Friday 11 June 2010

Mental illness isn't just like any other illness

The old drum is getting boring but I thought I'd retry a simple point.

It's a pedagogy or way of understanding that some people will not do so
well in life as they should. They may suffer more and that may be like
an illness but that may be part of life and that suffering my not be
caused by any illness in the individual, i.e. any defect per se, but in
the construction of society whenever and wherever they live. Heart
disease doesn't stop being heart disease in another country however
mental illnesses vary between countries and interpretations vary between
cultures. Heart disease doesn't stop being an illness because of social
progress during the late 20th century.

A black person suffers for being black. A gay person suffers for being
gay. Neither is a disease. They're just different kinds of people. I'm
sure there could be evidenced produced for worse life outcomes and
higher levels of distress for these diagnoses...I mean types of people.
There is strong genetic evidence that shows people can have a strong
predisposition to have black as well as for brown and white disorder.

Of course if mental illness is an illness like any other illness then
black, gay or anything else that people get stigmatised, discriminated,
judged, prejudiced, ostracised and excluded for could be a mental
illness. Black and brown people could be painted white. Gay people could
change the way they think and behave and not be gay, and perhaps novel
medications could also make sure they had no sexual urges or any urges
whatsoever.

People that are outcast are not ill. A society and humankind that makes
outcasts of its own people...that's the fucking illness.

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We It comes in part from an appreciation that no one can truly sign their own work. Everything is many influences coming together to the one moment where a work exists. The other is a begrudging acceptance that my work was never my own. There is another consciousness or non-corporeal entity that helps and harms me in everything I do. I am not I because of this force or entity. I am "we"