Abbie Normal

[talon]

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66Q4BJ20100727

"could devalue the seriousness of mental illness and label almost everyone as having some kind of disorder."

There are people who genuinely have disorders that need medical attention.

And then there are people who really just need a good-sized clue-by-four.

And then there are all the Stepford Nannies who want everyone around them to be mannikens, even if they have to drug them into compliance and dullness.

Not me. I want a world where people are allowed to feel happy and sad, to be hurt and be joyous, to do impulsive and make poor choices, to be eccentric and odd and chaotic and unpredictable.

I want a world where when your loved one dies, you get to mourn them, not be drugged into a stupor so your friends don't have to deal with your sadness and quite understandable and temporary (even if it may take months and months to recover) depression.

I want a world where laughter is freely indulged in, not scripted and allowed only in limited and controlled circumstances, and those who are hyper happy are drugged to dullness.

I want a world where I can be surprised.

More, I want a world where people are viewed as normal and healthy in a very broad spectrum and not automatically assumed to be "ill" in some way.

Being half a step outside of lockstep "normal" - or walking in a whole other direction (or flying, or swimming, or crawling, or dancing...) - should not be a valid reason for labeling anyone as "disordered" or "ill" or "needing treatment".

We have become a very intolerant society, rigid and determined to force everyone into the same mold.

It's no wonder so many people opt for cosmetic surgery - they are either trying to look exactly like their ideal or they are trying desperately to make some part of themselves different and easily distinguishable so they aren't lost in a sea of sameness.

Codifying minor differences and variations as "disorders" that can be "controlled" with drugs and treatments will make more serious ailments almost invisible. People will roll their eyes and cop the "s/he's got that 'sicker than thou' thing going on" attitude. The truly disordered may find their needs shunted aside or lost in the flood of minor variants that don't need treatment, just a little understanding and some time.

It's a sad world when everyone is presumed ill, just as it's a sad world when everyone is presumed guilty.