There is one reason why many want to blame and target the mentally ill for travesties like Sandy Hook Elementary, where over twenty were gunned down mostly children. It is easier. The young man who perpetrated those murders must be crazy. And other mass murderers like the man at Virginia Tech. People are scared. They want a scapegoat. Despite the fact few of these mass murderers are even in the mental health system. They must be crazy to have done that–gunned down and killed innocent people. By all means strengthen the background checks to buy guns and ammo. The fact is there is a Devil in this world and evil exists. No one wants to face that. Or even admit that. It is easier to say these murderers are crazy.
And yesterday another travesty occurred at the Boston marathon. More evil. Many people including the FBI are trying to figure out who is responsible for that cowardly act injuring over an hundred people–some people who will never be the same again. Two bombs were deliberately set off in a crowded area. This dastardly act was designed to instill fear in others. And kill innocent people. It is being called a terrorist act. More evil. I don’t care who the perpetrators are and how they justify those acts. It is evil. Designed to strike fear into others. It is a cowardice and pure unadulterated evil. And you fight evil with truth and courage. And with Him who will never leaves you.
Tags: Bombings at Boston Marathon, evil, God, gun control, Him who will never leave you, mass murderers, mentally ill, Sandy Hook Elementary, The Boston Marathon, the devil, truth and courage, Virginia Tech
Posted in death, God, life, mental health |
The worst diagnosis I ever received was being considered mentally ill. I had to fight for decades for my sanity. I doubted my own mind. I did not trust me. And that is devastating when you do not even trust your own mind. I had to understand me and also be able to rely on me. The stigma my parents felt when I started breaking down became internalized. I hated me every time I end up in a hospital or psychiatric ward. The treatment I received was, also, devastating. I was no longer treated as a citizen with all the rights due me. I became a second class citizen with no civil rights. They were all taken away from me because I broke down in a way society frowned upon. It was not my fault. Some people become drug addicts. Some become alcoholics. I was punished by the system because I was manic-depressive. They would shoot me full of Thorazine to stamp out the mania which was not my fault. I was stigmatized for being mentally ill. I read everything I could to understand me and how to find a way I could exist in this society. I do take medication now for my condition but all I do is take some pills in the morning and then evening and then forget about it. I know who I am and like who I am. I have learned to reach out to others. I do not want others to go through the hell I did. If reading this blog makes it a little easier for you on your journey I will be happy. This is part 1 of this discussion.
Tags: hospital, mania, manic-depressive, mental illness, mentally ill, my parents, no civil rights, no longer treated as a citizen, psychiatric medications, psychiatric ward, reach out to others, stigma, Thorazine, trust your own mind
Posted in balance, knowledge&learning, life, mental health, relationships, time, wisdom |
I am one of the lucky ones. My medication helps. The medication, though, is an aide. I take it and then forget about it. For many medication does not help. And doctors keep wanting to put others who are diagnosed mentally ill on them. And the medications just mess up their patients. There is definitely an over emphasis on medication to treat mental illness. For many the side effects are intolerable. Or the medication does not really help.
I remember one doctor telling me he could eliminate all my symptoms with medication but then I would be a zombie. And too many doctors keep trying to do that. Often you can’t function. And the side effects are worse than the symptoms the doctor is treating. If you are a patient and your doctor puts you on a new med or increases the dose of one, you need to question the doctor about everything–the side effects, how long it takes to work, whether or not it works (the time frame), everything. After all, you are putting the drug in your body. You need to question everything. The doctor relies on your feedback.
Tags: ask questions, doctors, give feedback, medication, mentally ill, patient, psychiatry, question the doctor, side effects, symptoms
Posted in balance, health, knowledge&learning, mental health, time |
