What’s in a name?
First published 2020
One of the interesting things about how we go about trying to ‘fix’ a mental health issue is that we seem to find it essential to delve deeply in to how it came about and then attach a diagnostic label. If I go to hospital after having a car accident they don’t sit around quizzing me about the details of who did what and when during the collision (that’s for the lawyers/insurers), they instead ask me where it hurts and focus on fixing that. Trust me on this, a diagnostic label is not going to stop me losing the actual plot when someone jumps out on me ‘for a joke’ — don’t do it — I guarantee it will hurt. So, with the possible exception of finding the right medication, such labels and questions are, in my personal opinion, largely unhelpful.
What has been immensely more helpful is to talk about the operating issues I have and to work out management strategies and, with luck, recovery. Let’s face it, hearing voices is only a problem if it’s a problem and for some people it’s not. I’m ok these days with many of my ‘symptoms’ which have previously caused me distress. For example, I have a tendency to deeply (and I mean deeply) analyse the thoughts and motives of people I meet. Embracing this many years ago caused it to move from being an acutely anxious endeavour of self protection born of fear and mistrust, to being a purposeful and very handy professional skill. When I allowed myself to accept it and then embrace it I was able to willingly dive deeply in to the study of facial and other ‘tells’, cultural and societal traits and a host of related subjects. I’m now fairly good at reading people and have messed about with it as a party trick.
So, just as a sports physio has managed to release a severely knitted shoulder or got me to walk on 3 inch heels for my wedding 3 weeks after snapping an ACL, Steve has worked with me on the mental injuries helping me to live with or heal those wounds. Subsequently, I am learning to listen to my body, thoughts and emotions and starting act accordingly. It’s still physio, just for the mind and soul.
