Posted by Larry Hoover on September 4, 2016, at 15:17:07
In reply to Re: This forum's been ruined. Dr Bob should be ashamed, posted by jonhed on September 4, 2016, at 5:26:17
> I really think that we save lives.
The people here saved mine.
Patients do not fit nicely into cubby-holes of either diagnosis or treatment. In fact, in order to be included into a clinical trial for a specified illness, the subjects must not have comorbidities. And yet, the treatment is applied without considering the implications of this narrow focus.
I met a number of Babblers in Toronto, some years ago, when Dr. Bob was presenting at the American Psychiatric Association annual convention. I well recall the response of psychiatrists attending Bob's session when I proposed that the doctors should listen more closely to their patients. It was heretic, in some respect, when I proclaimed that my own recovery was more closely linked to Psychobabble than it was to my monthly visits with a psychiatrist. Even Bob seemed shocked, but he never discussed it with me.
Some months ago, I mentioned that I had "graduated" from babble. What I meant was that my life's focus was shifted towards reinvention. I'm not well, by any objective measure of wellness. I would estimate that I function at somewhere between 30 and 70% of a healthy me. Now, I focus on managing function, rather than being focused on dysfunction.
Am I healed? No. Am I like my peers in business? No. But if my illness affects a business or personal relationship in a significant way, I reveal, and let the chips fall where they may.
If I told you where I was right now, the conference I'm attending, you probably wouldn't believe me. But, putting one foot in front of the other, pushing for the light at the end of the tunnel, and reaching out for, accepting, and appreciating the supports available to me, has worked. It worked for me because the people here understood what it was like.
And then there's Lou. I used the past tense in my closing sentence in the last paragraph for a reason.
<sigh>
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:1091612
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20160819/msgs/1091699.html