alright then

They have the posters on their walls, urging everyone to “fight the astigma” of depression. Maybe they mean it sincerely, but there’s also a line in the sand. We are urged to tell others if/when we have thoughts about self harm, so we fess up.

That’s when they put us away, because (to them) clearly we are batsh!t cRaZy. It’s in the rules, it makes for great small talk at the watercooler, and there might be a promotion in it. Our economy gets stimulated while we’re in there, to the tune of 3-7 thou$and each day. So the monkey gets fed and everyone’s happy.

Far beyond this scenario this lesson applies: that others each have sets of motivations that are often 1.) surprising to the client/patient/citizen/customer, and 2.) seem to be nearly the opposite of what was advertised. I think it’s important to give them a try. Worst case, we get put away for a week or a month. I’ve been there, it’s not too bad.

My point is that there’s a chance that maybe they can help each of us. It’s natural to try their advice. But it’s natural to tire of the apparent deception and Jekyll-Hyde dichotomy of their standard operating procedure. It makes sense to recoil when we know that we’ve been deliberately marginalized. These responses seem appropriate in their cause and effect to me; but then again, they say I’m crazy.