A Message to Those Struggling With Mental Illness – Part One
The children of a friend of mine are taking him to task because apparently, he was a dictatorial father.
I know enough about his family dynamics to know that he did everything within his power to raise and train his children such that they would become productive members of society.
He brought them up as a single parent. He worked full time, yet he was still a full time dad.
I vividly remember the custody battle with his ex-wife. He was so incensed by the possibility of his kids being taken away from him that he was prepared to contemplate the unthinkable.
Both of his children are now professionals earning far above the average salaries of those in their age group. Yet, faced with the complexities of life, they engaged a shrink who convinced them that their inability to handle life’s complexities was the result of their upbringing rather than their failure to develop the mental and moral vigour needed to cope with life’s trials.
Life is Difficult
There are always difficult choices in life
At every stage of our lives, we are faced with different layers of complexities. Coping with each layer of complexity requires different skills.
The problem many face is not being equipped with the requisite skills to navigate the different phases of their lives.
There are three categories of mentally ill people.
Category one comprises severely mentally impaired individuals. Those people are incapable of navigating the complexities of life no matter how hard they try.
Those in this category deserve our goodwill, sympathy, prayers, and help.
But they are in the minority.
The second category include those unfortunate individuals who have either become mentally ill or erroneously classed as such through continued interaction with disingenuous shrinks. These unfortunate people have been deemed mentally ill by unscrupulous shrinks who desire nothing more than to increase their clientele and benefit their pockets.
Category three are those simply suffering from chronic shitty life syndrome. Like my friend’s kids, they simply lack the ability to navigate the complexities of life.
Those in category one require professional help. As I am not trained in the field, my only hope is that they will get the help of genuine trained professionals who have love for helping others.
But from where I stand, I can only pray for them and advise them to pray for themselves. There is a master physician who cures all sickness.
For those in categories two and three, please read part two of this article series, I will outline some steps you can take to get control of your life and once again become a productive member of society.
