We Failed Naomi Judd, the Way We’ve Failed Thousands

It’s heartbreaking that Naomi Judd is dead.

And the reason for her death is especially heartbreaking.

On the day of her death, Naomi’s daughters Wynonna and Ashley issued a statement which said in part, “We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness.”

That statement obviously and immediately led to widespread speculation that she committed suicide, though as of now, that hasn’t been confirmed.

Naomi’s death understandably sent shock waves through the Judds' vast fanbase and the music industry. She died the day before The Judds were to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. They had a tour planned for later this year.

Regardless of how she died, the 76-year-old entertainer struggled with depression for years.

In 2016, during an interview with Robin Roberts on "Good Morning America,” she said, “(Fans) see me in rhinestones, you know, with glitter in my hair, that really is who I am. But then I would come home and not leave the house for three weeks, and not get out of my pajamas, and not practice normal hygiene. It was really bad.”

She said, “When I came off the tour (in 2011), I went into this deep, dark absolutely terrifying hole and I couldn’t get out. I spent two years on my couch.”

In 2018, Naomi and a physician wrote an open letter regarding suicide.

It said in part, “To understand this issue better, we have to bring the study of suicide into mainstream neuroscience and treat the condition like every other brain disorder. People who commit suicide are experiencing problems with mood, impulse control and aggression, all of which involve discrete circuits in the brain that regulate these aspects of human experience.”

The letter concluded, “It's about time we did better.”

Not only our healthcare system, but our society failed Naomi Judd, just like it has always failed and continues to fail people with mental illnesses.

Naomi had the resources to get the best treatment possible, and it still wasn’t enough.

So how are destitute people who suffer with a mental illness supposed to get help?

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said 45 percent of homeless people suffered from mental illness, with 25 percent of those being seriously mentally ill.

And how do we handle it?

We wait for them to break some law and throw them in jail. 

We treat them like criminals instead of people with an illness.

Substance abuse disorder is a mental illness. It’s not a crime. So are schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder.

Society has always labeled people with mental health issues. We call them “crazy,” “cuckoo,” “nutty.”

Oh yeah, and then we wait for them to break some law and throw them in jail.

Naomi Judd suffered from Severe Treatment Resistant Depression, as well as anxiety.

She had the resources to get the best treatment on the planet, and it wasn’t good enough.

Maybe her death will help us look at mental health differently.

Maybe it will somehow de-stigmatize all kinds of people who suffer with mental health disorders.

Let’s not fail her again.