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What experiences have made you more comfortable with mental health disorders?
What things make you fearful of mental health disorders? And what experiences have made you more comfortable with it?
In the quest to dispell stigma, how can we help our society grow out of its fear?
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Gwen Dimbleby Coates
Eric Brosch
Craig Patterson 10+
Read R. D. Laing's seminal work, The politics of experience to better understand the depths of absurdity of what we call 'NORMAL' , the misplaced basis of much of our mental health.
I would suggest that as much damage as labels do to the labeled, they do far more damage to the Doctors and society, as their ability to 'see' clearly is shrouded in a deep fog of ignorance, profits and quick fixes. How many savants have we destroyed in our system of boxes and labels? How many doctors have trouble sleeping as they remember the pain and suffering of their 'lobotomies and chemical castrations'? Who are the victims and who are the perpetrators? How far as our 'science' of psychiatry come since the days of Germany during world war 2?
I applaud the ladies here who question the broken system of labels. Let me add my name to the list who agree with that conclusion.
Human behavior and consciousness isn't deterministic. We all have free will, and where there is a will, there is a way.
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Gwen Dimbleby Coates
Ezra Scarlet
Ezra Scarlet
I digress my flaw inevitable caused me serious short term memory loss, at such levels that could be confused with having dementia. In my last month of not taking medicine I lost my Key's, My boyfriend's Key, Spare Keys, Id, Shoes, notes, as well as forgetting to complete certain essential tasks.
Which oddly combined with special K cereal, caused me to lose a good appetite and I ended up starving myself of essential Nutrients. Now my boyfriend has banned me Special K and all other diet food seeing how it turned me into a zombie. Again I disgress. Point being is that I have flaws on which I need to take medicine for.
Ezra Scarlet
The large claims of ADHD has positives and negatives one people are more excepting of the disability. Second is that people with ADHD are believed to be incapable of simple task of need of constant help. I often deal with such belief's and prove to people that I am in fact capable. People worry that I'll will burn down my appartment because I will forget to turn off the gas or that I would die in a car accident because I would be lose train of thought.
I would comment more on this But really tired.
Roberto Sciffo
I know a kid with mild epilepsy who's father was able to 'cure' him through the removal of heavy metals. So I looked into heavy metals and their impact on our bodies, and that it can account for both mental and physical disorders, which then made me think that everyone we meet including people we may have known for all our lives may not actually have much choice on who they are or how they think, and therefore not really 'themselves'.
So I figure everyone is normal and doing the best they can with what they have.
Natuley Smalle
Gwen Dimbleby Coates
Reda Regina Galapia
Also, we need to put into consideration that the etiology of some of these disorders is unknown. These people or most of them do not even understand what they're going through.
Louise Nelson
Consider people with clinical depression - some can get a lot of relief from cognitive behavioral therapy and/or medication, others who have different brain chemistry may react badly to meds and/or get no relief from therapy strategies.
People with severe brain disorders like schizophrenia, rapid cycling bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorders or other severe brain disorders can be very difficult to interact with - most folks just don't understand how to interact with someone who perceives reality very differently than they do themselves, or who isn't perceiving external reality at all well when they're in the grip of overwhelming and often terrifying hallucinations. It's awfully hard for many people to "see the other person's point of view" even when that other person is within the same range of common or normal brain function and behavior.
Until the 20th century hardly anyone thought that hallucinations, obsessive/compulsive behavior and other far-out-of-the-usual-range behaviors were rooted in physical diseases and such behaviors were often assigned supernatural causes - and treatments. Less severe behavior issues were often simply dismissed as "That's the way s/he is." It wasn't until medications that could influence psychotic behaviors were discovered and brought into use that anyone thought that severe mental disorders could be brought under control at all - sufferers here in the US were institutionalized and expected to remain in that environment for life.
elizabeth muncey 10+
Michael Honeycutt
Yuddandi Sivasubramanyam
nothing happens as we plan, but it gets connected the way we want.
in fact the commands are followed by us, the results too are decided by source of invisible intelligence.
it is just like ice cube wants to know what is water?
hcdoitsu gotweed
Thunder Tang
Sarah M
Only once in 5 years was one of my clients so unwell that I felt a threat. I can honestly say I got so much more out of my clients than they ever got out of me but I am sure they think that they were getting more out of me. They enriched my life with their Resilience, Humor, Stories and Outright Craziness. I have heard it all and will never be shocked again at anything anyone tells me as I have heard the most amazing, outrageous stuff.
I use to get up for work every morning happy to be going to work and I still think of my clients often with a smile on my face.
Yes Psychosis is scary I wasn’t dealing with people with Psychosis I was working with people out of hospital who were of varying ability who were trying to be part of society again.
Always remember that perfectly sane people can commit the worst of crimes.
Mental illness does not mean danger most of the time and sadly most of them are more intent on hurting themselves rather than others when unwell.
Iulian Sociale Ingegnere
Harry Haber
Juniper Blue 10+
It sounds to me that you were being responsible in not giving the sleeping pills. It is unfortunate that the way that medical appointments are set up, there is little time to get into a long and intricate conversation and you may have felt that a referral to appropriate support was most important (and it probably was.) She may have taken your default to referral as "cold" ... perhaps you responded with a serious tone (which is appropriate considering that she stated that she felt suicidal.) Perhaps you did not have ability to express your empathy with warmth and caring as your mind raced to decide what was the best course of action to help her.
It sounds as if you were indeed doing the most responsible thing in trying to get her professional help.
I would not want to be in your situation. I hope that she at least expressed (in her letter) some specifics about what she had hoped to receive from this interaction (besides acquiring sleeping pills.) Your refusal to give her those pills may have saved her life and so, that is no small thing. If someone comes in again with similar circumstance ( god forbid) you may first respond with something like " I am so sorry to hear that you are suffering" and then proceed to the best of your ability to get he/ him appropriate help.
Try to not beat yourself up ... I think you did the best you could and as I said, may have helped her more than you realize.
Best to you,
Juniper
Patricia Usetxe
noemi valentin
Then we joked about how the majority of people and care providers that give us treatment have NO IDEA how is to be in our heads. They cannot imagine the same way I cannot imagine thinking "normal" without the days floating around me. For me that conversation gave me more acceptance and made me conscious that us, those who live with mental conditions, have some sort of a special culture unfamiliar to many. That gave me comfort.
Gwen Dimbleby Coates
Alyson MacDonald
Steve C
I have also gotten much from talking to others with various "afflictions," and seeing their lives and problems, and how they continue to strive.
"how can we help our society grow out of its fear?" By connecting; not merely connecting via web links & tweets, but by consideration & trust. By choosing to spend time and energy with them. And by being truthful & accountable; give and take.
Roy Bourque 20+
I recognized that my first wife had multiple personalities. I also recognized that the abuse she endured was probably the cause. For this, I gained much from the experience. My love for her overcame any fear that I might have felt.
I had another friend that was hyperactive and had a lot of built in anger. He had been put on Ritalin as a child and often given additional doses to shut him down. He felt that his childhood had been robbed from him. He would talk tough and even violent that no one had better mess with him. I discovered that his demeanor was a survival ploy. I told him that his demeanor was sabotaging his ability to make friends that could help him out in life. Gradually he began to listen and realized that I was on his side. In time, he softened up, which helped him land a job and things improved for him.
I have another friend who is also hyper. When I first met him, he couldn't stay focused on anything. He was considered a misfit by the community. My talking to him helped me to understand him, and as this went on, I was able to mentor him to a more responsible person. He just needed someone who was willing to listen (and not charge him $$$ for it).
I read a book by Dr. Arthur Janov called "The New Primal Scream" that talked of how early childhood trauma can lead to mental disorders. Once the trauma is exposed, the disorders generally fade afterwards. For those who are not born with brain disorders, there is hope if your are willing to listen. I've learned not to judge one's behavior, but to listen for clues that underlie the behavior. I find that they recognize when someone shows that they care, and it brings about a change in their demeanor.
Juniper Blue 10+
Ahhhh .. now I have an excuse to eat more blackberries! You know, I was doing much better before i experienced a sharp decline in my financial resources a few years ago (along with most people). Financial hardship ( in and of itself ) caused some strain but the biggest problem is that I had to stop taking some vitamin supplements that were helping quite a bit. I hope to start taking Phosphotydyl Serine, Alpha Lipoic Acid,Ginkgo Biloba, and a few other supplements that had dramatically improved my brain function. My financial hardship should (hopefully) ease up in about a year when my partner finishes her medical program ... so, I am very lucky that I should be able to get back on track with my natural healthcare in the near future (if all goes well.) Feel free to e-mail me directly Elizabeth ... we seem to have similar interests in holistic medicine. And yes .. the Blue in Juniper Blue is not a sad color ... it is just blue .. like the sky ... like Juniper berries.
Best to you Elizabeth!
Mary Bourque
I never liked the term "mental Illness," and even now it is hard to define myself in this way. I spent my late childhood in a residential school, where I was told that kids who wind up there are the hopeless cases. They are the ones society including their own families "throw away." I know that I was loved by my parents, so I decided that this particular mental health professional, a self-declared picture of mental health was in fact suffering from a frighteningly deranged God complex.
It is hard to be comfortable with such a label. My own family thinks my depression is just laziness, though it is harder for them to ignore the recurrent panic attacks. Panic attacks have physical manifestations, so I suppose on some level, panic disorder seems less like a mental illness.
As a child, I had a psychologist who told my Mother not to let anyone label me. Oops, too late. Every therapist, psychologist, and psychiatrist created more and more labels.
I agree with Ruby Wax that stigma has to go. I believe one in four people are diagnosed with a mental disorder, but I see shades of all kinds of illness in "normal" people.
I agree that my anxiety has nowhere to go in this toxic society we have created for ourselves. Long term exposure to poison makes people sick. Those with greater sensitivity to such poison will get more sick.
On the brighter side, I no longer feel shamed by others who look down on me for my illness. Especially regarding certain members of my family, I figure if they don't get it by now, any more explanation (excuses according to them) is wasted on them.
If someone is afraid of me due to their own ignorance, I'm happy to chase them away.
ruqian zheng
Mitch SMith 50+
Everything about mental disorders makes me uncomfortable.
But, that's not so bad - discomfort is a great motivator - and through the motivation to understand those close to me with various conditions, I've learned a massive amount about neuroscience.
It's a piece of string though - most of this stuff has no reliable cure.. plenty of prevention .. it helps to understand, but who can say what the value of knowing all this is?
There seems to be a lot of light on the horizon. Is that the dawn? Or just another storm?
What I find most painful is the realisation that many are labelling all empirical knowledge as leftist. I cannot see the preventions being practiced consistently enough to make a difference. I suppose when everyone gets uncomfortable enough to do the hard-yards, those still in ignorance will be in the minority - there can't be many left untouched by these issues.
Juniper Blue 10+
Michael Honeycutt
Juniper Blue 10+
Renessa Bak
Frans Kellner 100+
Renessa Bak
I always begin with no matter you views or discipline in life, we are all speaking of one and the same universe of which we are all give our own views and perceptions, each of which broadens our outlook on life through retreating from fields of conflict and peacing it all together . . so far, its working like a charm, on all which has come to light . . about bringing the light years down to earth. which is our clearing the way for youth, whose health and well being are severely taxed when we force our views on them through schooling, instead of letting them guide us with their insightfulness and fresh ideas.