:34and then 900 later at the vet
6:39she was all mine
6:40best money I have ever
6:43spent
6:44right Gracie
6:46I know what do you see out there
6:50Gracie and I have noticed that there’s
6:51some confusion
6:53around the role of service animals
6:56so we’d like to clear that up today
6:59there’s three that are commonly known
7:02first one is psychiatric service dog or
7:04PSD
7:06now this is a different designation
7:08medically prescribed
7:11certified as part of a treatment plan
7:13and it’s allowed in all public spaces
7:17so Gracie and I went through quite an
7:19exhaustive process of interviews medical
7:21and prescription evaluation temperament
7:25evaluations and now she is certified as
7:28a psychiatric service dog
7:31now let’s talk about esas
7:34emotional support animals
7:37now this is different than PSD which is
7:40a dog Esa is a rabbit
7:43a peacock
7:46a ferret
7:47whatever your crazy is I’m bored of you
7:51I support your peacock if that’s what
7:53makes you happy
7:55but they’re not allowed in all public
7:56places and not allowed on airlines
7:58anymore
8:00and then we have therapy dogs have you
8:02seen these dogs they’re are so cute it’s
8:05like the golden retrievers at the
8:07airport or the library or the hospital
8:09senior centers
8:11they just give comfort
8:13and there’s a place for each one of
8:15these animals
8:19now when I walk into a restaurant and
8:21Gracie’s we’re right here right we got
8:23the vest on we’re ready
8:27I can see the eye rolls as I walk in
8:31the judgment
8:37I’m ready for it I’ve seen it before
8:41it’s almost as I can I can hear the
8:42people saying
8:43what service does that dog perform
8:46the vest is fooling no one
8:50let me give you an example
8:55Gracie and I are so excited we’re going
8:57to go and do some shopping
9:00I go into my local Big Box store
9:04know my card
9:05and we go in
9:08I’m immediately stopped by the store
9:10manager
9:12who says excuse me
9:14we don’t allow dogs in the store
9:18and I’m like this is my psychiatric
9:20service dog and she is certified
9:23and I get to look like
9:28what service does your dog perform
9:32and again I said she’s a psychiatric
9:34service dog
9:35she’s part of my treatment plan I’ve got
9:37papers if you’d like to see them
9:40steps back again
9:42does a big sigh
9:44and says
9:46what service does your dog perform
9:53and I’m taking a bit I take it back for
9:55a second and I’m like this is my
9:57psychiatric service animal she has been
10:00prescribed as part of my treatment plan
10:02and she helps me stay calm in difficult
10:05situations
10:11he finally let me pass
10:13and I’m like I just came in for the
10:16world’s largest pot pie
10:19and here I’m being bullied by a store
10:22manager and having to reveal my medical
10:25diagnosis to a perfect stranger
10:28is that okay
10:30no it’s not okay
10:37this is why I found the crazy good life
10:39project
10:42at crazygolife.com
10:44we are committed
10:47to showing the role that emotional
10:49support animals emotional support dogs
10:51psychiatric service dogs specifically
10:53and their role in supporting Mental
10:55Health
10:56also
10:58taking responsibility and making peace
11:01with your pills
11:02you are so much more than the pills
11:06so much more
11:08going to therapy having someone to
11:10really confide in having bipolar
11:13disorder or any Mental Health
11:15disorder is hard
11:18you need support go to therapy
11:21and join a community that is going to
11:24support you and love you without
11:26judgment
11:28or prejudice
11:31so the next time you’re sitting at a
11:33restaurant
11:36and someone walks in with a little dog
11:38and a vest
11:42I invite you
11:44to think about the thought worth
11:46spreading
11:49is that not all disorders are visible
11:55and not all dogs are Just Pets
12:00I guess what I’m saying is
12:03in a crazy world
12:07show me some Grace
12:09right Gracie
12:11[Applause]
12:19thank you
