Perception Sickness
April 10, 2019
I read an article this morning about helpful tips and suggestions to alleviate mental health issues or afflictions such as ADHD, depression, anxiety, etc. The author is on to something!
Some of the tips and suggestions offered — Taking breaks is a good idea! Writing things down is really good. I don’t argue much with self care as the writer purports. Sleep is a beautiful thing and very beneficial to overall well being!!
Please, no one take this writing as a challenge or negative reflection on almost everything the author wrote. I would like to push people (the culture) a little bit on some of the notions of sickness and disability and so on.
I push back on laying responsibility at the feet of a seemingly increasingly present boogy man called chemical imbalance and the ever-growing capitulation nation that rushes to join the throngs of folks who have a condition, illness, issue or whatever. In just a few generations how the heck have we gotten so sick and disabled?
I wish I was making it up, but while I write this, I got a call from a regional Social Security Disability office requesting records.
I haven’t seen it all.
I am not a psychotropic researcher.
I have not experienced every condition at every level.
Certainly, I have not met every person reporting to be impacted by the mental illness world.
Caveats and disclaimers out of the way… (I am certain I missed some, so Mea culpa!)
I HAVE been helping people for a great many number of years at both the lay level and the professionally licensed level.
What I have noticed is that there is an increase is “sick.” people. I despise the term. I truly despise a great number of things that have been done in my field all in the name of “helping.” Not the time or place for that rant.
Are there people out there with issues that require some medication help? Yes, I am hearing that a local doctor in my area is prescribing Ketamine. Smoke a joint, sure… take a shot of Jack? Pop some SSRI’s or SNRI’s, whatever. I am hearing that there is treatment involving LSD going on currently too.
The other thing I see a whole bunch of is “if I can just change that person, or that system or get this resource…” There are people whose only job duty is collecting resources for other people. There are those who are mortally wounded at the mere notion of a micro aggression. And it ain’t new, but if things and companies and systems were only fair…
More and more, we are moving to external things to fix the internal issues. More and more we are growing sick and disabled.
Well, I guess it’s true. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results…
— R. A. Grier