ON MENTAL WELLNESS: The De-evolution of Humans. Category: Columns from The Berkeley Daily Planet – Berkeley Daily Planet

At what point was the term "reintegration" dropped from the mental health vocabulary? Furthermore, at what point did it become a major achievement rather than the expected norm for a mental health consumer not to be incarcerated or homeless--or for it to be an accomplishment to live into one's sixth decade? At what point did it become ingrained into people's minds that a mentally ill person can't have a professional career or a decent relationship?

Two or three decades ago, the talk was all about "reintegration" for mentally ill people in recovery, an objective of rejoining society that included competitive work, healthy relationships, living as would someone in the mainstream, and being accepted by others and oneself--as someone essentially "normal." Today, the idea of reintegrating is never spoken of, and it is all about segregation, and preventing mentally ill people from disrupting, or interfering with, the orderliness of society. The underlying assumption is that we absolutely do not have the potential to live normally.

Since the nineteen eighties, society has in general become increasingly hostile, more violent, and meaner. Opportunities for advancement of the ordinary woman or man are less, and that includes any category of person. People are judged by readily obtainable information and not as much as how they presently come across. If you want to make a fresh start in life, you can't do that. Your past will come back to you electronically.

We've seen more terrorism. We've seen less tolerance. We've seen increasing expectations, and the widespread fear of becoming unhoused. Hence, it is no wonder that it is harder for a disabled person of any gender to do well.

War and other violence, in general, cause the human mind to de-evolve to lower levels of consciousness. Violence kills spirit. Violence causes people's minds to function on a primitive level, blocking higher levels of thought, and depriving people of the insights that come with feeling safe. Violence causes the human consciousness to de-evolve.

Almost all of society has, in a multitude of ways, de-evolved. There has been widespread dumbification. Mental health treatment and resources, additionally, have de-evolved. In the nineteen eighties, hope was prevalent that mentally ill people could and would do better in life. But now we're merely struggling to get mentally ill people housed and not incarcerated. We face a systemic degeneration of human thought and cognition. The shoddy treatment of society toward mentally ill people is a symptom of this.

In the latter part of the nineteen eighties, Clozaril became more widely available in the U.S. It is considered the forerunner of a newer group of antipsychotics called "Atypical Antipsychotics." The terminology has been updated to "Second-Generation Antipsychotics." In 1996, Olanzapine was approved by the FDA for use in the U.S. It is newer to chemists by decades. And while Clozaril carries a 1 to 2 percent risk of potentially deadly agranulocytosis, Olanzapine does not have that problem--it has other problems. Things began to go in retrograde at about the time that the "second generation antipsychotics" were put into circulation.

But rather than newer antipsychotics contributing to the decline in the existences of mentally ill people who take it, I'd guess the two changes are mostly unrelated. Newer antipsychotics could do more to block brain function. Second-Generation Antipsychotics act on Dopamine receptors and on Serotonin receptors. On the other hand, older antipsychotics act only on Dopamine receptors. This could make a difference in how we process information while we are medicated. Since I'm not a doctor or an expert on brain chemistry, I'd be unable to dispense any kind of advice or answer to that question.

A friend who has been around the mental health treatment scene longer than I, has made a comment that concerns me. She said that when a mental health consumer is in crisis and seeks help, they are put into facilities that are worse than jails. Apparently, that's the kind of de-evolvement that has taken shape. Mental health services are reverting to Stone Age methods of supposed treatment. What happened to an inpatient psych hospital being a "sanctuary"--a safe and kind place where we could get better?

Mentally ill people face more discrimination than we did thirty years ago. We face more prejudice. We face meaner attitudes. People will intentionally ostracize us when we have done nothing to harm them.

My friends, we have de-evolved. The exact causes could be analyzed for centuries if people still exist and can think centuries from now. And it is no wonder that the lot in life is harder for mentally ill people.

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ON MENTAL WELLNESS: The De-evolution of Humans. Category: Columns from The Berkeley Daily Planet - Berkeley Daily Planet