I think our society, even the most open minded people, see the treatment of chronic mental illness with restrictions. They tolerate that one might need medication or therapy for a limited period of time. Even our health care system limits the number of sessions and the total amount one can spend on mental health away below the treatment for other diseases. It's OK to wear glasses or contact lenses for the rest of one's life. It's all right to make corrective surgery to fix a problem, to take vitamins everyday, to take insulin if you have diabetes, to take blood thinners if you have certain conditions, to take heart medication, to use asthma inhalers, to use moisturizer cream for dry skin, to color your hair constantly, to use make up to hide skin imperfections, to use all kinds of creams to reduce signs of aging. It's OK to even inject botox (botulin toxin) to improve one's appearance. But it's not OK to treat a chronic mental illness with medication. "Do you still need medication for that? Aren't you strong enough to get out of it on your own? Aren't you depending too much on your medication?" These are some of the things that I hear all the time. As if it was not hard enough to decide to stay alive everyday...
Everyone would benefit from a stay on a mental institution. Not volunteering, but as a patient,
intermingling with the others. It's such a rich universe there. Maybe
they could institute something like a draft. From time to time, when you
think that all is OK, you should check yourself in and get back with
your feet on the ground.
