Posted by llrrrpp on May 22, 2006, at 19:42:29
In reply to Re: How can I convince him... » llrrrpp, posted by curtm on May 22, 2006, at 16:59:49
Denial is part of it. Another part of it is that our medical/biologcal concept of depression doesn't translate very well to his culture/language. It's taken me a while to convince him that I'm sick. I think it helped a lot when an M.D. prescribed me medication. pills = illness.
Funny how the multi-culti marriage thing catches me off-guard sometimes. Apparently his culture's theory of depression is that it is just a more extreme kind of sadness, caused by extrinsic factors. Or, it is some variation of a natural personality trait. Which is not altogether untrue, but it's a little too simple, and doesn't suggest any solution, other than to wait it out, or learn to deal with it. I'm just grateful I don't have schizophrenia. Then he might say I was possessed by spirits, and who knows what the solution to that is? Incense? donations? Making merit (creating good Karma?)? In his culture they tend to keep the handicapped (physically and mentally) quietly sequestered behind the closed doors of the family compound, and the mothers of the afflicted individuals wonder what they did in a previous lifetime to deserve this ill-luck. Well, regardless of the cause of depression (maybe my mom offended one of our ancestor spirits? not at all unlikely, I think!), I try to spread good Karma, because you never know...!
poster:llrrrpp
thread:646795
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/relate/20060511/msgs/647084.html