inverse

I know there are more important threads in the list righht now, but I just wanted to get this off my chest.

It's ok for a buddist monk to talk about how he's sometimes a bit scitsophrenic. It's ok for a scientist turned counsellor and spiritual teacher (Echart Tolle) to talk about his suicidal deppression. And it's ok for a phisiotherapist to say she's a masarchist, in a joking "atleast I'm honest" sort of way. But if someone is acctually diagnosed with the disease, it's as if they're not allowed to talk about it! They simply have a diagnosis. Which is seen as a positive thing becuase as nurses put it: "It helps other proffesionals to know how to work with us"...

What a complete contradiction of our humanity!

I guess it would depend on how one looks at it, but you do bring up an interesting point on how a good deal of the world seems to cope with things.

But if someone is acctually diagnosed with the disease, it's as if they're not allowed to talk about it!

Shoot, ask me just about anything...

I talk about things that make people, think "TMI! TMI!"...

Its like why when someone has cancer, they used to whisper it, "Oh, he has cancer ..."

It shouldnt be talked about because it might appear to be talking about the person in a bad way... Like the disease will hear and say, "Oh no, they are on to me... Better wrap this up!"

I guess it would depend on how one looks at it, but you do bring up an interesting point on how a good deal of the world seems to cope with things

Right...

Some of us face the situation, discuss it in the open, nothing to hide...

Others, want to sweep it under the rug, hide from it, pretend it doesnt exist...

Bargin-hunter.

Boring.

Buddha-Image.

low grade-Paranoia

Fun!


Just a little haiku to rap up

I think that people sometimes don't like to talk about things they have been diagnosed with for a variety of reasons. They might not like to be seen as attention-seeking or looking for sympathy. And perhaps they just want life to carry on as usual...to have everyone be aware of their diagnosis, and/or giving them sympathy, might make them feel worse, remind them of it when they don't want to think about it too much...

Some people have a diagnosis for something that they don't feel really affects their ability to live a 'normal' everyday life, but worry that people might treat them differently, or perhaps even exclude them, if they knew about the diagnosis.

And sometimes we don't like to talk about the diagnosis' of others for similar sorts of reasons. We think that they might not want to be reminded of it and so we don't want to upset them. Or we just don't know how they will react to it being mentioned - perhaps they will be angry, or feel embarrassed, or something else that we wouldn't want them to feel.

I have bipolar disorder. There, I said it.

But in actuality, I say it all the time. Its part of my job as a certified peer support specialist at our local mental health association. We as a society have got to move past the stigma of mental illness. It is literally killing people. Soldiers in particular, at a rate of one a day. This is greater than the rate that soldiers are being killed in combat.

You may have noticed this weeks cover story of TIME magazine on the topic I mentioned above. The short version is that the macho warrior culture looks down on those who fall victim to a mental illness. Its as if the human mind, the most complicated piece of wetware ever to exist, capable of so much, is incapable of falling ill under severe extended stress. And I know this first hand. That is how I left the Army.

So, talk about it. Encourage others to do the same. Move mental illness out of the shadows. You will be doing the person you are talking to a great favor.

I have paranoid schizophrenia. There I said it.

Just to contunue this. I remember something about how Buddha took on (as a diciple) a guy who was known to have killed lots of people. It was said in the story that Buddha saw good charecter in him, but the officials wanted to arrest him. I'm just working this out, out in the open so bear with me.

The officials actually asked buddha if he could guarentee that the man wouldn't cause any more trouble and buddha said that he could. Or something.

It reminds me of this thing about stigma and how alot of the time things are done a little backwards.
Atleast that's how it seems here in England.

I think stigmas arise BECAUSE people don't talk enough. There were adverts on UK television recently encouraging people to treat their colleagues and friends (with disorders ) without fear or prejudice. The Time to Change organisation (http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/) is also just one of many that are doing great work in this area.

The problem seems to rest with people that react our of ingrained beliefs, fear or a lack of compassion and empathy. Slydogstags recent thread mentions someone who equated being gay with being less than a "real man". There will also be people who still react negatively towards mental issues. The sad thing is that is someone has a physical disability, they are generally supported much better than those with mental issues. I see no difference between the two and would hope that most of us here would see the person and not their "problems".

If we're doing the solidarity thing, I'm significantly on the autistic spectrum but have learned to control myself most of the time. If I get tired, then I start to slip! I try to see it as a positive thing and that it affords me a perspective that is different to "normal".

If we still lived in tribal societies, any alternative states of being would be recognised as a sign of spiritual awakening. There are places throughout the world that are dedicated to "treating" such conditions as schizophrenia through holistic and spiritual means. There are also interesting accounts of these explorations throughout the world. One such example can be found here: http://www.successfulschizophrenia.org/stories/nightsky.html

So it all depends on your perspective and that of those you choose to engage with. I would expect that everyone here is free to be as open as they want and receive sufficient support in return. Don't forget (this applies to anyone, regardless of what's going on with them) that Ordained Members of Clergy are available for confidential support and advice if you need it.

"Huh. Reminds me of one of the books I read in the last month -- Voluntary madness by Nora Vincent. She went undercover in three different mental wards, and in the first one, the nurses would just treat the patients like they were animals because it was easier to deal with them that way." Jack noted.

'Kinda like that one time YOU had a close encounter of the pscyh ward kind, right?' Kendalina pointed out. Jack rolled her eyes.

"Well, as a medic, do you ever do something like this, or does bedside manner extend to mental diagnoses?" She asked.

'Personally, my philosophy is that bedside manner is just a form of pity - and a pretty degrading one, at that. If you really care about a patient, you'll spend your time trying to get them better, not waste time with being nice to them.'

Jack rolled her eyes at Kendalina, again, but didn't comment on her very cold, clinical approach she was taking.

'On the flip side, though, Desolous had a point about the stigma against mental problems. Stang, look at you -- you've got US floating around in your head, and we HELP you out.' Kendalina pointed out. It was a good point, Jack would give her that -- now, what to do about that... that was another question.