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> I think there is a bit of a crowd that is pushing the idea that you can make events worse by telling people that they are forever scarred from them? There wa

by Nursie 1y ago

> I think there is a bit of a crowd that is pushing the idea that you can make events worse by telling people that they are forever scarred from them? There was certainly a fairly prominent British psychologist (IIRC) a handful of years ago who disparaged some of the anxiety and depression awareness campaigns on the grounds that being more aware of psychological ailments like that, when they were on the minor end of the scale and not actually debilitating, was probably unhelpful. That actually in his opinion "suck it up and get on with your life" might be the best advice sometimes, because such conditions can become self-fulfilling, and getting on with your life, doing stuff and achieving things might be the best remedy. Rather than dwelling on the problem and giving yourself the excuse "I am depressed/anxious" I don't know how/if that maps to trauma, and there was a lot of backlash...

lynx97 1y ago
In my experience, he is right.
array_key_first 1y ago
The problem with "suck it up and get on with it" is that it works, but it's not optimal a lot of the time. You can be successful and absolutely miserable. You can push yourself to do anything, and be abusing substances at the same time. Being functional or meeting arbitrary goals of capitalism and patriachy does not make you happy or good.
- Nursie 1y ago
  I think you missed the point. The point is not pretending to be functional for the sake of it, putting on a facade and calling everything great. It's that being functional often works to help in and of itself. Getting out of the house, socialising, exercising and working towards your own goals in life, cutting down on booze and drugs, getting proper sleep etc, can and does have an effect and can alleviate the problem. It's not a mask, it's a remedy in many minor cases. Compared to medicalising minor bouts of depression or anxiety (which may well really just be part of the human experience), calling them a 'condition', which may render people more helpless and encourage wallowing in it which is likely to make things worse. Sometimes picking yourself up and getting on with it is what you actually need. If that doesn't work for you, seek help, sure, nobody's saying you shouldn't.
  - array_key_first 1y ago
    I agree generally, it's just that this isn't a cure all solution and it's also quite deceiving. Meaning, someone doing well does not mean they are actually doing well. People who are very successful and loved people kill themselves often. Had we asked them if they needed help, they might not have died. Undoubtedly, the facade of good mental health is a strategy to be successful in a patriarchal capitalist society. That makes it tricky.

by Nursie 1y ago

lynx97 1y ago

In my experience, he is right.

array_key_first 1y ago

The problem with "suck it up and get on with it" is that it works, but it's not optimal a lot of the time. You can be successful and absolutely miserable. You can push yourself to do anything, and be abusing substances at the same time. Being functional or meeting arbitrary goals of capitalism and patriachy does not make you happy or good.

Nursie 1y ago
I think you missed the point. The point is not pretending to be functional for the sake of it, putting on a facade and calling everything great. It's that being functional often works to help in and of itself. Getting out of the house, socialising, exercising and working towards your own goals in life, cutting down on booze and drugs, getting proper sleep etc, can and does have an effect and can alleviate the problem. It's not a mask, it's a remedy in many minor cases. Compared to medicalising minor bouts of depression or anxiety (which may well really just be part of the human experience), calling them a 'condition', which may render people more helpless and encourage wallowing in it which is likely to make things worse. Sometimes picking yourself up and getting on with it is what you actually need. If that doesn't work for you, seek help, sure, nobody's saying you shouldn't.
- array_key_first 1y ago
  I agree generally, it's just that this isn't a cure all solution and it's also quite deceiving. Meaning, someone doing well does not mean they are actually doing well. People who are very successful and loved people kill themselves often. Had we asked them if they needed help, they might not have died. Undoubtedly, the facade of good mental health is a strategy to be successful in a patriarchal capitalist society. That makes it tricky.