Dear Sandy Naiman,
Thank you for bringing mental illness and some of the issues surrounding it to the attention of Canadians. While I appreciate the subject matter, I fully disagree with the tone and approach taken.
Perhaps there are some people with mental illness who find ways to “function” and “heal”. Suggesting that this is a possibility for everyone is absurd, and leads me to believe that you have little or no experience with mental illness.
The pharmaceuticals available on today’s market are nothing short of a blessing. For many people with mental illness, the medication they take is what allows them to function and heal within today’s society. I’m not saying that there is no benefit in hope, personal responsibility, education, self-advocacy, and support, or even a bath.
To suggest that those are the only things necessary to overcome mental illness seems to imply that those who do rely on medication to get through every day are weak, and/or lazy. This is, of course, absolutely false. Being able to come to terms with the fact that one must rely on medication is one of the most significant realities a person has to face.
Due to the already existing stigma surrounding mental illness, the pressure to not rely on medication is high. The last thing those battling with these illnesses need is another misinformed person publishing an article telling them that their medication is not necessary.
Sincerely,
A loved one of person with bipolar affective disorder, who also once thought that medication was not necessary (and was proven wrong).
Dear Anonymous
I wanted to comment on your letter that you wrote regarding the mental illness article.,
First let me start by saying my name is Mary, one of the person mentioned in the article,
I was labelled with a mental illness over nine are ten years ago and seen by four different,
Psychiatrist witch each one labelled me with a different mental illness and for several years was on and off medication, and off medication at one point for about five years. I feel sandy did a excellent job on her article and gave proven facts about people that were labelled with mental illness in Canada and around the world that live a productive life and heal without medication. What I’m have trouble understanding is how can psychiatrists diagnose a patient with a mental illness just by the patient answering a couple of question and checking off some answer from a piece of paper. I also do not feel cause a person has a crisis are situation are maybe even trauma in there life that they have a mental illness cause if that was the case a large majority of people in Canada and around the world would be diagnose with a mental illness, I feel a lot of psychiatrists take the easy way out by prescribing medication to there patients and sending them on there way, without asking them how they feel are giving them a chance to talk. What ever happen to talk therapy
Self help programs are maybe taking a bath. However I do feel there are people that need medication to function and heal. Also in reality a lot of the side affects from the medication can cause serious problems
In the long run for an example liver, kidney problems heart failure and even memory loss so I do not know how psychiatrist can prescribe something to make patients function are heal but in the long run can cause serious damage. Myself finally in 2007 was labelled with bipolar disorder and a couple more disorders
I take one pill a day not even everyday to help me sleep and I live a productive and normal life.
Where on the other hand I have been to some group homes were people labelled with mental illness live and the majority of the people that live in them homes are so over medicated that there just like vegetables and do not live a productive life are not healing. I want to add one more thing that I found on a business card that was writing from a psychiatrist it reads. “Everyone is depressed anxious, paranoid, and “cuckoo crazy”; it’s just a matter of degree.
Mary.
