Toward a New Understanding of Mental Illness
Framing is everything. Do you call it “gun control” or “gun safety”? Are they “taxes” or “contributions”? Is your work in “fund raising” or “development”?
The way you name these issues is not simply semantics, nor is it “spin.” The language we use contributes to the reality we perceive and interact with. This is never more true than when it comes to issues that touch upon cultural values. Which is why I think this TED Talk on mental illness is so important. We’ve heard a lot about mental health in the news of late, particularly the inadequate resources we have to help those suffering from mental illness and the families who are supporting them.
Part of the challenge, according to Dr. Thomas Insel, is that we haven’t framed the issue of mental illness well. Insel, formerly a professor of psychiatry at Emory University and currently the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, contends that, first off, we should stop talking about mental disorders and instead talk about them as brain disorders.
While you’ll have to listen to the twelve-minute Talk to be drawn into his compelling rationale, it’s hard to resist his vision. If we can reduce through early detection the number of deaths from heart disease 63% over several decades ago, why can’t we provide the same kind of support and relief to persons suffering from depression and schizophrenia?
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Thank you David for posting this. He is absolutely correct about framimg being everything. That is true for brain disorders and it is true for many aspects of what we as “church” do too. God help us to reframe ideas as well as brain disorders so that we can begin to explore new ways to be.
When I think of how difficult it can be to access care for children’s brain disorders I’m reminded of the 2 boys that were responsible for the tragic loss of life (including their own) at Columbine High School. I can’t recall which boy’s parents made the comments I have thought about over time, but one of the parents communicated about their knowledge of seeing items in their home that were used that day. They definitely sounded like they had concern at the time, and as a parent I’m thinking there had been behaviors that were less serious in nature that they had also worried about. They probably wondered where they could turn. They probably sought care that failed them. Good adolescent services for brain disorders that lead to serious behavioral problems are scarce and expensive. The most effective treatment after behavioral problems are identified involves a lot of time and money invested in family therapy. If if that is even accessible to the family, what if it sucks up resources needed for other children in the familly?
I always pray for families that are worried about the ways their child is so different that they fear for the child’s safety. I pray for peace and I pray that they will cross paths with a helpful school counselor or family physician capable of locating resources that are helpful. I pray for their children who receive mostly negative feedback at school from teachers and peers, that they may find peace and confidence.
Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayers.