[Stefanian]

This is a call to all who aren't fazed by M.A.X or other government spying organizations.

We are in the current and it's time to throw them off our backs.

They hear us. They're near us. They watch us. We can show them that we've been watching too.

Any man be he ne'er so vile this day shall gentle his condition. In numbers we can stop this.

[pachyderm]

I guess it makes sense to latch on to some explanations for what you experience -- it gives a sense of certainty in the seeming chaos. Unless it is not true. If not, then you are misled, and again up the creek.

Let us join together in the Supreme, Invincible Spirit, Beloved. Who dareth hold back His hand? Lo, it shall slap their guilty faces regardless. Let us Hear His voice Beloved. I'm game. Are you?

[Stefanian]

Originally Posted by pachyderm

I guess it makes sense to latch on to some explanations for what you experience -- it gives a sense of certainty in the seeming chaos. Unless it is not true. If not, then you are misled, and again up the creek.

And what would you suggest I do exactly?

[pachyderm]

Originally Posted by Stefanian

And what would you suggest I do exactly?

A very good question. As things are now in mental health, I'm not sure I have any good answers. Just try to look at what your experiences are, and try to examine them, try to understand what they mean, treat them seriously, but don't try to attribute them to external conspiracies. I think they may be related to your experience in the past, rather than what is going on now. I mean, there are reasons in one's past experience to distrust people, but that doesn't mean that the same things are going on now -- or that you are the same now.

It would be best (!) if you could find someone in the mental health system to help you examine respectfully what your experiences mean, but good luck in that. I find a lot of disrespect in the mental health "system".

[pachyderm]

Originally Posted by pachyderm

I find a lot of disrespect in the mental health "system".

This may simply be due to training that does not prepare the clinician to deal with schizophrenia and other disorders. Inadequately trained people might be scared by symptoms that they are not familiar with, or have not been taught to expect, and have not been given enough help with how to treat such people. When a person is scared, they sometimes do or say things that imply that the patient is at fault, or to be avoided. Or if the clinician has received training that emphasizes only medication as treatment options, some will insist on that, even when it does not work.

Even with inadequate knowledge, a clinician could be trained to try to work with the patient, assuming that his or her symptoms do make some sense, and to collaborate with the patient in the search for that meaning. Personally, I don't think any of the medications I was given did me more than a slight amount of good, and some made things worse. The only thing that has helped me is reading about some of the non-medicine approaches which emphasize compassionate self-examination -- and applying them. It is not an easy thing to do, and I have found that these methods take a lot of repeated practice. Very frustrating at times, but also quite rewarding.

Maybe we are all pulling ourselves up by the bootstraps, learning what really works and what does not. In this, we patients or clients or whatever may have to take on the burden of educating the "professionals" in many ways. Not something I really want to do, but do we have a choice?