A few months ago, I had writer Freddie deBoer on my podcast for an episode we called, “Does Glorifying Sickness Deter Healing?” We talked about his experience living with severe bipolar disorder and the dangerous ways in which mental illness has gotten wrapped up in our growing cultural obsession with identity politics. It’s almost like sickness, he argued, has become chic.
We spent some of the conversation talking critically about a New York Times article by writer Daniel Bergner about a movement away from medication and more towards acceptance. A movement that replaces words like “psychosis” with “nonconsensus realities.” This article, in Freddie’s view, was exemplary of the very phenomenon he was calling out.
A lot of people responded extremely positively to my conversation with Freddie. Others, not so much. One of those people was Daniel Bergner. So I invited him on the show.
Our conversation is not just a debate about how society should handle the epidemic of mental illness. It’s a model for how to disagree with someone productively, respectively, and honestly. It’s a reminder not only that it’s okay to come out of a conversation strongly disagreeing with someone, but that it’s of vital importance.
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Thought I posted this but perhaps not---so I apologize if this was already posted. In listening to this podcast I found myself sometimes agreeing with Daniel. It most likely is because of my anecdotal experience with my then adolescent daughter. We had a truly horrible experience with psychiatry---. My daughter became very physically ill from the medication they prescribed. I kept trying to tell them that it wasn't working and was making her sick---they kept brushing me off with worried mother nonsense etc etc---until it was almost too late---it turns out my daughter was unable to metabolize the medication, thus, she was being slowly poisoned over a period of months---fortunate for her there was no permanent liver damage----needless to say, Hell will freeze over before we ever consult another psychiatrist. While I understand there are more clear cut cases for meds----the field of psychiatry and psychiatric meds leaves much to be improved upon---they see you as a prescription package and not an individual that may have great difficulties tolerating "miracle meds".
I listened to most of the podcast and found myself agreeing at times with Bari and at times with the author. I have an anecdotal experience with my daughter that makes me identify a lot with the author. I had to scream & jump up & down to get the psychiatrists to listen to me...that the medication they put my daughter on was causing more harm.....my daughter ended up getting very physically sick from the medication....turns out my daughter was unable to metabolize the medication...thus..she was being slowly poisoned over months...fortunately...no permanent liver damage...I can tell you ....hell will freeze over before I ever consult another psychiatrist.