My experience, as a kid and later as a teenager, of the mental health system was non-existent when it came to be being listened to. I was told, when I was eight, that the anti-depressants and sleeping tablets I was being prescribed were to make me “feel better”. The GP tried to make light of it by being humorous but instead it made me kinda confused as I didn’t know what was happening.
I don’t recall being asked what I felt. But there was a marked difference when I saw a child psychologist who actually talked to me and listened. By the time I was a teenager it reverted back to being told what was good for me and that included high dosages of chemical coshes (RD Laing was correct when he said, people are observed but not listened to..). I felt seen but not heard, invisible. The sessions with the shrink consisted of questions/answers. It ultimately led to his own definition and labelling of my own mental distress.
It was like I didn’t own my own experiences or even be allowed to express my own ideas or interpretations. Shrink knows best. What was also revealing ideologically, looking back, is that the mental health rsystem reflects and perpetuates oppression that exists in society. My shrink had his own sexist perceptions of how women should be behave and that came across in his sessions.
The reasons for my loony bin trip down memory lane is that the charity Young Minds has said that mental health professionals don’t involve children and young people in their treatment.
“Young people in general are not always listened to and their views are not always taken into consideration in society in general,” says Sarah Brennan, chief executive of YoungMinds. “There is something about having a mental health problem that exacerbates that even more and somehow they are not seen as able to make a reasonable judgement, but of course they can.”
And that’s the point, the assumption is that children and young people cannot make their own decisions or be able to engage in the process. It does render you powerless and certainly that’s how I felt as a kid and as a teenager. Everyone else knew best especially the professionals and my views were meaningless. It impacts on self-worth, confidence and esteem. It worsens, along with undermining your own perception and understanding of your own experiences.
And as stated in the article, kids and teenagers are rarely listened to on a general level and this exposes the postion of young people in this society. Also, even as an adult I still was rarely listened to when it came to mental distress or being active in defining my own experiences. Instead people with the power over you know better while you are the just the passive person exhibiting the symptoms that need analysing and labelling.
And as 13 year old Amy says: “I think it is very unfair to put a young person in a position where you are choosing their life steps because you think they are incapable,” Shaw says. “If most doctors had the patience to sit and listen for a little longer, they would realise that they are underestimating these children.”
Posted by harpymarx 
