I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that May is both Mental Health Month and National Masturbation Month. If you think about it, they’re both about taking care of yourself and your needs… and they can certainly go hand in hand (or, hand in… um. I’ll stop there).
I’m a little skeptical of some of the language around “Mental Health Month.” I understand the importance of educational campaigns, but the reliance on the talking point that “one in four adults struggles with a treatable mental health condition” makes me a bit uncomfortable because of it’s emphasis on ‘treatment.’ I’m in favor of people seeking treatment if they personally desire it, but our current mental health industry is so focused on pathology and profit that the available “treatments” often don’t support the overall well-being of the individual seeking care. At worst, an individual may enter treatment and lose their right to consent or to leave.
As such, I am cautious about a Mental Health Month that advocates ‘treatment’ without some significant caveats. As I see it, Mental Health Month should be more about addressing the failures of the psych industry, focusing on self-care (there’s where the connection to National Masturbation Month comes in!) and community wellness… and for that matter, we shouldn’t limit it to the month of May!
I’m neither pro nor anti medication as treatment for mental illness. In my own experience, I went through the public mental “health” system and it was pretty horrific. I was given changes in my prescriptions without being notified of the change in my diagnosis that prompted the change in my medication. I went years before realizing that my doctors at least suspected bipolar disorder rather than a mix of depression and anxiety. I gained over 100 pounds on these medicines and when I spoke to my doctor about my concerns, she put me on a diet program. She also asked me if it I really felt it was “necessary” to menstruate (meds had messed with my hormones, with the added joy of (unwanted) facial hair).
It wasn’t until I lost my health insurance and my psychiatrist at the time just let me go right ahead and stop taking the medicines along with stop seeing her that I broke my relationship with psychiatric drugs.
I think about going back to them from time to time, but, honestly, other than helping me out of deep depressions, once I was back on my feet, continuing them never really did any (more) good. A lot of my coworkers seem to think I am better without them than I ever was on them.
Anyway, I just wanted to agree with you on this post regarding our more popular mental health treatments. I think they are used too widely, and for too long.
Then again, you can hurt yourself masturbating too.
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I must say, K, you are unbelievably dapper.
Why thank you! *tips hat*