This is the second time in a fortnight or so that I've ended up arguing as The Schizophrenic against commenters on Echdine's blog. This time it's gotten heated, and incredibly frustrating and upsetting. That feeling of banging your head against a wall trying to get people to acknowledge that their dismissive and othering language is not just about actual people, but about actual people they're TALKING TO, and unacceptable either way? Yeah. That.
For the record, I rarely read Anthony McCarthy's posts on that blog. I think I've read four or five of his previous posts in total. But I still knew before I'd even read past the title (The Insoluble Problem of The Rights of People With The Most Severe Mental Illness) that he was neurotypical himself.
Anyone refers to the rights of me and mine as "rights", complete with scare quotes, on the basis of our illnesses and disabilities? Discussion probably isn't going to go well. The dismissal of my voice as a member of a group I'm part of due to my functionality, or my ability to express myself, or my presence on the internet? Well, the ticky box is now full for sex worker, Indigenous Australian AND non-neurotypical person with a disability.
From one of Anthony's later comments: I didn't understand that you can't really understand how horrible this is unless you've experienced it yourself.
You and me both, guy.
Another for the record? I said it there, and I'll say it here: Anthony and his family have my condolences for my loss, and I wish his niece had had access to the treatment and support (accessible, varied, and free) that may have been able to help her.
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Well....
16 hours ago
13 comments:
It's like any kind of discussion that the able bodied and neurotypical have about us, they have sorted out exactly who we are and what we need and they don't need pesky little suggestions from those of us who...y'know, know what the fuck we're talking about. They've got it all sussed and we just need to be good little cripples, suitably grateful for the measly crumbs they so magnanimously throw down to us (can anyone tell I'm a bit pissed about this yet? *LOL*).
And god help you if you get out of your little box and show them you're a whole person with a sense of dignity and have an interest in preserving that dignity. It just makes everything so damn messy for those nice 'normal' people who are trying to patronise - OOPS! I mean 'help' us.
I don't understand why people insist on being so stupid and so insensitive, callous and obnoxious when someone is right there saying "you're hurting me".
sigh.
that... article... is hideous.
Anthony McCarthy is a fucking cunt. I cannot believe what I'm reading. Arrogant sonuvabitch.
there's been a lot of that going around here lately, hasn't there?
Gaina: He's flatly refusing to acknowledge that his language is hurtful, or that his preferred model has been tried and did hurt us. He keeps dismissing the comments of any mentally ill person who objects, because they clearly don't have REALLY REALLY SERIOUS REAL mental illness, like he knows so much about.
And he wonders why several of us are saying we don't trust other people, particularly well-meaning neurotypical people, to decide whether or not we get full human rights. FFS.
Garbo: That's what it comes down to isn't it? We say "Your language is hurtful" and he responds with what is essentially "I don't care".
Ren: Yeah, there really has. It's crushing.
OMG. Disability rights activists have co-opted the language of "real" civil rights?
*stabbity*
Apparently!
But remember, if you're talking about the mentally ill, it's "rights".
Went over there, got angry again, commented. Expect it to not matter at all.
I'm with you in this, hexy. Though my mental disorder is by no means as terrible as many others it still enrages me like fuck to see ignorant shit like that over there.
Grrrr. What can we do but keep talking about it? Keep pointing out that hey, we can actually think and feel, and unless we go back to lobotomies we're gonna keep thinking and feeling, so people better start respecting that.
The other day we watched a Cold Case episode about women in a classic 'loony bin' in the 50s. When the detectives found out that lobotomies were int he picture my boyfriend was just puzzled. He had no idea what it was, so I explained to him that that's what was done to women (and men) who were considered insane and too troublesome to manage. He was so aghast, that anyone ever had such an idea, and that it was widely considered a good idea. (Yeah, my boyfriend's on the right track, here)
By now, forcibly administered meds have taken the place of lobotomies as they can keep patients as complacent and docile as a lobotomy served to do back then. Oh how far we have come... *growl*
Thank you for chiming in, Jemima. I read your story over there, and you have my sympathy for the bits that have been harder than they should have been.
Just so you know, the relative who was diagnosed schizophrenic after trauma may well have had schizophrenia. PTSD can be a "trigger illness", and roughly a third of people diagnosed with psychotic episodes related to schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder will then go on to never experience another psychotic episode if the disorder is treated early on.
Unfortunately, in systems where continued compliance is the biggest concern of those administering psychiatric medicines, many people are never given the option to try living unmedicated. It's a good thing your relative had that option!
And yeah, your very relevant points are unlikely to make a difference. *sigh*
"Just so you know, the relative who was diagnosed schizophrenic after trauma may well have had schizophrenia. PTSD can be a "trigger illness", and roughly a third of people diagnosed with psychotic episodes related to schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder will then go on to never experience another psychotic episode if the disorder is treated early on."
I see, hmmm, well well whaddaya know, I learned something new today. Obviously, I do not know the details of my friend's diagnosis, all I know is that it wasn't supposed to be curable, and yet, somehow when she (completely on her own, with no doctor's advice) decided to quit her meds, she was fine and had no more voices in her head.
Ah well, thanks for enlightening me a little. And thanks for the sympathy, know that you have mine as well. Sounds to me like you had/have it considerably worse than me - makes me feel fortunate. Sometimes it's healthy to be reminded that it could be worse, I think. And in my case, it definitely could. Even within the non-neurotypical group, I still have privilege in the terms of severity.
The latest is Grasshopper insisting that a caring family is as good as a caring medical professional. He thought it ridiculous that it should take years to educate people to care. *sigh* He seems somewhat reluctant to realise that the empathetic care one (might) get from a family is not the same as the professional care/treatment one (should) get from doctors and psychologists.
*sigh*
Sometimes I think people are willfully ignorant. One bad experience with something and they're completely willing to ignore other people's good experiences with whatever it is we're talking about.
Jemima: I obviously don't know the situation with your friend (apologies for misread as relative!) but yes, there are people who go on to never experience repetitive episodes. The illness itself, schizophrenia, is still considered to be incurable. It's one of those odd medical things.
I have it worse than some, better than others. I guess that can be said for all of us.
Yes, I personally feel that treatment and support needs to include both professional treatment and support from informed and committed friends and/or family, as well as informed, willing, active participation of the person affected by the illness. One of those pillars falls down and the weight on the other two is much harder to balance. Others may disagree, of course.
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