Posted by Quintal on December 3, 2006, at 17:24:03
In reply to Re: Illness increases vulnerability to the irratio » Quintal, posted by Squiggles on December 3, 2006, at 16:40:46
>You have all the freedom you want. But
freedom without knowledge is an adolescent's
dream.Yes, I have most of the freedoms I want right now, but it seems many would be curbed or outright prohibited under a mental health system guided by the ideas Dr. Torrey, of which you seemed very supportive. That is my objection.
I have considerably deeper and broader knowledge of psychoactive substances than all bar one psychiatrist that has tried to treat me. That's not arrogance, it's an unfortunate fact. I refer to my earlier post: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20061129/msgs/709925.html
>Some people here have died it seems from
accidents or suicide. For most, if you
can type legibly and make sense on the computer,
you need not worry about severe psychosisI'm not sure what you mean there. Some people who have psychotic disorders are very articulate and artistically talented.
>It's funny how someone with appendicitis is
rushed to the hospital and loses his freedom
under anaesthesiaThat's a different set of circumstances entirely and not particularly relevant to psychiatry. If the patient is conscious they are invariably asked to sign their consent to surgery. If they happen to fall unconscious it is assumed they would prefer to have an appendectomy, as is a doctor's duty under the Hippocratic oath to preserve life I believe?
>but the freedom of someone who is ready to jump off a bridge or drown their children, is considered inalienable, by the
anti-psychiatrists.No it isn't. The freedom of people to go about their daily lives in safety is the inalieble right. If a person for any reason - terrorism, activism, insanity - tries to jeopardise that right they should be restrained against their will if necessary. The fear I think for the anti-psychiatrists is vulnerable people being incarcerated against their will for indefinite periods of time and forced to take powerful drugs with dangerous side effects. It's something I think we should all fear here lest it happen to us, and it saddens me to hear a fellow bipolar advocating a regime where that type of abuse could flourish. The book "Repossessing Ernestine" comes to mind when I think of this subject.
>I think it reveals a hidden
antipathy, perhaps even fear for the mentally ill.Perhaps with good reason? I refer to my earlier post: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20061129/msgs/709986.html
>But they are just as treatable as if they would have heart disease-- the mental illness originating or affecting the brain
That isn't true for some people - the ones who are considered treatment resistant. I'm not convinced all psychiatric problems are entirely due to brain dysfunction.
Q
poster:Quintal
thread:709872
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20061129/msgs/710018.html