In a strong and beautifully written diary posted on Friday, rserven asked for more sensitivity from those in our community who, knowingly or not, use terms and phrases that are hateful and demeaning to an important segment of our community, and to those of us who love and support them.
There’s another group that’s been taking a battering here, and I’m hopeful this diary will make people more sensitive to our feelings: the mentally ill.
From rserven's diary,
Sensitivity:
Sensitivity is not a bad thing. The world needs sensitive people. I can't imagine how horrible it would be if it was filled with people with calloused hearts.
Yes. Transfolk are often sensitive. Maybe we are more so than suits your pleasure, but that doesn't give you the right to tell us that we need to stop being who we are.
Can you even imagine how totally screwed it is for a transwoman to be told to "grow a pair?"
I’m not talking about calling someone crazy, nuts, or even insane (although the last, used in certain ways, garners further consideration), because as these words have evolved within our language, they’ve lost some of their strongly derogatory association. One can take sensitivity too far.
But let me run by you some recent comments that came up in a quick search:
XXX (0+/0-)
Sounds like someone's got an anger problem. Forgot to take your meds this morning, buddy?
By XXXXXXXXX on Thu Mar 05, 2009
XXXXXX (11/0-)
...Take your meds and find your way home, friend. You're lost.
By XXXXXXXXXXX on Wed Feb 25,2009
XXXX! The illogic is nearly psychotic (30+/0-)
in its magnitude. How can someone's brain contain such contradictions unless they're FUCKING INSANE?
By XXXXXX on Wed Mar 04, 2009
Christ. The lot of them need an anti-psychotic (2+/0-)
drug of some sort. I don't know whether to be afraid or feel sorry for them. Mental illness is a terrible thing afterall.
By XXXXXXXXXX on Tue, Mar 03, 2009
Good to see that there (0+/0-)
is someone else following the human trainwrecks at Free Republic. They really are mentally ill.
By XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX on Thu Mar 05, 2009
She always looks deranged (8+/0-)
I wonder if she's mentally ill.
By XXXXXXXX on Fri Feb 27, 2009
I doubt these writers meant to be insensitive to those of us with mental illness, to make us feel bad or, such as in the case of the Freepers comment, unjustly include among us people like Limbaugh. (I mean, that’s really, really insulting.) But there are some here who use "mentally ill" in as derogatory a manner as possible. They’re the ones that really need to be reached, although they’re probably not here to read these words. The most recent and egregious offender was quickly sent packing. It’s comforting knowledge that the system here works.
The mentally and emotionally disabled often face difficulties that the physically disabled don’t. It’s typically harder to get assistance if you have an "invisible" disease. We’re often told our diseases aren’t real, that all we need to do is pull ourselves up by the bootstraps. No one would say that to a diabetic, a blind person, an amputee.
Doctors don't really understand how psychotropic medications work, so we’re subjected to endless trials of various prescriptions to find the ones that seem to help. It’s totally trial and error – in my case, I was treated for twenty years before a psychiatrist, finally, found the cocktail that has kept me stable for over six years (I will be forever grateful to her). Two of my meds are anti-convulsives that somehow work as mood stabilizers and antidepressants, although no one knows why.
Some of us have been subjected to Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT, or electroshock), a procedure that can work for those with treatment-resistant diagnoses or debilitating episodes, but with unpredictable results and side effects. In my case, it meant losing seven years of memory and incurring organic brain damage; losing the ability to work; losing the self-definition that comes with a successful career; and losing the joy and satisfaction of achievement that come with a job one loves.
Some of us have even been institutionalized, behind double-locked double doors, eating out of Styrofoam with a plastic spoon – the only utensil deemed safe enough for us to use. We’ve been tied to gurneys so we won’t hurt ourselves or others; we’ve been put in "observation" if deemed suicidal.
We suffer a disease that tells us we’re worthless, that tells us there’s no hope, that tells us the world would be better off without us.
Mental illness can be a lifetime battle with chemical imbalances; it can be temporary, triggered and relieved by events, circumstances, or short-term treatment; and it can enter perniciously at any time to destroy your life and sanity. The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that up to 11 percent of Iraq veterans and 20 percent of Afghanistan veterans have PTSD. [The article's lead paragraph is enlightening in and of itself:
"The Purple Heart medal, awarded to service members who have been physically wounded in combat, will not be given for a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, a Pentagon statement said."]
With our present economic crisis, and the job loss, insecurity, and downright fear that it has brought, there will certainly be more and more people becoming depressed, or having breakdowns under the weight of their losses or perceived personal failure. Everyone is vulnerable.
Which is why I ask for more sensitivity, more tolerance, towards the mentally and emotionally ill. [Well, towards everyone, really.] I hope you'll think twice before suggesting someone "take their meds" or use the term "mental" as a disparaging term, or tell someone to "grow a pair." Daily Kos comprises individuals and groups that, each in its own way, contributes greatly to the community as a whole. In honoring our site, and those within it who are different than us, we honor ourselves, and build strength among our common causes.
Thanks.
UPDATE: I am totally blown away by the response I've received to this diary. That it has been recommended [angels sing] speaks more of the community than anything I've written within. Your comments are supportive, informative, helpful and on topic, almost every single one. I'm really proud to be a part of this place, and among each and every one of you who contribute your individuality.