A brilliantly moving piece, truly wonderful. I have so many new things to read and discover thanks to the citations as well! I am in the process of rediscovering my heritage and educating myself enough to create my own lexicons of belonging, and it’s significantly less lonely when folks are willing to share such masterfully written accounts of their own experiences on MIA.
That beign said… my fellow commenters:
For what it’s worth, I don’t think we should be tearing other survivors and people with lived experience down for not opposing psychiatry as vehemently as we would like. Like a lot of commenters here, I too am cautious of anyone still in the industry—it can be extremely hard to trust someone who works in the system.
The author, however, is an educator and researcher—an MA is a Master of Arts, and MS is a Master of Sciences. Neither of these implies specifically that she’s a therapist or other provider within the mental health industry.
But even if she was, listening to providers, especially Providers of Color keenly aware of their own cultural heritage and already attuned to the problems in the system, is how we get stuff done, folks. We cannot push away people who are trying to do the right thing for their patients and themselves in the middle of a broken system just because they, like ourselves, are imperfect and can’t fix everything single-handedly.
I also think her words are being taken out of context. I also possibly disagree with the author on the merits and helpfulness of diagnosis. *But.* The language being jumped on is found in *a single sentence,* alongside rejection of the interpretation that she is oblivious—which might be a more tactical statement than a personal one. As an Indian American I have often made such statements myself purely because I know who is going to come at me if I don’t; the “patient lacks insight” label is scary enough when you’re Brown, and I cannot comprehend what that’s like for a Black scholar to endure.
But even in safer, more private environs I prefer nuanced discussions about the validity if diagnosis *when coming from others with lived experience.* I dislike it, but many in my community have a more lukewarm view. I am accountable to them, so I try and be respectful of those who still WANT diagnosis and formal services, even though and especially since I myself will never go back.
I also need to point out the epistemic injustice elephant in the room. I simply don’t believe her experience is less valid, nor her status as a “knower” compromised, even if she *were* a part of the mental health system. We as readers can reject adhering to the opinion expressed in that small one-sentence part of the piece without rejecting her as a person.
I also don’t think Ms. Omontese’s comment section is the appropriate place to air grievances against MIA. She’s literally posted here all of one time, give her some grace. She’s expressing the same things so many of us have felt, but that doesn’t mean she’s obligated to agree with us on everything. And we need to act like the welcoming and supportive community I know we all can be.
A brilliantly moving piece, truly wonderful. I have so many new things to read and discover thanks to the citations as well! I am in the process of rediscovering my heritage and educating myself enough to create my own lexicons of belonging, and it’s significantly less lonely when folks are willing to share such masterfully written accounts of their own experiences on MIA.
That beign said… my fellow commenters:
For what it’s worth, I don’t think we should be tearing other survivors and people with lived experience down for not opposing psychiatry as vehemently as we would like. Like a lot of commenters here, I too am cautious of anyone still in the industry—it can be extremely hard to trust someone who works in the system.
The author, however, is an educator and researcher—an MA is a Master of Arts, and MS is a Master of Sciences. Neither of these implies specifically that she’s a therapist or other provider within the mental health industry.
But even if she was, listening to providers, especially Providers of Color keenly aware of their own cultural heritage and already attuned to the problems in the system, is how we get stuff done, folks. We cannot push away people who are trying to do the right thing for their patients and themselves in the middle of a broken system just because they, like ourselves, are imperfect and can’t fix everything single-handedly.
I also think her words are being taken out of context. I also possibly disagree with the author on the merits and helpfulness of diagnosis. *But.* The language being jumped on is found in *a single sentence,* alongside rejection of the interpretation that she is oblivious—which might be a more tactical statement than a personal one. As an Indian American I have often made such statements myself purely because I know who is going to come at me if I don’t; the “patient lacks insight” label is scary enough when you’re Brown, and I cannot comprehend what that’s like for a Black scholar to endure.
But even in safer, more private environs I prefer nuanced discussions about the validity if diagnosis *when coming from others with lived experience.* I dislike it, but many in my community have a more lukewarm view. I am accountable to them, so I try and be respectful of those who still WANT diagnosis and formal services, even though and especially since I myself will never go back.
I also need to point out the epistemic injustice elephant in the room. I simply don’t believe her experience is less valid, nor her status as a “knower” compromised, even if she *were* a part of the mental health system. We as readers can reject adhering to the opinion expressed in that small one-sentence part of the piece without rejecting her as a person.
I also don’t think Ms. Omontese’s comment section is the appropriate place to air grievances against MIA. She’s literally posted here all of one time, give her some grace. She’s expressing the same things so many of us have felt, but that doesn’t mean she’s obligated to agree with us on everything. And we need to act like the welcoming and supportive community I know we all can be.
Peace,
A
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