I must have been in a rush when I first saw your post… Sorry that I didn’t watch the video until now.
I don’t think my experience was quite as bad as the one in the video. I think I just have mixed feelings about the psychiatric system b/c I lost so many years of my life to it. And didn’t feel enough “agency”.
If I had to lose 15 years of my life to strange, sad, and unrealistic thoughts (my symptoms) or 15 years of my life to a drug-induced lethargy and lingering anxiety (more or less what actually happened), the choice isn’t particularly obvious to me.
Thank you for your sympathy, though. And I encourage other people to watch the video, so they at least know the history.
Paying for health insurance was another big challenge. I hope the politicians address this in a meaningful way soon.
I was on Medicaid for a while, but mostly my miscellaneous income prevented me from using this solution.
Sorry, your piece struck a nerve. I was not even able to get disability benefits – the Social Security lawyer told me that since I only had delusions a few hours a week, I could work a full work week. I have no idea how you’re supposed to “choose” when you have delusions. Also, no unemployment benefits since I voluntarily left my job before my mental health symptoms emerged. Fortunately, my brother and his wife are Ph.D.’s in engineering and they helped me pay my rent (in addition to their own mortgage). They continue to help even though now I have progressed to a part-time job as a program assistant/peer. It does not pay nearly enough to live off of in my area of the country.
I had an afterthought: I guess maybe it is good that I didn’t develop a government “dependency”.
Your comments (on East/West) seem especially relevant in light of Epstein… I am not sure one is “better than” the other.
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I meant that the choice wasn’t clear, but I would’ve wanted some say in it. Instead of just being pushed around by the system.
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I must have been in a rush when I first saw your post… Sorry that I didn’t watch the video until now.
I don’t think my experience was quite as bad as the one in the video. I think I just have mixed feelings about the psychiatric system b/c I lost so many years of my life to it. And didn’t feel enough “agency”.
If I had to lose 15 years of my life to strange, sad, and unrealistic thoughts (my symptoms) or 15 years of my life to a drug-induced lethargy and lingering anxiety (more or less what actually happened), the choice isn’t particularly obvious to me.
Thank you for your sympathy, though. And I encourage other people to watch the video, so they at least know the history.
Report comment
Paying for health insurance was another big challenge. I hope the politicians address this in a meaningful way soon.
I was on Medicaid for a while, but mostly my miscellaneous income prevented me from using this solution.
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Sorry, your piece struck a nerve. I was not even able to get disability benefits – the Social Security lawyer told me that since I only had delusions a few hours a week, I could work a full work week. I have no idea how you’re supposed to “choose” when you have delusions. Also, no unemployment benefits since I voluntarily left my job before my mental health symptoms emerged. Fortunately, my brother and his wife are Ph.D.’s in engineering and they helped me pay my rent (in addition to their own mortgage). They continue to help even though now I have progressed to a part-time job as a program assistant/peer. It does not pay nearly enough to live off of in my area of the country.
I had an afterthought: I guess maybe it is good that I didn’t develop a government “dependency”.
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Thank you. I think having good choices is a prerequisite to good mental health.
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