Mental Health Defined & Discussed

           I started my new master's program last month and as such, I haven't had much time to free write. However, this is a response to a discussion question from week one in my current course. I thought it was interesting (and written well enough) to show you all here. Enjoy, and I will hopefully catch up with a true rant soon!

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             “Mental health” as I would define it would be “contentment”. Of course that word alone falls far short of a comprehensive definition. If I were to elaborate I would state that “mental health” is the ability to have homeostatic functioning of the mind particularly in the areas of cognition, and behavior defined by age appropriate socioemotional maturity. This definition would also encompass normative traits such as resilience, stress tolerance and typical response to both positive and negative stimuli.  

            Certainly there are stigmas within the field of mental health. To this day mental health still exists as both terror-invoking and grossly misinterpreted by the public (Kinsella & Kinsella, 2015).  Unfortunately, these stereotypical labels fall on both patients and practitioners. For example, those who are in the field who are all too often referred to by such colorful nicknames as “shrinks” or “quacks”. Most people probably think a counselor who bills competitively for their rate is “money hungry” or “playing the insurance company”.

            Moreover, there are also stigmas attached to those seeking treatment. Such as anyone suffering from addiction issues being labeled a “junkie”, “boozer” or “methhead”. Along with these names come the ideas that addicts are inherently bad, criminalized and deemed by many to be destined to fail. Many authors have pointed to this problem as being one that spans the globe and causes real damage to those that have to cope with the negative connotation their disease brings (Henderson & Gronholm, 2018).

            What I have found personally interesting regarding the idea of stigmas, is that they exist in varying dimensions amongst substance abusers as a sort of “pecking order”. During my undergrad at a treatment facility I met many an alcoholic that would shake their heads in disgust and say, “At least I’m not that guy, he’s got real problems, he’s a heroin addict.” Or the opiate user who lost their job judging another that had their house foreclosed on as more severe, and thus worthy of disdain.

            In reality, I believe we all carry around some measure of these disorders. There might be a gentlemen who has to check to see if he shut his garage as he pulled out of his driveway 3 times before actually leaving for work, and then there’s the gentlemen who has been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.  The only thing that’s separates “us” from “them” is severity and impact on quality of life. The idea of negatively rooted stigmas being associated with mental health is therefore cumbersome.  After all, we are all walking around with the same grey matter between our ears.

            As far as “why” these stigmas exist, it is simply due to misinformation and ignorance. Often times people fear and thus misconstrue what they do not understand. This of course leads to falsehoods being believed as fact. As professionals in the field of mental health it is a small part of our job to help dispel these myths as we encounter them.

Used from allinahealth.org

References

Henderson, C., & Gronholm, P. C. (2018). Mental Health Related Stigma as a ‘Wicked Problem’: The Need to Address Stigma and Consider the Consequences. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , 1158, https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsdoj&AN=edsdoj.b88ccbf97dcc476d81c0fff7efae42cf&site=eds-live&scope=site

Kinsella, C., & Kinsella, C. (2015). Introducing Mental Health, Second Edition : A Practical Guide. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

It's Not About the Money...

…It’s about sending a message.

Words uttered by the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight just before setting fire to a monumental pile of cash. A powerful scene that gives the viewer insight into the character’s true motivation. But chaos and mayhem aside, is it realistic? How dependent am I on the comfort of money? And maybe more importantly, do I even have a message to send?

Before answering that question, I suppose it’s important to frame it with the proper history.

From humble beginnings, I am the guy that grew up on baloney sandwiches laced with government cheese, and somehow ended up wearing hand-me-downs even though I was the oldest sibling. Many a school year I was the child that hadn’t gotten new clothes and was wearing last year’s fall fashion to homeroom on day one of class. The only thing I knew about Nike was that I didn’t have any (Alas a swoosh-less upbringing, woe is me), and it seemed everyone else did. My parents, God bless them both, somehow fed and clothed a family of four on a mere $17,000 a year. That being said, I wasn’t aware I was poor until I got around kids in school that weren’t. Trust me, I believe the ignorance of my youth was a good thing, and of course a credit to my parents.

Through my teens, even after I started working, the lure of upgrading my lifestyle with brand names eluded me, or perhaps I eluded it. 

In my twenties, things took a turn as I began earning more dough. I drank Budweiser and Jaeger, and thought them to be the height of alcoholic beverages. My mall trips consisted of safaris wherein I would attempt to find the World’s most classless and ugly shirts. Remember those button-ups that were imitation silk, the bright ones with the swirling dragons and flames that were lapping up from the shirt tails? Ya, I kept those things in market for several years. And I apologize.

Fast forward some ten or so years, and all my running shoes have passed the swoosh test. I no longer eat government cheese, but instead opt for dropping about a hundred dollars a week on restaurant grub. My clothing choices now include a selection of about 100 printed t-shirts, and for more formal events a few vests and slacks (though most of these are recycled work clothes that no longer get worn). Guinness and Gentleman Jack can be found taking up space in the bar these days. Needless to say I’ve gotten quite a bit more comfortable embracing America’s new favorite pastime; consumerism.

Though sometimes I wonder, why did things change? Supposing it’s normal to alter one’s spending habits as you earn more income, my theory is as follows: I can be a fairly persuasive person, particularly I can talk myself into anything. Had a bad day? Resolve it with a spending spree. Stress on the job? Relieve it with a nice drink. While you’re at it, don’t waste your cash on your regular fare, upgrade! Why, because you deserve it pal!

Naturally, because of the path I’ve followed in this regard I find myself asking as of late, could I go back to the way things used to be?

My answer is a simple one: I think I’ve lost my taste for government cheese.

Kidding aside, I think I could, but only if I had to. If by some uncontrollable event, I no longer had the means to enjoy my current standard of living. Please don’t misunderstand me either. I’m not writing this to brag about where I’m at vs. where I came from. Everyone that has the ability to read these words is without a doubt better off than a majority of the rest of the world (Fact is as of 2012, even the bottom 10% of U.S. income falls in the top 30% of global income distribution).  Additionally, we all have our own vices. Some of you might even be reading this on the latest IPhone. I’m not even going to call out the fact you’ve probably wasted hundreds of dollars running out to the Apple store to buy the newest model, even though your previous phone was probably without defect. I believe nearly every American is guilty of this type of behavior to some degree.

At the end of all this contemplation I suppose I’m not so bad overall. At least I’m to the point where I’m thinking about what my hard earned cash goes towards, and that’s a step in the right direction if nothing else.

So I suppose we’re to the point where I have to get to mine. Getting back to what I referenced about having a message… Simply put I believe mine is as follows; it’s worth taking a look at what demands your dollars attention. Just because you’re spending within your means, doesn’t mean what you spend has meaning.