I said goodbye to a dear friend yesterday who had died due to a series of unfortunate circumstances. We had disagreed about many things, including the best well to pursue our mental health. He was a brilliant man, having obtained a doctorate done very sophisticated work before his illness began taking over. Even after the illness, he worked in various mental health groups and educated people about issues they knew little or nothing about. I felt sad because we had drifted apart in recent years as I began working more and he denounced psychiatry as quackery. I don't know whether they have determined the exact cause of death. He had seen his psychiatrist and left abruptly before being found face down in the snow frozen solid. Meanwhile, I was working on my credit score and trying to prepare to speak at a meeting about a proposed site for housing people with a mental illness.
I learn from these loses. My earlier blog was about a similar death. It's painful. But I need to continue slowly but surely doing what I was put here to do. And perhaps I will introduce others to this site to unburden themselves.
Dear Kyamel,
mental illness is a very mixed bag. People are very quick to attack psychiatry. However, things are not as simple. If it was not for Freud who helped the world to understand that those with mental disabilities could function with help where would we be today?
I think that the issues are complex. If a psychiatrist/psychologist makes a patient feel good and helps the patient then what is so wrong with this? And can we generalise and say that all psychiatrists/psychologists are the same and that psychiatry is a waste of time? Shurely not. Any intelligent person would say that this is a little harsh.
I think that your friend lost his way and that he became overwhelmed by the prejudice and ignorance that unfortunately is very present in our society. This is very understandable. It is easy to become overwhelmed by prejudice even for those of us with a University degree.
I think that you want to keep doing what you are doing and realise that mental disability can be a gift or a curse. I want it to be a gift. I know that it can be a burden but I think of all the wonderful things that bipolar has given me. I follow the light knowing that if everything was perfect in this life what would be the point of it all? Bipolar is me with all the beutiful and ugly aspects of it. So why not make the best of it all?
All the best dear friend and keep your spirit up.
Alfredo