Mental Illness and Abuse, Suicide, Introversion or Isolation
Talia commented about a woman’s experience with abuse at the hands of a mentally ill sibling, and asked a very good question: “how much sensitivity do the mentally ill deserve?” This and the original article from the abused woman hit home for me, because I know both sides. I have experienced depression, and the type of hurt that I can inflict or have inflicted on people around me when I was knee deep in it. As a small child, I have grown up with the wounds (mostly emotional and an occasional physical trauma like getting my fingers squeezed by a pair of pliers as punishment) of abuse from a mentally ill parent. Read more
Father Liable for $400,000 for Emotional Abuse
A Canadian man was ordered to pay $400,000 to his 41 year old daughter for a life time of emotional and physical abuse that amounted to severe mental distress for the woman.
Gory details of emotional and physical abuse amounted to the father attempting to kill his daughter. The woman was also sexually abused by her uncle when she was young. Not surprisingly, the woman suffers from numerous mental and anxiety disorders.
While putting a “dollar amount” on the horrendous suffering this woman has gone through may put this story in the headlines, and help bring awareness to abuse, I wonder if this has truly served justice for the woman. $400,000 seems a measley amount for 20 years of suffering. A few million dollars may be a better beginning (but of course, the father wouldn’t be able to pay that).
It was shameful that the father showed no remorse. It was unforgivable that the mother did nothing to protect her daughter from the abuse.
Labeling Bad Behavior as Mental Illness Belittles Those Who Truly Suffer From Them
Daniel Vasquez, Consumer Columnist at Sun-Sentinel.com believes that “Calling rude, nasty behavior mental illness misses the point” and that acts of rudeness, obsession, and violence is getting labels from doctors and drug companies to feed the social desire to medicate away problems.
Mr. Vasquez specifically mentions news about “Internet Addiction Disorder” (IAD) and “Intermittent Explosive Disorder” (IED) and wonders whether these are real problems or just jerks’ excuses. National Institutes of Health (NIH) now recognizes IED and suggests that IED may help explain road rage and domestic violence. I personally share Mr. Vasquez’s skepticism where IED is concerned. Mr. Vasquez also believes that people who used their cars as weapons should be charged as criminals and not treated like they are mentally ill.
Mr. Vasquez consulted with a psychotherapist to get a balanced perspective - I give him credit for that! The psychotherapist stated that a person who is controlled by urges needs help.
Mr. Vasquez’s nephew suffers from bipolar disorder and mild schizophrenia, so he has first hand experience at the devastating effects of mental illness. Thus he feels that our cultural love of labels has led to misdiagnosis and treatment that weren’t necessary and in some cases hurt the individual even more.