Jesse Jackson, Jr. resigns from Congress Today...and More.

      Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives today. This decision was made after undergoing treatment for bipolar depression at the Mayo Clinic. The story being presented today by the media is simply about the man himself. I think there is a larger one here. A problem that is just as news worthy.

      A study of 11 nations on bipolar disorder in the March issue of "Archives of General Psychiatry" concluded that the United States has the highest lifetime
rate of the mental illness. Of all the nations, 2.4% of the people had a diagnosis at some point in their lifetime. In America, that number is 4.4%. What this means is that even though the news coverage is on Jackson, when is comes down to it more Americans are effected in everyday life by the disorder that lead to him resigning then the man himself.
      Maybe a more fitting message regarding this story should be this: After a long struggle with bipolar depression, Jesse Jackson makes the hard decision to resign. The knowledge of his mental illness shines light on a growing struggle in America.