6 COMMENTS

  1. “Third, with our American-style capitalism (think neoliberalism),” MiA is big on standing against “neoliberalism.” I must say, I wasn’t quite certain exactly what “neoliberalism” is, so I looked it up.

    My computer says it is, “a political movement that favors free market capitalism, deregulation, and reduction in government spending.”

    Well, in as much as I agree with the potential of free market capitalism and a reduction in government spending. I do believe a government’s only real job is to regulate large industries, to protect the people living within their society, from the potential criminality and greed of big industries.

    And the US government seems to have done the opposite of its actual, and only legitimate job – which is to regulate industries to protect their people from the run amok greed only inspired industries.

    And protecting the American citizens from the staggering greed of big Pharma, and the financial ponzi scheme of the globalist banking system, is what the US government has neglected to do, for a long time.

    Instead, the US government seems to be totally controlled by the greed of the globalist banking ponzi scheme, and the avarice and scientific fraud of big Pharma.

    So I’m having trouble in seeing the value of a government, that has done the opposite, due to its own greed, of its only real job … which is to regulate big business, so its citizens can be protected from the systemic crimes of big industries.

    In our current society, “it is the individual that is seen as ‘ill’ and needs to be fixed. Society gets a free pass. This too is a barrier to good ‘mental health’ care, for it prevents us from thinking about what changes we might make to our society that would be more nurturing for us all.”

    I agree, this is morally wrong. Sometimes we need to look at the seeming greed only inspired flaws of our government and our society.

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  2. I developed PTSD after finding my daughter’s fiance dead of an overdose. My daughter tried to commit suicide later that night. I found her the next morning. I have been on 14 different antidepressants and none of them have worked. The psychiatrist started layering antidepressants and caused a serotonin storm that I barely survived. Conventional medicine treatments have an enormous failure rate and psychotherapy is even worse. Considering the numbers of people struggling with mental illness, we need a complete paradigm shift in our approach to treatment. People who are seriously ill or suicidal can’t wait six months for an appointment and then more months waiting to see if the antidepressants are going to work. We are being forced into experimental treatments like ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) and TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation)- both of which have horrendous and sometimes permanent side effects. I don’t know the answer, but I know firsthand that what we’re doing isn’t working. How many suicides or forays into substance abuse do we have to see before the medical profession admits that our current model is failing these people?

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  3. There’s a lot that Robert Whitaker says that I agree with, including the worthlessness of the DSM, the danger and frequent failure of psychiatric drugs, and the role of capitalism in promoting the overuse of these drugs.

    I also believe people should have basic rights. My list would include universal health care, decent housing, adequate food, freedom from violence, and equal rights. Not having these things can certainly cause distress. But it’s not clear to me that having all of this, and more, will lead to mental well being.

    I have observed people who have benefitted greatly from the capitalist system, having wealth and every advantage, yet they still developed “mental illness.” Is there less mental illness in the upper classes than in those who are struggling financially or who are victims of racism or discrimination? I don’t know, but I don’t think Bob knows either.

    There is also the question of how a more equal and just society can be created. Several years ago I read a book that demonstrated that oligarchs have wielded power for thousands of years (Oligarchy by Jeffrey Winters) in many different countries. The power of the wealthy may not be able to be reduced. Revolutions often (usually?) result in one group of oligarchs replaced by another equally bad group.

    In my opinion, there has yet to be a theoretically satisfying way to discuss mental illness. Even the concept of mental illness is imprecise. To call society a major cause of mental illness is not convincing.

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  4. Back in the so called Progressive era when women where trying to get the vote early on and then seeing the needs of those still in slavery much less understanding the genocide of the indigenous peoples some women such as Molly Brown and Jane Addams tried to shake societal structures to support rather quash children and families.
    Struggling with hard emotions mostly but not always a part of life. Later on Settlement houses taken from England thinkers and several levels of society trying to work together. Hull House really was a house.
    Still many many issues but children abd labor abd education and health part and parcel of Florence Kelly and Alice Hamilton’s works among others. NYC Henry Street Settlement and other cities such as Cleveland! Goodrich Gannett Settlement House had different immigrant groups and also some black communities. After awhile academia took over abd Social Work was academicizedfor better and worse. Child Guidance came in vogue and the separation of peoples continued until a person in an office hears your story with a few questions and viola a label.
    As long as folks in ivory towers or in cells like in a monastery no ears or eyes or hands on the ground in the sewage system or seeing the buildings built or smelling the air and smoke from factories.
    Michael Harrington The Otger America saw this and Beverly on became frustrated with Dorothy Day and Baroness Catherine de Hauk work. But his book is little remembered. This can be seen with Head Start and the so called War on Poverty. So much fog all around. And no string Sun to burn it all away more than not but every day one hopes .

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