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Sunday, April 26, 2009

Areas of knowledge that should be concerned with mental problems

I believe that those who have been following this blog must have noticed that there has been some changes.
Since March I am trying to get help from other fields to try to make some sense in mental illness. I believe it started on March, 10 with the post "Have your childhood harmed you?"
I have a great concern with childhood and adolescence because I truly believe that these periods are of great importance in our lives as we can see some bloggers trying hard to cope with sad or terrible experiences during this time of their lives.
Unfortunately few people of other fields are concerned with mental health.
This post by the sociologist and criminologist Jock Young - Herrad has attended his classes - "Subcultural the meaningful aspect" is a good example of those who try to see people's behaviour in a great scale and not only as a individual problem and idiosyncrasies.
There are more attempts in other posts.
I believe that mental is too complex and should be object of study of many fields and it should be done soon.
How can we understand the number of children that are committing suicide?
Who and what area(s) of knowledge should try to answer these questions?

5 comments:

Wendy said...

Ana - I think you are on to something. My son was a victim of suicide. After his suicide, we learned that he had been sexually abused, and to our greater sadness had sexually abused two of his siblings. We also discovered he had hepititis B - which I am sure he didn't know. Had he not suicided - would we have been able to help him with the childhood harm he experienced? How could we have been so blinded and NOT know about the harm - why didn't his siblings report his abuse on them? I was sexually abused as a child, I was very vocal about preventing the abuse, I talked to my children numerous times about sexual abuse, what was right/wrong and urged them to tell!!! Yet they did not. We know he was bipolar, but he refused treatment or therapy... It is all so complex - I think there needs to be more of a "team" approach - with numerous experts, everyone working towards the good of the individual - educators, sociologist, therapist, medical doctor, family, friends, etc
It can be done, it does work, I have experienced it with my daughter who has bone cancer. She has a treatment team, internist, gyn, bone specialist, oncologist, social worker - all working together to help her towards medical wellness - why can't we do that for mental wellness?
Wendy

Ana said...

Wendy,
I'm very sorry for your lost.
It's all too complex and that's why we need as much as help as we can.

Marj aka Thriver said...

I agree with Wendy--why CAN'T we have this approach with mental health?

Ana, you care so deeply about things and this touches my heart.

Ana said...

Marj,
Yes, I care a lot. I dunno.
I believe that once we had been in some situations we are more sensitive. I don't know.
Anyway... it wold be great if all things related to mental or emotional problems could be seen not only by physicians.
It's quite idealistic but at least there are other people who think or are even doing something to change.
Perhaps by the end of the century...

Anonymous said...

My mental health issues started when I was 3 years old. There was nothing that caused or triggered it. I was put in therapy at 3 years old and was put on psych meds at 7 years old, but they wanted to put me on meds when I was 5 years old.