Rethinking mental illness
This entry was originally posted on 7 January 2003 at 3:42 p.m. It has been edited to correct a minor grammatical error.
There's been a bit of talk about therapy lately among some of my acquaintances. This is my fault in part, but it's caused me to think more closely about my experiences as a psychiatric patient. Here are things i can honestly say:
1. Had i not been nagged to see a psychologist almost four years ago, i would not be alive today. Back then i was out of control to the point where intervention was necessary, and without someone to help me regain that control, i would not have lived another month.
2. Not all people who are in therapy are whiny and self-indulgent people with decent lives who simply don't see it. But some of them are. And they give a really bad name to those of us who have ever needed to be taught how to manage the kinds of symptoms that keep one from being productive, or that lead to self-destruction.
3. Too many people go into psychiatric units in hospitals convinced that a short stay will cure them of their ailments. This is one of the saddest misconceptions i have ever seen. Short-term hospital stays are geared toward creating stability and setting up long-term treatment on the outside. They create a safe place for people who are in danger of hurting themselves or others, a place where they can regain some semblance of control, but they do not solve the problem.
4. Medication is the way to go for some people. But in some cases (often mood or anxiety disorders), medication treats the symptoms but not the disease.
5. No hospital, no doctor, and no medication will ever "cure" someone. The patient must heal himself. It's not an easy road, but the patient is the only person who can be responsible for this, because the patient is the only person who understands the experience and can take the steps that are necessary for healing.
There's been a bit of talk about therapy lately among some of my acquaintances. This is my fault in part, but it's caused me to think more closely about my experiences as a psychiatric patient. Here are things i can honestly say:
1. Had i not been nagged to see a psychologist almost four years ago, i would not be alive today. Back then i was out of control to the point where intervention was necessary, and without someone to help me regain that control, i would not have lived another month.
2. Not all people who are in therapy are whiny and self-indulgent people with decent lives who simply don't see it. But some of them are. And they give a really bad name to those of us who have ever needed to be taught how to manage the kinds of symptoms that keep one from being productive, or that lead to self-destruction.
3. Too many people go into psychiatric units in hospitals convinced that a short stay will cure them of their ailments. This is one of the saddest misconceptions i have ever seen. Short-term hospital stays are geared toward creating stability and setting up long-term treatment on the outside. They create a safe place for people who are in danger of hurting themselves or others, a place where they can regain some semblance of control, but they do not solve the problem.
4. Medication is the way to go for some people. But in some cases (often mood or anxiety disorders), medication treats the symptoms but not the disease.
5. No hospital, no doctor, and no medication will ever "cure" someone. The patient must heal himself. It's not an easy road, but the patient is the only person who can be responsible for this, because the patient is the only person who understands the experience and can take the steps that are necessary for healing.
posted by Circus at 2:24 PM
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