I think (ex) Dean Jones's statement illustrates the divide that still persists in our society over "physical" versus "mental" illness. No one would suggest that an insulin-dependent diabetic shouldn't go to the college of his/her choice. Dependence on antidepressants is no more of a problem than dependence on insulin, as long as you don't run out of pills and money at the same time.
When my mother was dying of cancer, she refused pain medication because she didn't want to "become addicted." I explained patiently that people who take pain medication for actual pain rarely become addicted, and that even if she did, it was no problem, because she would always be able to get it. She was stubborn, but eventually the pain got too bad, and she had to take it. Did she become addicted? Perhaps, but who cares? Addiction isn't a problem if you're terminally ill and have cash and/or health insurance.
I wonder whether the stigma attached to mental illness has anything to do with the unusual level of religiosity in the US compared to other rich countries. After all, if consciousness resides in the brain, and the brain is a body organ, sometimes it goes kerflooey and needs to be fixed. No big deal. But if consciousness is the individual's link to God, then perhaps God is punishing the mentally ill, or they're morally weak, or possessed by demons, or all sort of other preposterous notions.
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timeasmymeasure
Apparently mental illness still has a stigma, even among those who should know better
Date: 2007-04-27 12:00 am (UTC)I think (ex) Dean Jones's statement illustrates the divide that still persists in our society over "physical" versus "mental" illness. No one would suggest that an insulin-dependent diabetic shouldn't go to the college of his/her choice. Dependence on antidepressants is no more of a problem than dependence on insulin, as long as you don't run out of pills and money at the same time.
When my mother was dying of cancer, she refused pain medication because she didn't want to "become addicted." I explained patiently that people who take pain medication for actual pain rarely become addicted, and that even if she did, it was no problem, because she would always be able to get it. She was stubborn, but eventually the pain got too bad, and she had to take it. Did she become addicted? Perhaps, but who cares? Addiction isn't a problem if you're terminally ill and have cash and/or health insurance.
I wonder whether the stigma attached to mental illness has anything to do with the unusual level of religiosity in the US compared to other rich countries. After all, if consciousness resides in the brain, and the brain is a body organ, sometimes it goes kerflooey and needs to be fixed. No big deal. But if consciousness is the individual's link to God, then perhaps God is punishing the mentally ill, or they're morally weak, or possessed by demons, or all sort of other preposterous notions.