NYAPRS Note: Thank you to local advocate Tracy Frisch for this excellent commentary, which offers the simple and life-changing hope of recovery. We are excited to see you and fellow advocates in Troy tomorrow for the inspiring event “Voices from the Emotional Underground”.
Tackling Psychiatric Problems
Times Union; Tracy Frisch, 11/16/2014
One of my strongest held beliefs is that people have the potential to change and grow. However, what’s expected for an individual tends to strongly influence how their life unfolds.
Like other minorities, people labeled with a serious psychiatric illness are frequently treated as if they were less than the rest of society. Psychiatric patients report being told that they have a lifelong disability that will prevent them from ever having a career or their own family.
This hurtful statement is no more based on good science than unacceptable racist, sexist or homophobic pronouncements. People can get better.
As a writer pursuing an interest in the psychiatric experience, I’ve met a number of remarkable people once deemed chronically mentally ill who have transcended such limiting predictions. Many fully recovered, while others learned to navigate their challenges. And evidence suggests that considerably more people would be able to lead fuller lives with better support.
Sadly, vulnerable people readily internalize the dire narrative that says they’re broken and unredeemable. This is especially true if, as a child, you experienced unthinkable harm, like incest or deep loss. Such situations can be crazy-making. Among those who get entangled in the psychiatric system, severe trauma is fairly common — though certainly people from strong, loving families may develop chronic and disabling psychiatric problems.
My exploration of alternative approaches took me to trainings, seminars and a variety of organizations. At one of these groups, the Western Massachusetts Recovery Learning Community, I spent hours in a living room-like setting, hearing from one person after another about their journeys. The group’s innovative programs, like Alternatives to Suicide, support people struggling with emotional challenges by respecting and accepting them where they are. Peers help each other find alternative strategies for coping. The starting point is always listening with patience.
A lot of psychiatric patients closely identify with their diagnosis. “Hello, I am bipolar,” they say. But labels are very limiting. Healing organizations consciously offer an environment where relationships are built among people as individuals, each of whom has a contribution to make. People caught in the psychiatric system become used to having their feelings and wishes disregarded. Many have recounted how terrified they felt when they were held in a locked ward, put in isolation or restraints, and injected with powerful drugs against their will.
Trying to deal with their pain, people may shut down emotionally. They also lose track of their talents and yearnings. Self-expression is crucial to people who have so much trapped inside. With trust and encouragement, people can open up and find their voices.
Often, people who get better want to give something back. The international peer movement grew out of this impulse. Groups around the country train psychiatric survivors to offer Intentional Peer Support, a model that’s relevant to human interactions in general. The Empowerment Exchange in Troy and the Mental Health Empowerment Project in Albany offer peer support.
These advances and experiments give me great hope. To help propagate this promise locally, several co-sponsors and I am producing an event in Troy, showcasing alternative perspectives through film and a panel discussion. Western Massachusetts RLC founding director Sera Davidow will be one of the speakers.
The Sanctuary for Independent Media will host, “Voices from the Emotional Underground: A hopeful evening of transformative stories and alternative perspectives from people who have experienced the mental health system,” on Thursday. The evening includes: 5:30 p.m. “Crooked Beauty”; 6 p.m. potluck dinner; 7 p.m. “Beyond the Medical Model” (excerpts), “The Virtues of Non Compliance”; 8 p.m. panel and forum. 3361 Sixth Ave., North Troy. Admission by donation: $10, $5 low-income. www.mediasanctuary.org or 692-8242.
http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Tackling-psychiatric-problems-5897505.php