Well, dear readers, I have been on a bit of a self-imposed hiatus due to the death of my father as well as having to devote a great deal of time to my studies. However, a recent tragedy in my home state of Indiana has prompted me to speak out again. It is my intention, at this point, to add new posts to this site at least three times per week for the foreseeable future.
In October of 2010, fourteen year old Jamarcus "Marcus" Bell hung himself after enduring constant taunts about his race, his perceived homosexuality, and his emotional problems. As you will see from the attached links, there were many issues that need to addressed here.
Indiana Teens Suicide Raises Questions About Bullying
Did School District Miss Bullied Teen's Cries For Help?
Superintendent Says School Acted To Prevent Bullying
Folks, here is another teen who was mercilessly tormented by his classmates. And why? Because he was black? Because he was assumed to be gay? Because he had mental health issues? A combination thereof? Why do any of these things matter?
I am not even going to address whether the school district can be held culpable in this young man's death. I shall leave that up to the attorneys. Instead, I should like to address the issue of bullying those perceived to be "different" or "weak".
I realize this is a long time problem. I myself was bullied from time to time, especially during my middle school years. Yes, I was a bit of a nerd, but that didn't justify the behavior of the bullies. The result of my boorish treatment is the strong, opinionated, confident person that I am today. Fortunately, I had a core group of really good friends that served as a support network for me. Unlike young Mr. Bell, I never considered suicide, but that doesn't mean that the emotional pain wasn't real.
My question, dear readers, is this. Why do people (and make no mistake about it, this type of behavior is NOT isolated to teenagers) behave like this? If they are so ignorant and immature that they have issues with minorities, gays, bookworms, and so on, why can't they just be left alone? Why must certain groups be singled out for torment and harassment? Are the bullies so emotionally and mentally weak that they have to somehow redeem themselves by pouring milk all over the girl who is "too school for cool's" lunch tray? Do they have to prove their worth by throwing pieces of metal at a black kid, who may or may not have been gay, as they did to Jamarcus Bell? Must they hurl insults and slurs at those who they think are inferior to them?
Why does this continue, and, more importantly, why aren't concrete steps being taken to stop it? In the age old question, where are the parents? Yes, teachers and school administrators can play a huge role in preventing the next Jamarcus Bell, but children are conditioned by their parents to behave in certain ways. Why don't parents and other responsible adults intervene when they observe bullying, and why aren't cases of bullying investigated more thoroughly? As you read in the attached articles, Jamarcus Bell endured years of bullying, yet virtually nothing was done to stop, and punish, the bullies.
This is my plea to the responsible adults and teenagers out there. First, make a pledge to not engage in this type of behavior yourself. Also, if you witness bullying, step in to stop it, even if your own child is engaging in bullying. Take all reports of bullying seriously. Don't just accept bullying as a rite of passage. I guess in a nutshell what I am asking you to do is stand up to bullying in all of its forms. Will you stand with me against this scourge on society? I sincerely hope you will.
Peace and love, my brothers and sisters.
Showing posts with label Mental Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mental Health. Show all posts
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Pat Robertson Promotes Lies About Mental Illness
You know what I don't understand? I don't understand why Pat Robertson insists on telling the same old lies about mental illness, specifically depression. News reports today discussed a large increase in the use of antidepressant medication in the United States.
Large Upswing In Anti-Depressant Use In America
Is this good news or bad? Is this healthy? Well, those would be logical question to ask, and one would hope that a fact based thoughtful discussion would ensue. It would seem that "fact based" and "logical" are beyond Robertson's grasp.
Observe:
Robertson Blame Rise In Antidepressant Use On People Not Believing In God
Where shall we begin?
Lie: We will take a Prozac and share a "happy moment".
Fact: Antidepressants are not "happy pills". Antidepressants effect brain chemicals, specifically serotonin and norepinephrine, in order to assist people suffering from depression from experiencing the severe, persistent low moods and sadness that can be crippling enough to affect the person's ability to function in both personal and work settings. They do not prevent normal sadness and anger. They do not prevent a person from feeling anything at all, and they most assuredly are NOT happy pills.
Lie: The message is "stay stoned".
Fact: One does not get "stoned" on antidepressants. They do not have intoxicating effects. They are not narcotics, nor are they street drugs or alcohol. When they are prescribed, it is to build them to a therapeutic level in order to achieve the desired outcome as outlined above.
Side Note: "What are some other antidepressants? I don't know."
You obviously don't know anything about depression or the medications used to treat it either.
Lie: Having "blessings" is a reason not to suffer from depression.
Fact: Depression, nay, mental illness as a whole, affects people from all walks of life from all around the world. One can realize that one has a good life and still be depressed. Depression is not flawed thinking, nor is it a refusal to understand that one has positive things in one's life. Indeed, it is an imbalance in chemicals within the brain. It is oblivious as to whom it afflicts.
Lie: To paraphrase, if you don't have God in your life, you have no hope; and that is what leads to depression.
Fact: Mental illness does not care if one is pious, a heathen, or something in between. The most devout can suffer from mental illness just as the most ardent non-believers. Wealth, social status, education, religious affiliation, gender, race, sexual orientation, or anything else of this nature has no bearing on the likelihood of having a mental disorder. No one suggests that cancer strikes those who don't believe in God more that those who do because it doesn't. Mental illness is exactly the same.
Lie: "They use this term 'self-medicating'".
Fact: Self-medicating occurs when someone uses a substance (ie alcohol or OTC medication) to try to alter the way one feels. One gets antidepressants by prescription only. By definition, this is NOT self-medication.
Friends, mental illness has, for hundreds of years, carried a stigma. The mentally ill were thought to be possessed by Satan or demons. They were locked into what were essentially dungeons and subjected to unspeakable abuse and maltreatment. They were subjected to ice baths, shock treatments, straitjackets, isolation, lobotomies, and inhumane restraints. The mentally ill were thought to be morally weak or criminal. They were thought to merely be seeking attention or using "insanity" as an excuse to commit offenses against society.
Mental illness is no different from physical illness. It strikes without warning. It doesn't care about your lot in life. It is not a source of shame or embarrassment. It is not an effort to seek attention or an excuse for bad behavior. It is an illness. Nothing more, nothing less.
Sadly, Robertson's comments only go to further the stigma and negative baseless stereotypes. His remarks could be dismissed on face value if he did not have thousands of followers who believe his every word, no matter how inane. We must treat the mentally ill with unconditional positive regard. We must not believe the nonsense that is being promoted by Pat Robertson.
Peace and love, my brothers and sisters.
Large Upswing In Anti-Depressant Use In America
Is this good news or bad? Is this healthy? Well, those would be logical question to ask, and one would hope that a fact based thoughtful discussion would ensue. It would seem that "fact based" and "logical" are beyond Robertson's grasp.
Observe:
Robertson Blame Rise In Antidepressant Use On People Not Believing In God
Where shall we begin?
Lie: We will take a Prozac and share a "happy moment".
Fact: Antidepressants are not "happy pills". Antidepressants effect brain chemicals, specifically serotonin and norepinephrine, in order to assist people suffering from depression from experiencing the severe, persistent low moods and sadness that can be crippling enough to affect the person's ability to function in both personal and work settings. They do not prevent normal sadness and anger. They do not prevent a person from feeling anything at all, and they most assuredly are NOT happy pills.
Lie: The message is "stay stoned".
Fact: One does not get "stoned" on antidepressants. They do not have intoxicating effects. They are not narcotics, nor are they street drugs or alcohol. When they are prescribed, it is to build them to a therapeutic level in order to achieve the desired outcome as outlined above.
Side Note: "What are some other antidepressants? I don't know."
You obviously don't know anything about depression or the medications used to treat it either.
Lie: Having "blessings" is a reason not to suffer from depression.
Fact: Depression, nay, mental illness as a whole, affects people from all walks of life from all around the world. One can realize that one has a good life and still be depressed. Depression is not flawed thinking, nor is it a refusal to understand that one has positive things in one's life. Indeed, it is an imbalance in chemicals within the brain. It is oblivious as to whom it afflicts.
Lie: To paraphrase, if you don't have God in your life, you have no hope; and that is what leads to depression.
Fact: Mental illness does not care if one is pious, a heathen, or something in between. The most devout can suffer from mental illness just as the most ardent non-believers. Wealth, social status, education, religious affiliation, gender, race, sexual orientation, or anything else of this nature has no bearing on the likelihood of having a mental disorder. No one suggests that cancer strikes those who don't believe in God more that those who do because it doesn't. Mental illness is exactly the same.
Lie: "They use this term 'self-medicating'".
Fact: Self-medicating occurs when someone uses a substance (ie alcohol or OTC medication) to try to alter the way one feels. One gets antidepressants by prescription only. By definition, this is NOT self-medication.
Friends, mental illness has, for hundreds of years, carried a stigma. The mentally ill were thought to be possessed by Satan or demons. They were locked into what were essentially dungeons and subjected to unspeakable abuse and maltreatment. They were subjected to ice baths, shock treatments, straitjackets, isolation, lobotomies, and inhumane restraints. The mentally ill were thought to be morally weak or criminal. They were thought to merely be seeking attention or using "insanity" as an excuse to commit offenses against society.
Mental illness is no different from physical illness. It strikes without warning. It doesn't care about your lot in life. It is not a source of shame or embarrassment. It is not an effort to seek attention or an excuse for bad behavior. It is an illness. Nothing more, nothing less.
Sadly, Robertson's comments only go to further the stigma and negative baseless stereotypes. His remarks could be dismissed on face value if he did not have thousands of followers who believe his every word, no matter how inane. We must treat the mentally ill with unconditional positive regard. We must not believe the nonsense that is being promoted by Pat Robertson.
Peace and love, my brothers and sisters.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Remove The Stigma Of Mental Health Issues
You know what I don't understand? I don't understand the continued stigma attached to mental illness. Statistics suggest that one in six Americans are living with a mental illness. One in six.............. 16.7% of the population....................
Mental Health Statistics From The NIMH
One in six....................
If one in six Americans mange metal health issues, why is such a negative stigma still attached to mental illness? "He is nuts." "She is psycho." "They are crazy." "He is out of his mind." "She is insane."
One in six...........................
Can we not forgo the labels, and try to accept that these people are managing a legitimate health condition? Why are those that are mentally ill met with such cruelty and lack of understanding? Is it because the majority of people have never experienced mental illness? Does that make it more difficult to empathize Most of us haven't had heart attacks either, but heart patients aren't treated with the contempt that seems to greet most mental health patients. Shouldn't mental health patients be given the same deference as folks who have other health issues?
One in six.........................
Is mental illness less real because it affects the mind instead of the body? Is it so difficult to grasp that an illness is an illness regardless of the body system affected? And the one that really makes me furious is when others suggest that the mentally ill are faking their conditions to get attention.
One in six.........................
I personally have friends and family who are afflicted by mental illness, so I take this personally. I take it personally when mental health patients continue to have to fight negative stereotypes in addition to their illness. I ask you, dear readers, to stand with me against the stigma of mental illness and to help me foster understanding of these conditions. With one in six people affected, you too can make a difference.
Peace and love, my brothers and sisters.
Mental Health Statistics From The NIMH
One in six....................
If one in six Americans mange metal health issues, why is such a negative stigma still attached to mental illness? "He is nuts." "She is psycho." "They are crazy." "He is out of his mind." "She is insane."
One in six...........................
Can we not forgo the labels, and try to accept that these people are managing a legitimate health condition? Why are those that are mentally ill met with such cruelty and lack of understanding? Is it because the majority of people have never experienced mental illness? Does that make it more difficult to empathize Most of us haven't had heart attacks either, but heart patients aren't treated with the contempt that seems to greet most mental health patients. Shouldn't mental health patients be given the same deference as folks who have other health issues?
One in six.........................
Is mental illness less real because it affects the mind instead of the body? Is it so difficult to grasp that an illness is an illness regardless of the body system affected? And the one that really makes me furious is when others suggest that the mentally ill are faking their conditions to get attention.
One in six.........................
I personally have friends and family who are afflicted by mental illness, so I take this personally. I take it personally when mental health patients continue to have to fight negative stereotypes in addition to their illness. I ask you, dear readers, to stand with me against the stigma of mental illness and to help me foster understanding of these conditions. With one in six people affected, you too can make a difference.
Peace and love, my brothers and sisters.
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