It's Nothing Personal

Before I get started, let me just say that I have no idea what happened to the formatting on my last post. It's all different fonts, and different font colors, and I can't fix it. Maybe it's black magic from another, less famous blogger. Or else I'm a techtard and I don't know what I'm doing. 

It"s probably the latter.

Moving along. For some reason that continues to escape me, still, people seem to think that when I write something, it's a personal attack against SOMEONE, usually them. 

It's not.

My last post, about Alice (she's in the hospital now, by the way, and has been for a week - I'm hoping she gets better soon because I miss the fuck out of her), seems to have ruffled a couple of feathers in the "professional" community. There are people who think that I was attacking them, their profession, their skills as practitioners of that profession...and it's simply not true. I don't know why these people didn't leave comments, since my comments are unrestricted, but whatever, that's their choice and I respect it.

I don't for one minute believe that anyone on Alice's treatment team has anything but the best intentions for her and I don't believe they want anything other than for her to get better. I just don't agree with the way it was gone about, and I have every right in the world to voice that opinion, here or anywhere else that I feel so inclined. Besides, the post wasn't strictly about Alice - none of my posts are about one thing or one person - it was about MENTAL ILLNESS and the fact that everyone is affected by it. Everyone. I was attempting to make people aware of that, to open the eyes of some who may not be aware that they could be in a position to help someone who's suffering. So if you read it, and you got upset, I'm here to tell you: It wasn't about YOU.

None of my blogs are personal, except for the ones that are about me. And I'm not as passive-aggressive as I used to be: If I really have a problem with you, believe me, I'll let you know about it, and I won't make little side comments in a blog that probably nobody reads. I'll call your ass. 

I wrote about Alice because, as her friend, roommate and fellow traveler on the road to mental wellness, I am not part of her "treatment team" and I have no say in her treatment because of that. I have told the people who ARE on her treatment team when I see things and hear things that "aren't right," but I do that when I think ANYONE in this house is decompensating (a fancy-shmancy term for getting sick). I know that they would do the same for me. But, because I'm on the other side of the mental health line, it's a rare occurrence that anyone listens to me, let alone does anything about it. Yes, it's frustrating. And that's why I write about it. Because there's a whole world of people outside of this house, outside of the "treatment teams" and the professional caregivers, and perhaps if I reach even one or two of those people, and some help is afforded to someone who needs it, that might make a difference.

So. That post wasn't about you, or your character, or your skills, or your abilities. If you were offended, I don't know what to tell you, other than that everyone who reads this blog is free to contact me via email, or to leave a comment on the post in question. Feel free to have at me.

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To find out how you can help people suffering from mental illness, and to help get rid of the stigma, please visit The National Alliance on Mental Illness to take the pledge, get involved, and make a donation.

For more information on mental health, please visit The National Institute of Mental Health.

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