From Sera Davidow's blog at Mad in America
Accepting the true message of the film would mean having to admit we don’t have all the answers. It would mean acknowledging that we’ve given or received incomplete or flatly incorrect information for a long time. It would mean that some well-intentioned people who are highly educated have done harm when they thought they were helping.
It would mean a loss of income for pharmaceutical companies who thrive on the message that virtually everyone can benefit from some sort of pill. It would mean we don’t have easy explanations for why some really scary things happen. It would mean we have to say ‘I don’t know why,’ a hell of a lot more. And sadly, it would mean that some of us will find ourselves asking, “You’re telling me I didn’t have to live like this for all these years?”
No, the message of the film is not anti-medical model. But the film does call for recognition of the pain the medical model has caused. That pain has been caused not so much by its existence but because of the force and dishonesty with which it has been applied. Were there more transparency about the medical model being just one of many options, about the lack of definitive scientific proof for its claims, about the true benefits and risks of psychiatric drugs… Well, then, it would just be another tool in the tool box that we could try or not try, use or discard.
The Message is…
The film’s message is one of freedom. It is one of the right to tell your own story and choose your own path (including the medical model), or to meander about across many paths as works for you.
Read more about the film here and watch the trailer.
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"... The times they are a-changin." - Bob Dylan
ReplyDelete(aging myself)
Be well,
Duane
Hi, Duane,
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen you on the comment circuit recently. Hope you're doing okay. How's that son of yours doing?
Best,
Rossa
Rossa,
ReplyDeleteI've been busy working.
That son of ours is doing fantastic!
He will soon be a senior at the Unversiy of North Texas.
He is majoring in English (literature) and minoring in Japanese. He has his sights set on going to Japan next summer to teach English to Japanese citizens.
He's dating a young Hispanic woman, who comes from a large Mexican-American family - whom (parents, siblings)he will meet next week for the first time... He's a bit nervous, but he'll be okay.
In short, he's thriving.
Thanks for asking.
My best to you and yours.
Duane