I recently was going through my Master’s of Art papers looking for something I had written several years ago. In my search, I came across a short piece that I did during my graduate work. I have no idea what class it was for or what the question was but I felt it was relevant to today and how we “look” at mental health and “disorders.” I’d love to hear what your thoughts are about this. Just something to consider.
I don’t know if I can really say that there is any one thing that constitutes a psychological disorder. I am coming to realize that there is no “right” or “wrong”; only one’s perspective and so with that said I ask “is it fair to say that someone has something ‘wrong’ with them because they see things differently than you do?” Yes, I agree that there are disorders and diseases that drastically affect one’s mental abilities but does that mean that what they do and feel is not working for them? I see that because of each of our own unique points of views and life experiences. What works for me may or may not “work” for you and if that is the case, would one of us have a psychological disorder? I think, we as humans are quick to “package” things up into “boxes” especially when we are confronted with something that challenges us in uncomfortable ways. No one likes to be uncomfortable but that is part of learning and growing. So as of now, I am in the process of questioning if there should be “rigid” guidelines for psychological disorders or not? Is there really such a thing or is it a way for us to try and avoid uncomfortable situations? I am not really sure at this time we should try to come up with categories of psychological disorders or not. The jury is still out on that one for me. But I think we should challenge ourselves to not see things so much as “right” or “wrong” but as from someone else’s perspective and then respect that as just that; their perspective.
Namaste, my friends.
The "SEMI" Traveller 