The story in Canada is the same story we see everywhere else. We put people struggling with their mental health in jail because they are inconvenient and we don’t have anywhere else to put them.
That there are no other available treatment options aside from throwing them in prison, possibly the worst thing we could do in terms of treatment, is no one’s fault but our own.
“But what happens when the hurtful actions are repetitive and ongoing? Or, when the person who has acted wrongly is not willing (or able) to make meaningful amends? Or when the wronged person is not ready to forgive? In these circumstances, argues Dr. Janis Abrahms Spring, author of How Can I Forgive You? The Courage…
Talking is important. Reaching out is important, That is the first step to dealing with mental health struggles, but it’s just the first step. Stop there, and well, we see what happened to Natasha’s friend: “In fact, he had been incredibly open about his mental health struggles for years and my friend, as well as…
Again, I get that this sounds ridiculous to talk about an individual’s mental health in terms of what they offer in terms of productivity, and not in terms of them just being a human being and having value.
It sounds ridiculous because it is ridiculous. But, it is also the language of business. Look, your employer only started offering things like flu shots and health screenings because sick employees don’t get much work done, and cost more in insurance premiums, not because the company suddenly started caring about having healthy employees. That’s the reality.
It would be nice if employers did these things, and wanted to also invest in mental health resources, just because it’s the best thing for all of us as individuals and as a society, and likely some employers do. Others won’t get involved until it benefits them.
So, we speak to them in the language they understand. Because we need the money, the “investment”, now. We can’t wait for the whole world to agree that they need to do it because it’s the right thing to do.
Too many people will go without while we wait for the perfect solution. We have to take the imperfect for now.
I’ve written many times about how abused children spend so much of our childhood simply trying to survive, that we miss out learning things that we should have as a kid. NAMI writer Laura Greenstein feels that when it comes to taking care of our mental health, all children are missing out: During childhood, we…
I identify with what Laura is talking about in this article, especially on irritability being a sign of depression that we often miss. I am one of those people who gets really, really irritable when my depression is lurking around. I’m not exactly fun either – “Speaking personally (although I imagine others feel the same),…
This is something I agree with But just because I talk publicly about my mental health, it doesn’t mean that you have to. In fact, I think it’s very important that you keep your illness within a circle of trust until you feel comfortable talking about it on the internet, or anywhere else, for that…
