Hurricanes, politics, anger show the need for mental health care
In the weeks leading up to the election and following two devastating hurricanes, I experienced incredible gestures of kindness and giving and unrelenting acts of violence and hostility.
I was amazed at how the division reflected the division within our country. But as one becomes more involved in mental health issues, the conflicting responses are not surprising.
Both Helene and Milton packed into the new house I had been living in for less than a year, taking with them many valuable possessions – the most devastating, a box of my son’s pictures that I no longer have. and a child – and robbing me of my sense of stability and security.
Soon after, there was support from near and far.
Old friends I hadn’t heard from in decades came to see if my son and I were safe. Many friends, including those I only knew in this section, offered me a place to stay, food or hands to help with cleaning. I was hugged more deeply in a day than in a year.
But at that moment when I felt vulnerable, sad and scared, I hit again hard.
When I returned to town on a steamy afternoon—by necessity since the Ringling Bridge was always closed—after my first look at the devastation of my home from Helene, I was dehydrated and feeling fainting and nausea.
Staggering, crying, I tried to stop several drivers to ask for a lift. They looked at me with a sharp eye only the homeless or looked at me; no one could roll down the window.
When I tried to cross a major intersection on foot – at the intersection and at the light – a driver hit me because of his impatience to turn right before I reached the traffic light. When I screamed in fear, he stuck his hand out the window and gave me a finger as he ran away.
And on Facebook, instead of commenting (as I requested) on a column I posted about the new Sarasota Center for the Arts, a reader instead posted a comment. the sad and deep things of my life and he made fun of my life. appearance. (Just call me “The Opinion Prune.”)
Also:Comment: We know why Sarasota flooded during recent storms. How will we deal with what comes next?
Talk about kicking a dog when it’s down; a good long cry was in order.
However, as the co-founder of Sarasota Strong – a non-profit organization dedicated to educating people about the impact of trauma on individuals and communities – I learned long ago to change the answer, “What’s wrong with you?!!” to “What happened to you?”
Somewhere along the way, it is possible that those people were treated similarly badly by others. People come to their beliefs and opinions through their experiences.
In today’s world – where many people’s lives are affected by poverty, divorce, violence, racism, slavery, social injustice and even the impact of technology – it is no wonder that the natural response is “fight or flight”. it has changed for many. to the way of facing life.
Add in the devastating social impact of things like the pandemic and two hurricanes and you have a great recipe for raising generations of walking wounded. They respond to the unfairness of life by looking for someone to blame or someone else to “fix” things.
Some may scoff, but I am convinced that our country’s lack of attention to mental health care has been an important reason why we find ourselves in a place of controversy.
Instead of understanding that mental and social health is essential to creating a civilized, dignified and healthy society, we have ignored the needs of mental health, underestimated, undermined or violated them. of the law. .
In a society where rising rates of suicide, alcoholism, anxiety and depression would have made mental health a major talking point on the campaign trail, ask yourself have you, if at all, heard any candidate raise this issue?
It is hard to imagine this attitude changing under our newly elected president, who often suggested that those who did not intend to vote for him “should have their heads checked” and who often calling his opponent “crazy,” “mentally retarded” and, according to The New York Times – speaking to wealthy donors behind closed doors – “reduced.” (Mental illness is not the same as developmental delay.)
A few days before the election he announced that the best way to “stop depression” is to “work your ass off” – a statement that shows no deep understanding of the disease it will affect 1 in 6 American adults in their lifetime. but it hates even more those who suffer from it. (I would know; I’ve been one.)
Several of the President-elect’s plans to end Obamacare, which provided thousands of Americans with needed mental health coverage for the first time in their lives; restoring large mental health facilities, which were dismantled in the 1970s after revelations of widespread patient abuse; and using a voluntary commitment to gather homeless people who live on the streets precisely because their mental health care is neglected, represents a complete change from the measures taken in recent years to respond to mental health problems of the mind with compassion and trauma. -a knowledgeable, non-punitive approach.
For that matter, the lead-up to the presidential election itself was dangerous to our mental well-being. According to an extensive American Psychological Association survey of 3,000 adults conducted by Harris Poll, nearly 7 out of 10 adults said that elections are the biggest source of stress in their lives.
After the result, half of the country feels happy and optimistic, the other half is depressed and scared. On a microcosm level, how you manage your happiness or disappointment will make a difference in the lives of everyone you meet.
We can choose to make this uncomfortable time a source of sanity, focus and mental health – or we can wait for someone else to “fix” life for us.
In the days ahead, look for ways to examine how your past may be holding you back from a bright future.
Ask yourself if your emotional balance and self-control could use some work. Learn about trauma, whether you have experienced it and how it can be treated. Seek help if you need it, without shame or fear. Set aside some time each day for something to feed your soul, quiet your mind and release your tension.
Listen more; to cry a little.
Think before you speak.
Brake before you break.
If we can’t cure our country, we can at least try to cure ourselves.
Contact Carrie Seidman at carrie.seidman@gmail.com or 505-238-0392.
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