MENTAL ILLNESS

Gentle Readers,

A friend told me she doesn't understand mental illness.

I told her she doesn't understand it because she can't see it. It's not like a broken arm that's in a cast. People with mental illnesses probably wish they could wrap bandages around their heads and get better.

Of course, we can observe mental illness at times; for example, the person who is so depressed that she can't get out of bed or the person who is psychotic and finally admits that he hears voices talking to him that no one else can hear.

However, I think mental illness is rooted in hatred. Yes, I know about brain chemistry imbalances and connectors in the brain that didn't connect properly because of childhood trauma.

But what caused those imbalances and that lack of connection in the first place? I mentioned childhood trauma, and in my experience, that trauma comes from child abuse. And child abuse comes from hatred of the child or hatred of seeing oneself in the child.

And if depression is anger turned inwards, then the depression is hatred of oneself. Disassociation? The person has to disappear from reality because of the hatred he's experienced in the past.

Yes, I'm afraid mental illness has a great deal to do with hatred. Not always, but it's the only explanation I can offer my friend right now.

Love,

Lola