Golden Gate suicide-attempt survivor to talk on mental illness

Kevin Hines had decided that he wouldn't jump from the Golden Gate Bridge if anyone there bothered to ask him whether he was OK.

Then, as Hines, then a 19-year-old college student, stood contemplating suicide from the San Francisco landmark that day in September 2000, a tourist walked up. But the woman simply asked the distraught Hines to take her picture.

Hines snapped the photo. Then, concluding that no one cared about him, he hurled himself over the railing.

"That was my bipolar [disorder] speaking, not me," Hines said.

He regretted it instantly. With about 4 seconds to the lethal waves 220 feet below, Hines turned himself upright and plunged into the water feet first. He fractured an ankle and broke his spine. But he survived. Only about two dozen other people have ever done so.

These days, Hines is a part-time high-school activities coordinator who is studying to become a psychologist. But he also travels around the country to share his story with others.

On Friday, Hines will bring his message about living with mental illness to students at Lakeside School in North Seattle in a talk sponsored by the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign because May is National Mental Health Month.

Hines's message is simple: Mental illness is a disease that can be treated.

"With a broken arm, you can see it right away," he said. "When you have a broken brain, people look at you cross-eyed.

"It's difficult to have this disease and fight it every day."

Hines has battled major depression and bipolar disorder, which is marked by severe mood swings, for a decade. Even with proper diagnoses, medications and therapy, Hines couldn't come to terms with his illness for a long time.

"I was in denial," said Hines, who still lives in San Francisco. "I didn't know what it was. I didn't like it."

It's estimated that about 6 percent of American adults have severe mental disorders, including major depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, also called manic depression. In addition, millions of adults suffer from anxiety disorders ranging from phobias to obsessive-compulsive behavior, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Americans have become more open about mental-health issues and seeking treatment for them, said Dr. Greg Simon, a researcher at Seattle's Group Health Cooperative who heads an advisory board for the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, a patient-advocacy group. About half of people with significant depression now receive some treatment, whether that means a visit with a counselor or taking antidepressants. A generation ago, perhaps only a third of such patients received any help.

Still, even those who seek help often get too little of it. At least a quarter of patients with major depression do not return to their doctors after the initial visit, Simon said. As many as 40 percent of antidepressant prescriptions are never refilled, he said.

The stigma associated with mental illness still keeps many people from getting medical care.

Also, many insurance plans offer few benefits for mental disorders, or none at all. Washington recently passed mental-health parity bills to outlaw unequal coverage. But many people work for large, self-insured employers who are exempt from the law.

Hines has finally accepted that living with bipolar disorder and depression will be his lifelong challenge. He has kept his illness under control since 2005, when he finally decided to become more disciplined about his life. He takes his medication regularly, eats right and sticks to a strict daily routine.

Hines' life is more stable, too. He has a fiancée, and he dreams of someday helping young people who are grappling with mental disorders.

Hines urges his listeners to overcome shame and fear to acknowledge mental illness in themselves or in others. Mental problems need healing as much as any other medical condition, he said.

"The brain is the most powerful organ in the body," he said. "When the serotonin goes haywire in the brain, you can't get a new one."

Kyung Song: 206-464-2423 or ksong@seattletimes.com