Greensboro, NC -- A local man was still undergoing a psychological evaluation Wednesday after he spent more than 14 hours in a standoff with police earlier in the week.
Officers arrested 41-year-old Jimmy Burleson around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday following an all-day showdown at his house on Westdale Place. Police say Burleson barricaded himself inside the house after he exchanged gunfire with an officer around 5 a.m. That officer was dispatched the house when a neighbor called 911 and said Burleson went outside, "dropped his pants out there and ... was screaming that he is God."
When you hear the circumstances that led up to the standoff, it's easy to crack jokes or be cavalier when it comes to mental health.
But the bottom line is, Burleson needed help. And statistics say the same is true for you or someone you know.
"It's kinda like you get hit over the head with a frying pan with this," Sarah Bobo said about the moment someone realize they're struggling with mental challenges. "It's kinda like all this stuff comes up and one day you just realize, this sucks. And there's not a manual that every individual gets given [that says] 'If you end up in this situation, here's what you do to feel better.'"
Bobo is the director of supportive services for the Mental Health Association in Greensboro. She also lives with a depression and mild bipolar disorder diagnosis. We asked her to help all of us understand what we just don't realize about people living with a mental illness like depression.
"It's not a lack of will that we're not feeling better," Bobo said. "It actually is an illness. That's not to say it's hopeless, because there's a lot we can do."
If you're someone struggling with a mental health challenge, seek help. Talk to someone.
There are a lot of resources in the Piedmont -- even free ones.
WEB EXTRA: Click on the video on the left-hand side of this page to see and hear what a registered nurse and staff educator at the Behavioral Health Hospital advises when it comes to coping with and overcoming stigmas related to mental illness.
You can start by calling the Mental Health Association in Greensboro at 373-1402 or visiting it on the web here.
The Guilford Center offers behavioral health and disability services, and you can reach it 24 hours a day at (800) 853-5163 or online here. Bobo says The Guilford Center can also help you find low-cost or Medicaid-eligible providers. And it offers a lengthy list of local and national resources here.
If someone you know is struggling, pros say you should encourage them and ask questions.
Registered nurse Barbara Akins works as a staff educator at the Behavioral Health Hospital in Greensboro. She suggests asking things such as, "How are you feeling? Are you hearing voices? Are you depressed a lot? All day? Sometimes, when the sun doesn't shine? Are you on your medications? Do you have a psychiatrist? Do you go see somebody?"
There are a lot of stigmas out there about mental illness and there shouldn't be.
Depression is about more than just feeling sad -- and there are lots of reasons for it. The National Institute of Mental Health says about 15 million adult Americans experience clinical depression in any given year. That means you aren't alone. And that means it's far too prevalent to ignore.
WFMY News 2