When questioning the local shelter that prevents people who are taking psychiatric medication from entering the shelter their stated reason is – because people are detoxing and being around people on certain medications is triggering to the people detoxing. This points out the similarity between people being legally drugged into a stupor and people using street drugs to numb themselves. This of course is not a legitimate excuse for the shelter questioning everyone applying for services as to whether they have ever received as mental health diagnosis. It does seem to really come back to as Earl states fear and discrimination.
Thank you Sera for distilling so many concepts into a concise format.
Sascha thank you for your remarks and owning up by recognizing the some of your privilege and for sharing some of the ways you have used your privilege. Also the fact there are many people (including women) who have more experience and ability to speak at large events then another white guy up there telling it how they see it. Maybe you could make some room for other people to speak, like using your privilege to let other folks have their voices heard.
Why should the burden of evidence be on alternative supports when there is plenty of evidence that traditional mental health services are not working for many people?
I am incredibly grateful for the Western Mass RLC. Despite years of “treatment” and a huge desire to improve my life or die I was not making progress towards creating a life that I wanted to live. When I finally learned of the WMRLC it was like a whole new world of possibility opened to me. I had done the best with what I knew and soon I knew better and did better. The opportunity to hear so many different perspectives and to be able to actually have those difficult conversations without being medicated or shipped off was and is incredibly helpful and healing. In the scheme of things, regarding the expense and effectiveness (or lack there of) of the Mental Health system, why cut such a small and powerful resource. Perhaps it is because we make waves that ripple across the country and beyond, perhaps it is because we do not have slick marketing and do not profess to have all the answers, or perhaps it is because the politicians just do not know any better.
When questioning the local shelter that prevents people who are taking psychiatric medication from entering the shelter their stated reason is – because people are detoxing and being around people on certain medications is triggering to the people detoxing. This points out the similarity between people being legally drugged into a stupor and people using street drugs to numb themselves. This of course is not a legitimate excuse for the shelter questioning everyone applying for services as to whether they have ever received as mental health diagnosis. It does seem to really come back to as Earl states fear and discrimination.
Thank you Sera for distilling so many concepts into a concise format.
Sascha thank you for your remarks and owning up by recognizing the some of your privilege and for sharing some of the ways you have used your privilege. Also the fact there are many people (including women) who have more experience and ability to speak at large events then another white guy up there telling it how they see it. Maybe you could make some room for other people to speak, like using your privilege to let other folks have their voices heard.
Why should the burden of evidence be on alternative supports when there is plenty of evidence that traditional mental health services are not working for many people?
I am incredibly grateful for the Western Mass RLC. Despite years of “treatment” and a huge desire to improve my life or die I was not making progress towards creating a life that I wanted to live. When I finally learned of the WMRLC it was like a whole new world of possibility opened to me. I had done the best with what I knew and soon I knew better and did better. The opportunity to hear so many different perspectives and to be able to actually have those difficult conversations without being medicated or shipped off was and is incredibly helpful and healing. In the scheme of things, regarding the expense and effectiveness (or lack there of) of the Mental Health system, why cut such a small and powerful resource. Perhaps it is because we make waves that ripple across the country and beyond, perhaps it is because we do not have slick marketing and do not profess to have all the answers, or perhaps it is because the politicians just do not know any better.