TAW122
Emissary of the right to die.
- Aug 30, 2018
- 6,871
This is something that out of curiosity that I wondered whether others shared similar sentiments or experiences with the mental health system and such when growing up. Here is a mini-story of when I first learned about the mental health system and back when I was young and impressionable.
Short brief story (from when TAW122 was young):
I recall that as young as an elementary school kid back in the 90's, while I lacked critical thinking skills, common sense, vocabulary, and knowledge of the system, I used to think that all I had to do was follow the law and follow the rules (as my parents, school, and to some extent, peers taught), then there would be no trouble! However, this was all just a baldfaced lie. What's insidious is that despite following the law and rules meant you didn't get in trouble and that these counselors (before I known were 'mandated reporters') were considered heroes and people who are trustworthy. Truth be told though, since they are mandated reporters and have some legal responsibility, if there was any red flag or any problem of harm (including to oneself or others) they would have to take action. Never did I learn about the system and it's paternalistic and invasive actions until I was a teenager, which by then I had some critical thinking skills and some level of skepticism, but still lacked general common sense (so I was gullible at certain areas of logic). However! I then realized something was wrong and didn't sit right with me at the time… I asked myself "How could me following the law, following the rules, and doing the right things, still result in the (temporary) deprivation of my freedom, invasion of privacy, interrogation, and other paternalistic interventions against my will?" Of course, as a young naive kid back then, I realized something wasn't 'right', was 'messed up', and just didn't have the right terminology to identify the issue. However, I also wasn't completely oblivious towards what was happening, even when I never fully connected the dots like I did when I was a young adult.
When and how did you first learn about the invasive, paternalistic, and authoritarian practices of the mental health system, and institutions in society? I suppose I learned when I was young, but never fully realized it and the extent of the harm it is until I was much older. Ever since then I've always viewed them as opposition and threats towards my bodily autonomy and right to CTB.
Edit: While I was never incarcerated, locked up nor detained in a psych ward or facility against my will, just learning about the horrors and how I was questioned about risk, threat assessment, and interrogated about my personal life was enough for me to believe how insidious, carceral, and paternalistic the system is. Since adulthood and even to present day, I've always looked at the MHS with disdain, distrust, and it's malevolent practices. I'm fortunate that I never admitted to CTB ideations, plans, or harms when I interacted with MHPs back when I was younger. At best, these MHPs all have some vested interest in keeping their client, patient, or whoever alive (mostly through legal mandates - which I can understand) and wouldn't have been useful for whatever I was struggling with. I don't think I ever found a long term solution for my problems through them nor did they ever help me with my goals (it was either through other sources and/or my own personal research and homework as well as great efforts and toils that I prevailed/succeeded in some goals that I had. Also, especially in the last few years, I've decided that I no longer wish to gamble with my negative liberty rights and freedom so not only do I refrain from wasting my time and money (I live in the US) seeing them, I also avoid having the risk of incarceration or detainment by not interacting with them. (This thread explains about how one cannot be honest with them due to risk of intervention.)
@Forever Sleep @FuneralCry
Short brief story (from when TAW122 was young):
I recall that as young as an elementary school kid back in the 90's, while I lacked critical thinking skills, common sense, vocabulary, and knowledge of the system, I used to think that all I had to do was follow the law and follow the rules (as my parents, school, and to some extent, peers taught), then there would be no trouble! However, this was all just a baldfaced lie. What's insidious is that despite following the law and rules meant you didn't get in trouble and that these counselors (before I known were 'mandated reporters') were considered heroes and people who are trustworthy. Truth be told though, since they are mandated reporters and have some legal responsibility, if there was any red flag or any problem of harm (including to oneself or others) they would have to take action. Never did I learn about the system and it's paternalistic and invasive actions until I was a teenager, which by then I had some critical thinking skills and some level of skepticism, but still lacked general common sense (so I was gullible at certain areas of logic). However! I then realized something was wrong and didn't sit right with me at the time… I asked myself "How could me following the law, following the rules, and doing the right things, still result in the (temporary) deprivation of my freedom, invasion of privacy, interrogation, and other paternalistic interventions against my will?" Of course, as a young naive kid back then, I realized something wasn't 'right', was 'messed up', and just didn't have the right terminology to identify the issue. However, I also wasn't completely oblivious towards what was happening, even when I never fully connected the dots like I did when I was a young adult.
When and how did you first learn about the invasive, paternalistic, and authoritarian practices of the mental health system, and institutions in society? I suppose I learned when I was young, but never fully realized it and the extent of the harm it is until I was much older. Ever since then I've always viewed them as opposition and threats towards my bodily autonomy and right to CTB.
Edit: While I was never incarcerated, locked up nor detained in a psych ward or facility against my will, just learning about the horrors and how I was questioned about risk, threat assessment, and interrogated about my personal life was enough for me to believe how insidious, carceral, and paternalistic the system is. Since adulthood and even to present day, I've always looked at the MHS with disdain, distrust, and it's malevolent practices. I'm fortunate that I never admitted to CTB ideations, plans, or harms when I interacted with MHPs back when I was younger. At best, these MHPs all have some vested interest in keeping their client, patient, or whoever alive (mostly through legal mandates - which I can understand) and wouldn't have been useful for whatever I was struggling with. I don't think I ever found a long term solution for my problems through them nor did they ever help me with my goals (it was either through other sources and/or my own personal research and homework as well as great efforts and toils that I prevailed/succeeded in some goals that I had. Also, especially in the last few years, I've decided that I no longer wish to gamble with my negative liberty rights and freedom so not only do I refrain from wasting my time and money (I live in the US) seeing them, I also avoid having the risk of incarceration or detainment by not interacting with them. (This thread explains about how one cannot be honest with them due to risk of intervention.)
@Forever Sleep @FuneralCry
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