Posted by Penny on February 10, 2004, at 11:42:55
In reply to My Psych Class, posted by Elle2021 on February 9, 2004, at 23:12:36
(((Elle)))
You know - I tend to overdivulge a lot - when I was hospitalized last summer, the admin manager at work told folks who asked that I was 'on vacation', which was fine, except that then I got back and they were all like, "So, did you have fun? Did you go anywhere?" And instead of making something up I just said, "Well, actually, I was taking some personal time..." and to a few of them I said, "Actually, I was in the hospital..." after which part of me wished I had kept my mouth shut.
But, what my overdivulging has taught me is that it is often the folks you think might not understand who actually do - they've had personal experience with mental illness, they see a therapist, they take meds, they've been hospitalized, etc. I even used my own story as an example to try to educate folks in my own psych class last spring. When we began talking about mental illness, some people in the class acted as though they found some illnesses 'amusing' - but I was quick to point out that mental illness is not amusing at all, that it is serious and highly misunderstood, and after I shared that, "hey, I take 6 meds a day for depression and anxiety and I've been in an outpatient treatment program and I see a therapist" (I hadn't been seen as an inpatient yet at that point), I found that several others in the class (and there were only about 20 of us!) were also either currently being treated, had been treated, or had a parent who had been treated for some form of mental illness. One girl in the class, who was quite young, had been in rehab for drug abuse, and shared that with the class. I think it gave everyone something to think about, and from that point on, people were much more respectful when we discussed mental illness and treatments. Which was my goal. :-)
Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is that I think it was brave of you to talk to your prof in such a candid way, and I think that your prof probably recognizes that.
P
poster:Penny
thread:309073
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20040209/msgs/311677.html