I think, as I've gotten older, that I've mellowed a bit about things like clinical depression and suicide. While I still see suicide as a fundamentally selfish act, and I still believe suicidal people do possess free will and rationality (as I've argued many times before), I'm more sympathetic than I used to be when it comes to clinical depression. Strangely enough, it was an encounter with an ADHD student that set me on this path. I had an ADHD kid whom I nicknamed "Iblis" (one of the Muslim names for Satan) in blog posts from years ago, and if there's one thing I learned from my sessions with the boy, it's that chemical imbalances are real and have real effects. If it's true for ADHD people, then why can't it also be true for the clinically depressed? I'm therefore much less likely, these days, to look at a depressed person and think, "Fuckin' snap out of it, you whiny pussy." Below are two videos about people who aren't in a good place. See whether you, too, can dredge up some sympathy for them:
The chick in the video below is pretty damn funny. I've watched quite a few of her videos. Were I to evaluate her as dating material, I frankly wouldn't touch her with a ten-foot pole (then again, she's got a long-suffering boyfriend who's been through his own wringer), but I wish her well as she continues on her journey out of the quagmire of ED (eating disorder, not erectile dysfunction), depression, and suicidal ideation.
I used to be hard on those I thought had weak minds (alcoholics, drug addicts, gluttons, sex addicts, etc.), but teaching mentally ill children forced me to realize just how pervasive mental illness really is all around us. It helped me to finally embrace the fact that just "snapping out of it" isn't possible for nearly all of of them unless there is some huge new mental breakthrough in the future. Current drugs and treatment just aren't cutting it for them.
ReplyDeleteI had never seen or been inside a mental institution and it wasn't until within the last 20 years (thanks to cable TV and YouTube) that I saw Geraldo Rivera peel back the curtains on true hells on earth that included lobotomies and electro shock treatment on children. Some films like "The Snake Pit" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" tried and do it justice, but they don't scratch the surface of the truly afflicted and insane and the "varying degrees" which affect so many on this planet. Sadly, most do not end up in places of healing and help, but instead find themselves in jail and then prison because of their mental demons. Geraldo's video is hard to stomach, but it is very tame compared to those from other countries that you can easily find on the Internet.
Back in the old days, many families kept their disturbed loved ones in basements and attics, and out of sight from their normal acquaintances and the public. Nowadays, countries, such as the United States, try to educate these children with varying degrees of success and many more of failure while their lives in other countries can be a downright torturous hells on earth if their families can't afford to take care of them and they are left to the state. Especially, states without the funding and expertise to care for them where incarcerations or deaths await.
The real problem is the world is full of those who fall on the spectrum between sane and insane and so many lack the resources to deal with their brains and take to drugs (illegal and legal) and alcohol to deal with their afflictions.
But in today's more open and accepting world of mental (including numerous sex) differences, I just wish more would take the suicide way out before they gun or run down the innocent on their way either out or as a way to call attention to their mental problems.
One of the worst aspects of teaching in the United States is watching foster kids age out of the system of group homes with no real support system to lean on and help navigate the harshness of young adulthood.
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine the fear of trying to adjust to life on your own at 18 with no real emotional or financial help? Now imagine having to live through the situations that led to their foster care. It's a downright shame that we fail so many of these kids whose minds, and bodies, have already been through hell.
It really makes me upset because as a kid of the 1970s and 1980s, my teachers could console and talk to students who might have needed a word or encouragement, a pat on the back or hug of human kindness, but that just doesn't fly in today's world. This also helped me realize why children's suicide rates are so high in South Korea. Life really sucks without a caring support system and can play hell on your mental wellbeing.
Interesting perspectives, John. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete