looking past the crazy

Everything isn’t always about illness. That’s what I think mental health practitioners miss. The focus is on symptoms as if they exist in a vacuum and are not a response to trauma. Sometimes looking through or past the obvious is what is necessary for healing.

What if instead of focusing on medicating a symptom like an uncommon belief or delusion, we sought out the underlying emotions or core needs? In the peer community we meet many different people with many different experiences. Perceptions are as varied as the grains of sand on a beach. I’ve met individuals who were convinced that they were great historical figures, celebrities, or government big wigs. As a peer specialist working in a clinical environment it would have been easy for me to approach them like a clinician and ask about medication compliance. I could have used psych terms like delusional to describe their experience and suggested they see a psychiatrist. But that wouldn’t have addressed what they were really struggling with.

That approach would not address the intense emotion associated with their beliefs. That approach would dismiss for example the enormous sense of responsibility for others of a person who believes they are Jesus Christ. Responding to feelings of being insignificant by asserting that one is Michael Jackson might seem illogical at first glance, but is it that much different from inflating one’s accomplishment on a resume or at a job interview? The desired result is the same, namely, to generate a sense of worth in the eyes of others. And really, who cares if a person believes they are Gandhi if that belief does not interfere with their ability to care for themselves or live a satisfying life?

So, what about when these uncommon beliefs get an individual into trouble with the law or cause interpersonal conflicts? Psych meds alone aren’t going to keep a person out of jail or mend a relationship. That’s when assisting an individual with figuring out the purpose of the uncommon belief is essential. Say my uncommon belief is that I am a prophet and am obligated to physically embrace everyone I come in contact with to demonstrate God’s love. It’s easy to see how this belief could cause me heartache and cause distress for others. One way to address this isn’t to label me delusional, but rather to address my need to show God’s love to others. An insightful peer would ask me to explore other ways of doing this such as volunteering at a soup kitchen or homeless pantry. Finding another outlet to satisfy the core need of this uncommon belief can be more effective than upping the dosage of an antipsychotic drug. Who knows how much more our lives might be enriched by the efforts of this individual.

This approach would take courage and a willingness to look beyond a diagnosis or jumble of off-putting behaviors. It would require that we refrain from judging the experiences of others from an illness perspective and just calling people crazy. This approach would demand that we spend time with individuals going through these challenging experiences and give more of ourselves in support. It’s not enough to nod condescendingly to someone expressing an uncommon belief in the hope that they will stop talking. We need to do more to assist them in working through their experiences.