Posted by yesac on August 12, 2003, at 16:16:20
In reply to Re: How do I get away from messed-up people?, posted by kara lynne on August 12, 2003, at 13:03:11
>>How come there are so few people trying to improve their emotional health?
> That is a really good question. To me it's something so essential, yet to much of the world it is something to be denied or at least given minimal consideration.
I think maybe it's because until fairly recently, it hasn't really been thought about or addressed at all, by the medical community, by employers, by schools, by anyone. It was shoved into the background. It was stigmatized (and still is) if you can't "handle" your emotions. But I think that mental/emotional health is really starting to come to the forefront now - well, at least there are a lot of magazine articles, both scientific and less so; and doctors ask you about it, not just shrinks but GPs too (well, mine did when I saw her a few weeks ago anyway); there's a lot more research; and there's a lot more focus these days on holistic health and mind/body stuff. And I think that it's becoming a *little* easier to get help - like, insurance companies pay for at least a certain amount of therapy sessions, etc. Now if only it could get even cheaper, like, free would be nice!
I think back about my family - I had several great-grandfathers who were alcoholics, my grandmother was an alcoholic (which in my mind means that they all probably had other psychiatric problems). None of them admitted it or ever got any treatment. And I'm sure these problems have gone back a lot further. My mom and her sisters are all a bit neurotic, though none of them would ever think of seeing a therapist. They're too "tough". My dad's side of the family seems a bit more happy-go-lucky, but I think there are some alcohol problems on that side too.
My sisters and I are the first generation, as far as I can tell, who have finally sought help. And that's been hard even for us, because we too want to deny that (a) we have "issues", and (b) we need help with them. So many times people have told me that getting help is strong and admirable, and I believe it, and I hope that I can start to put an end to this suffering and denial in my family... but at the same time, I still find myself a bit ashamed about getting help, going to therapy, taking medication. It's not exactly something that I announce to the world.
poster:yesac
thread:250069
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20030808/msgs/250318.html