Comments on: When psychiatric services suck donkey balls (compared to other disability services).

By: Mel Baggs

Mel Baggs — Mon, 04 Jun 2018 18:29:51 +0000

Kevix: I’m not really good at diplomacy today and I’m sorry about that. But this attitude towards other people with psych disabilities seems a bit patronizing. There’s lots of reasons people can’t do things, and walking in with the attitude that if it’s for psych reasons there must be a way to solve it other than helping them do it, is… odd, to me. Like sure, make sure it isn’t they just don’t know how to do it, or whatever, but there’s ways to do that without going in with the assumption that you’re gonna do something for someone the way you think is best for them and they don’t actually know what’s best for them, or whatever. Don’t know quite how to phrase it.

By: But there’s so many different disabilities, trying to be aware and inclusive of all of them is just too haaaaard. – Tree of Life

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 20:47:36 +0000

[…] feel like my real, serious illness wasn’t being taken seriously? Then I read this and first, it kind of blew my mind, and second, it made it all make sense. If my fatigue that kept […]

By: nvadvocate

nvadvocate — Sat, 10 Mar 2018 21:37:55 +0000

Thank you thank you thank you! I have never been able to articulate this, although I have seen it’s cruelty for 30 years, and now more recently with my own daughter.

By: Kevix Mark

Kevix Mark — Sun, 18 Feb 2018 09:21:01 +0000

I’m commenting a year late. I deal with autism and mental health issues. I’ve never heard of avolition. I do deal with executive functions issue, depression that leads to loss of motivation and dissociation. I also trained to be a peer specialist. In that role, we are suppose to provide various levels of support. We use ‘support’ and not ‘help’ because the latter means ‘do for’ and our task is to allow the person the chance to do for themselves. If they can’t, we try to find out why. We can then support by being with someone, by getting needed info, by coaching, by doing a task for someone but this is not what we do first. And the hope is that the person can learn to do it themself. We also try to alleviate anxiety or other issues by allow the person to talk about what is bothering them and that can lead to better mental functioning. If someone can’t do something, there is a reason that might be mental health related and its important to not just do something for someone as the first option.

By: softestbullet

softestbullet — Thu, 04 May 2017 22:00:09 +0000

Yes. ;_;

By: Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt

Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt — Mon, 01 May 2017 18:09:17 +0000

It’s a total joke that psychiatric ‘services’ are supposed to be covered by medical insurance in the same way as other medical services.

You fear getting labeled – and having that get in your way for the rest of your life – when what you needed was some practical help until you can cope by yourself.

And it may happen before you realize what’s happening.

If they can label you, they can get rid of you – and stop giving you services. Example of that, even for physical problems: a friend had no help from her primary or pain doctors, and it got so bad she ended up in the ER. Now she’s labeled as ‘drug seeking’ – and full of restrictions for her REGULAR pain meds.

Officious beaucracies can’t wait to put you in a box, close the lid, and tape it shut. Literally or figuratively.

I’m fighting something similar – a-volition (no volition) is a good name for it – that was caused by a drug I don’t want to be on, and was fortunately able to dump. I’m am NOT going to see a therapist who ‘understands these things’ just to deal with what THEY caused. I’ll wait, do it myself, read and journal and hope that’s enough.

I used to think psychiatric services were meant to help us; I no longer do.

Great post. You have good insight.

By: Astrid

Astrid — Mon, 01 May 2017 10:18:55 +0000

Thanks so much for sharing this. I have been diagnosed with a psychiatric illness that’s basically seen as learned helplessness (dependent personality disorder). Then I am blind and probably autistic (was diagnosed several times but my current psychologist refuses to accept this). My psychologist refses to even acknowledge the impairments my blindness causes. Not that it matters, since like you say,it shouldn’t matter why I have the impairments if I have them. However, it’s my experience that it does matter to the powers that be.

By: The Goldfish

The Goldfish — Mon, 01 May 2017 10:04:41 +0000

Thank you for contributing to Blogging Against Disablism Day once again. I hope you’re able to publish the other posts you wanted to – any time in the next few days would be absolutely fine.

In the UK, we have similar issues with psychiatric (or as you describe, conditions which end up being classed that way) and physical impairments being treated very differently, despite laws which state there should be no difference. It is shocking the extent to which very old very broken stereotypes about people with psychiatric conditions continue to effect (and damage) lives.