Back to the Homepage3-14-98Since many of my normal readers are cool supportive friends, much of my readership already knows that I want to be a psychiatrist. I love the human mind and I'm fascinated with all it's capabilities of "such beautiful dreams and such horrible nightmares" (Contact®). And I am especially intrigued by psychological disorders. I, in no way, claim to be a replacement or as clinically trained as a professional mental physician (i.e. psychiatrist, psychologist, neurological specialist, etc...)
Most of society will call anyone with a psychological disorder (PD) a freak or a psycho. But that is pure rudeness and that, in itself, is a form of psychological disorder. But such people are not freaks, in some cases, I believe their minds have evolved farther along and in other cases, their minds simply work differently.
I have been an acting psychologist and dream interpreter for many of my friends in the past two years. This is a newly found talent that I have and I have ALWAYS used it for good and to help people. It all started with someone who suffered from depression and anemia. (NOTE: All names will be changed to protect the privacy and security of those mentioned.) "Monica" had been sexually abused as a young child and had blocked the entire experience from her mind. However, although she could not remember the events, this had an adverse effect on her brain. This caused her to become extremely self-conscious and reserved about anything personal. Luckily, her mother new what she was going through because she too had a "rocky life". Monica led a gothic life. She preferred all black, enjoyed hard rock and "druggie" music as I used to call it, and hung out with other people with problems of their own. But, if you saw her on the street, you would probably grab your wallet and begin to pray so that she wouldn't approach you or come anywhere near you. And despite all of that, she was one of the most compassionate person in the world. She was always there for a friend who needed a shoulder to cry on or someone to talk to. She sponsored charities and tried her best to be a good leader. So why is such a nice person deemed a freak of nature? Because people have a fear of that which is different.
Monica's problems were not unique to her. Millions of people around the world suffer from just depression alone. Then there are others which have more complex problems on top of depression. And there are PDs which cause hyperness, violent mood swings, mute, regression, low self-esteem, and constant happiness. For almost any emotion and/or physical condition you can think of, there is a PD which can cause or compound it. Each case is separate and deserves care, understanding, and treatment.
People create their emotions. I know that may sound weird, but I believe it to be true. If people want to be happy about something, they can. If they want to be upset about the exact same thing, they can do that too. It all depends upon how that person perceives any number of signs, signals, and situations. That is why I treat every case differently. A teenage girl suffering from depression will have a different cure than a 45 year old man with two kids suffering from the exact same thing. Lifestyle and relationships is the number one cause of mental change and alteration. This topic is so complex and interesting that I will have to continue it another time.