There must be something wrong with my priorities because there I am

[EFerrari]

in GD, still trying to ask DUers to look at the reality of what the Yates must have gone through. What they will go thru forever.

I was really surprised in a good way at all the responses to the poll. Encouraged because there were so many people who stepped up and shared and that, all by itself, was good news in a really bad news week.

I've come to the conclusion that most people need to vilify Rusty Yates in order to hand off their awareness of mental health stuff. Their mom, themselves, their kid.

Whaddaya think?

:hug:

Beth

[DemExpat]

1. What I think, Beth, is that this can be taken even further

to cover how we all vilify ANY person or persons.....to avoid really trying to understand and perhaps develop awareness of deeper motivations in all of our humanity.

Participating on DU has this element in it for many of us too, I believe when I really am honest with myself, in how we vilify Republicans and 'turncoat' Dems...

But there are many levels of experience here on earth, I believe, and I choose to participate in many of them, even when I know deep down that essentially, maybe even spiritually, I am sometimes participating in avoiding some deeper truths and understandings.
I do see it as an open door to higher evolution, and the weakness for my not throwing the door open as part of being "only human".

Just my thoughts and experiences with these kinds of questions..

:hug:

DemEx

[EFerrari]

2. I think you must be right.

Thank you.

:)

[Random_Australian]

3. I second that, though I will say that the best thing we can do to aviod it

is to remember that even repukes think in the same ways we do, they started off the same and they learnt different values and focusses... but all either of those things ever was is just an attempt to make the world a good and liveable place. :)

That is my opinion, anyway.

[mopinko]

4. i think

that an awful lot of the hostility in the world is just outwardly directed reflections of self hate.
when you see how many people in that poll were dealing with family problems, and then realize how many more have folks who are not dx'd yet, you can see where that river in egypt is overflowing.
thanks for that effort, tho. keeping the dialog going is so important. :hug:

[Tab]

5. I didn't see the thread

and don't know the discussion, but I was once married to someone with serious psychological problems.

Although she wasn't at the level of Andrea Yates, she was close enough that I could start to comprehend how an Andrea Yates situation might exist. If she was just a bit further over the edge, or off balance, yes, perhaps the same thing could occur.

I know it's weird, and hard for "normal" people to comprehend, but people like Andrea and my ex-wife have some serious issues, and they defy normal "reality", but it's reality for them, and once you experience it, it's scary how plausible a situation like that may be, as much as it goes against our sensibilities.

[NMMNG]

6. People still want to demonize, marginalize or ignore mental illness

I just spent the weekend with a friend who has serious OCD and paranoia as well as frustration control issues. She acknowledges the paranoia and OCD as problems but not how pathological they are. To her she's just "very concerned about disease and safety". The thing is she is utterly dismissive of all other forms of mental illness and people with them. People are supposed to understand and be supportive of her, but she is not supportive of/understanding of others with MI. She has no tolerance for Psychology/Psychiatry and thinks that they both should be thrown in the waste bin because MI diagnoses are "just excuses for people to get away with bad behavior instead of being responsible for themselves".

Of course I have a BS in Psychology, work in mental health and the entire maternal side of my family (including myself) have MI. I just had a great time listening to her rant on about how Psychiatry/Psychology are utter BS and the bane of American existence.

[Tab]

7. I've seen that before

and it's because the person in question has so little self-esteem, at least in that area of their lives, that they can't accept there might be something wrong with them, so they (1) need to justify their behavior ("concern about disease/safety") and (2) condemn others, thus both minimizing the charge and implying it would be others, not them.

[EFerrari]

8. just "very concerned with disease and safety"

lol

My godmother is, too. She wears surgical gloves in the shower.

I am "very concerned" about airplanes and bridges.

:)

[NMMNG]

9. Wow

Surgical gloves in the shower--even my friend doesn't do that. She does, however, bleach hotel bathrooms and take her own sheets and towels when she travels. She also refuses to travel by airplane, train or bus.

[BigMama50]

10. Andrea Yates is punished every day on this earth

We don't need to get in on the act.