FOR me, mental illness is something that everyone experiences at some stage every day. I mean, think about it, the illness is just the part where something isn't quite right. So when we get upset because someone criticises the report we just wrote or anxious about delivering that speech in front of our classmates, to me that is all a little bit of mental illness which is natural. The difference between John or Jane and me is that their resilience is a little bit better so they bounce back better and faster than I do. Obviously there are more mental health issues other than DnA but as it is the most common condition and one I suffer from it is what I will be relating to.
SO why do I say 'illness' with quotation marks when talking about Mental Illness?
BECAUSE although its an illness (when talking about clinical diagnosis), its something I believe we all experience as outlined above. But when it does become clinical and we add the term mental illness as opposed to really really upset or just very nervous, we automatically attach a negative stigma to it. Its something that has been happening for centuries and will continue to happen for some time yet until people can start to understand what happens when someone is suffering a mental
CERTAINLY as far back as 100 years ago we were sending people with mental health conditions to lovely big mansions in the country side where they could receive all the treatment they needed. No questions asked and often against the patients best wishes. But hey, they were doing the best for the person weren't they? Or what about the last 50 years, back in the 60's, 70's and even 80's when most people were well and truly alive and growing up. A group called the American Psychiatric Association developed this little book called the DSM (now up to its fourth incarnation DSMIV) to help treat mental disorders. Well this book, right up through to the 80's, actually listed homosexuality as a mental disorder with treatment options! So what is an 'illness' to some isn't actually an illness to others. Its just a term now. Were the mansions and DSMs for the persons benefit or society? How far have we really come?
WHEN we think mental illness, mental health issues etc, we often think the negatives of Mental Disorder or Mentally Deranged. You know like we are all some sort of a freak who sniffs the seats of women's chairs in parliament. I'd like to think I am a regular person who just happens to have a little chemical imbalance that needs assistance. My psychologist explained it well to me on Wednesday when they said its like any time we get an insufficient amount of a vitamins or minerals in our diets, we go to the store and buy a supplement. Well its the same with taking medication for our mental deficiency. But because history locked up the mentally ill when they didn't understand or know how to help the person, society is still somewhat the the same now.
AS I said on my first post, this blog is a way for me to express my experiences, what I feel or felt and how I behaved to help anyone who might know someone with DnA but isn't ready to approach them about it yet, or might be a sufferer themselves but aren't sure how to raise it.
SOCIETY have opened their arms to the gay and lesbian community (I know there will always be an element of society that are both for and against any 'movement' but...). So all I am saying is I believe its time that mental illness, especially DnA is given the same opportunity to 'come out of the closet' and be accepted as a normal part of life. All we need is support, help and a bit of an understanding for things to be okay.
IF you think you aren't coping with something or lacking in the brain chemicals department, please go and talk to your doctor. While society has some way to go, the professional fraternity certainly have come a long way and they can really help. Don't believe me? keep checking my blog as I show you how I have changed for the better thanks to my doctor, psychologist and medication.
Until next time, Neil
No comments:
Post a Comment