***FYI, if you want to read this in chronological order, scroll down and read from the bottom up :) ***
Well, this is it. I had an epic time writing and exploring my own thoughts on society's influence/views of mental health and hope everyone enjoyed reading through some of it. I plan on continuing this as it helps me process and I love hearing everyone's thoughts! So feel free to follow if you would like!
Thanks for being awesome!
Heath Legge
MA- Coun. Psych Candidate
University of Denver
PS: In light of this blog's title, here is a last bit of humor :)
Well, my assignment is due tomorrow, so I will be submitting this blog to my professor after work tonight. However, remember that internship site I was hoping to land? Well, I was offered the position and today was my first day! It was AWESOME! I feel so lucky to be at a location that is pushing for integrated care. I actually got to sit in on assessments with a psychiatrist all afternoon! Seeing the medical model in play is a little different than I anticipated. I expected it to be dry, emotionless, and almost boring. However, I am also lucky to be working under a psychiatrist with so much passion for his patients, which was made evident by his communication with me regarding their behavior, affect, etc. I was like "Your the doc! This isn't my model. Why are you asking me questions?" Anyway, it made me very aware of the presumptions I had entering those bolt doors the first time and wonder how much of this attitude contributes to the battle between mental health models.
Let's make this a little more personal. Many of you who may know me might also know that I am considering attending medical school after I complete my MA in CP-Clinical Mental Health. What are your thoughts on this concept? I have this internal battle that I cannot seem to resolve because it is difficult to formulate my own beliefs based on the kinetic forces of society. Yes, society bullies this idea through media, money, you name it! Why is it that a medical-behavioral type model is treated like the cracks in a tile floor? Lava! No one wants to touch it. I "feel" like this is the next step in psych-treatment and I so want to be a part of it, but I don't know where to start! I don't want to start a debate, I'm more curious about where you stand on this idea.
Maybe you are wondering "Why do you even want to touch the lava?" Well, as an example, treatment was very segregated at my practicum site last academic year in that there was very little communication between the psychiatrist and therapist (myself). Now, you might be thinking, "Well that's what integrated treatment is for.... duh!" Yes yes, but what if both modes of treatment could be done by one person? One person, one model. That totally sounds like a chant Spartans would yell before war, haha. "One person! One model!" How would society view this model? Would it start out as a scientific abomination as we have seen in the past?
It looks like my questions outweigh the amount of discussion in this post, but hey, sometimes there's not much difference between questions answers, right?
I'll start off with the fact that moving to Colorado was quite the change for me. Yeah, the food is different, there seems to be an over abundance of Subaru Outbacks on the road, and... oh yeah, weed. I seriously hot box in my truck when I drive down Broadway! I'm sure all you Denver locals know what I'm talking about. So let's relate this back to mental health. There are quite a few directions I thought of taking this post, but decided to just go with it and see what happens. Does substance abuse belong in mental health? There is an overwhelming amount of evidence suggesting that it does! But, does substance use belong in MH? I turn to the medical model when faced with this dilemma, but even that does not present a clear answer since it is hard for me fully invest in it.
Who believes in the medicinal use of THC? "Whoa whoa whoa! Did he just say 'believe'?" Why yes I did! This is one of the most prominent memories of thought I have from when I first arrived in Colorado. Not even the medical model provides a clear response to this, which makes the uprising in addiction treatment even more rowdy! Furthermore, should addiction be considered a diagnosis?
Another topic that comes to mind is the debate as to weather substance abuse should be referred to as "addiction" or "dependence". Working with substance abuse clients in has drastically changed my view of this argument... And by "changed" I mean I don't really know what to think anymore. It's like walking up hill in both directions. F*** it! I'm taking the elevator.
This is a short entry, but would be interested in hearing everyone's thoughts. Specifically those relating to experiences you might have had when marijuana was legalized. Also, here is some music for you! The song is called Sonne (meaning "Sun" aus Deutsch!) by Rammstein. To my understanding, it's basically a poetic depiction of the fall of the Berlin Wall, but blankets it by comparing Germany's political state at a time to a drug over dose Just something to think about! Enjoy:)
Ok ok, I know, cheesy title, but shall we? When you are dealing with anything having to do with mental health today, you know it's going to come up. That one word that you'll never fully understand. The concept that you'll never have full competence in. Yeah, you know the one.... DIVERSITY! There, I said it. It's hard to hit every aspect of diversity in one blog entry, but we spend a fair amount of time looking at ourselves when prepping to practice in the field. So maybe take a step back and think to yourself for a moment, "How do I relate to diversity?"............ Have you given up yet? I'll be honest and say that I had a hard time doing this when it popped into my head today. Being white, male, middle class, average hight (I like to think so anyway), doesn't give me much wiggle room in that part of the field. Sometimes I feel guilty because I'll never understand what "It's" like. This has probably been one of the most frustrating parts of my education as I enter the mental health field. So, let me propose this; does the word "diversity" not depict a grouping of differences? However, somehow when I thought about how I relate to diversity I mainly thought about the similarities I have to others and how I "have no culture" to myself. Whaaaaaaaa???
So now what? Well, this bothered me throughout most of the day until I thought to replace "diversity" with "individualism". As clinicians, we are supposed to treat the client/ patient and not the culture right? This hit me when I was approached by an individual about my tattoos this afternoon. Yup, someone was actually interested in something I consider to be a part of my "culture" and was genuinely curious about it. Furthermore, she complemented me on subject! I was like, "Who are you?" I realized that I was so foreign to the concept of having a piece of diversity to me that I was completely taken back. Yes yes, I've been approached about my tattoos many times before, but not like this. I usually get the "Sweet tat, dude!", or "Did it hurt?" This was different in that I felt part of a community.
Ok, what else makes me an individual rather than diverse? Hmmmm.... Well, music is a huge part of my life. Specifically electronic dance music (EDM). I love that s***! The high energy. The intensity. It's addicting. I started diving into this genre of music at age 10 and my parents definitely had one eyebrow raised the entire time. Being different/individualistic/expressive is abnormal right? But where do we draw the line? Hold on, let me check the DSM..... Social anxiety disorder-NOS. I knew it! Anyway, as I reminisce, there are no rules and there are no limits to EDM music festivals. All social standards and expectations are suspended. The hardest part is giving into self-expression. Who would have thought?! But that's what is so intoxicating for me! Is this what it "feels" like to be diverse? Is this a "feeling" that I should strive to bring out through empathy with clients?
How will this affect me as a counselor? How will this affect my clients? Is it a good thing? Is it a bad thing? :/ Should I just "thow'em up" and roll with it? I'll disclose that my tattoos have played a very positive roll in the rapport I share with my clients, but is this diversity in a sort of reverse play? I would be interested in hearing what you guys have to say on the subject. What are some of your own experiences similar to this?
PS: This is the EDM song that got me hooked. Thought I'd share it with you all for your listening pleasure!
