CRAZY like A. Fox that is!...
Yes- I've been called ALL the names- from colloquial to clinical- none have ever been correct- none fit- and none of it really matters at this point. I've broken all the definitions and stereotypical molds of each term- and continue to move about this strange planet feeling different than most- hyper-sensitive, and overly conscious- "Abby-Normal" seems like a good fit.
CRAZY:
This one used to really offend me quite some time ago. I've grown to embrace it over time- mostly because I've come to terms with the fact that I gotta be something other than normal in this world that is so very disturbing. I equate this one with NUTS, and LOONEY- which I don't mind either- preferring nuts over plain any day, and having done some time in a Looney Bin- I consider myself a card carrying member.
DEPRESSED:
This one is overused and used incorrectly by most to the point of becoming just another word for sad, down, low energy, or experiencing grief. I have been diagnosed with clinical depression- and that I experience low-grade depression- but I'm sure most people don't have a true understanding of the term. I know of two specific times where I was surely depressed- I could barely get out of bed- had no desire to do anything- even shower- and basically sat on the couch drooling on so many psycotropis meds. I saw no reason to live and have no idea why I came out of it okay- time just passed and things got better. Believe me- it had nothing whatsoever to do with medication or therapy. Being in a bad or sad mood, or experiencing grief, or being perpetually hung over is not depression.
BI-POLAR:
This one has become SO overdiagnosed and overused by common folk- it has no true meaning anymore. I remember when this was "The Cadillac" of all diagnosses back in the 90s- but in recent years it has been used to describe anyone who has mood swings. I still get fairly offended when people throw this one around- maybe because this diagnosis is probably the closest correct diagnosis I had ever received. After re-reading the PDR numerous times, and staying clean and out of any shrink facility for lotso time- I don't feel like it's appropriate any more for me- but for a time- it was. I had numerous psychotic breaks folowing manic episodes, rapid cycling, racing thoughts, and was generally out of control. Mind numbing, lobotomizing ant-psychotics were the only medical answer at the time and although they kept me "safe" temporarily, I have been changed permanently.
So...
Call me crazy if you feel it's appropriate- names don't bother me any more- I've embraced them all and am proud to be other than normal.
i cannot believe that lobotomy is still a 'rmedy', except in really extreme and irreversible cases. there are plenty of advanced chemical nowadays to suppress any type of mental imbalance.
ReplyDeleteall the above 'diagnostic' adjectives are so relevant, that become non sequitur. what does it mean crazy, and what are the parameters that provoke craziness. social dysfunctions and chemical imbalances are merging with each other in such ways that at some point in our life we are all crazy, bipolar and depressed. show me ONE who hasn't been there...
ReplyDeleteLabels...As both a health care professional and someone who struggles with my own mental health issues, I can see the benefits and the harms of having them. From one perspective, mental health labels and diagnoses are a somewhat arbitrary game that we play to placate insurance companies with appropriate billing codes. Pigeon-holing someone into a label, however, can be so damaging to a person's identity when the person, the people around that person, or the professionals intending to help that person start to define the person by the label. That happens too often. On the other hand, in my work as a nurse practitioner, I can't count how many times patients have been comforted and validated by a diagnosis of acute or chronic depression, anxiety, ocd, or post-partum depression, because they really thought that what they were going through was completely abnormal and beyond help.
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