Of Disapproving Doctors.

This was a hard one to write. The Finishing School of Flail, [livejournal.com profile] staxxy, and [livejournal.com profile] maiaarts were all incredibly helpful. Thank you!

Okay folks, you know the drill. Please go forth and spread the word about the new post!
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From: [identity profile] pathdancer.livejournal.com


I can see why this one was difficult to write. But what you advised was (in my opinion) absolutely spot-on.

You are a very cool lady.

From: [identity profile] mimi-monsterr.livejournal.com


I'm so glad you wrote this. I suffer from very bad night terrors,and when I confided in my doctor, he blamed my love for vampire/horror books and films!Which is ridiculous as this runs in my family and I have suffered from it most of my life :/

From: [identity profile] amethyst-clan.livejournal.com


I think you really handled the question well.

From: [identity profile] rocket-jockey.livejournal.com


I think you've given good advice - but I suspect that unless the person can find a mental care provider within the subculture she's going to be dealing with people who read journal articles like the one abstracted here (http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121371835/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0), where researchers looked at Goth kids who came to them for help and generalized their problems over the entire subculture, rather than considering that their sample might be skewed because they only were seeing people who needed help.

I did an (admittedly limited) literature search and that was the least alarmist abstract I came across. :/


From: [identity profile] starpolish.livejournal.com


Ugh, it is stuff like this that makes me want to buck it up and go back to school to get my Ph.D in psych like I originally planned. I do know there have been studies out there that show that teens involved in goth culture actually tend to do better in school than their mainstream peers. I'll have to find that article.

From: [identity profile] javagoth.livejournal.com


I think I will try posting a link on my MySpace and my Fetlife accounts - because most of my LJ friends list already know and love you...

From: [identity profile] theosakakoneko.livejournal.com


That letter makes me sad.

It's so sad that this is still the image after so long. I had to deal with the same negative images when I taught in Japan. For example, there was one student who was a cutter and had social anxiety issues such that she couldn't enter the classroom and had to take all her classes by herself in a private room (a common problem in Japan, but one I won't go into here as it's a digression). When discussing her case at a teacher's meeting, all her homeroom teacher could say is "Well, you know how it is, she listens to that Dir en Grey." ...

It is a very sad thing, and it makes me sick. Unfortunately our media continues to enforce this image over and over again. We need a primetime TV show about a happy, well-rounded group of 20-somethings who have healthy relationships and well-paying rewarding jobs who just happen to like to wear black and have elegant darkly decorated apartments and dance to industrial music and listen to Bauhaus on the morning commute. That's a show I would support.

This post made me want to cry for that poor young lady (?). Unfortunately, I fear her case is far from unique...most persons I've met in the medical fields are similarly narrow-minded. I'm grateful that I haven't had to deal with them personally yet.

That said, I think you gave some good advice. I hope things work out well for her.

From: [identity profile] indilwen.livejournal.com


I went to a lot of therapists/psych doctors before finding some people who finally worked for me, because of the same issue.

OF COURSE it was liking Goth and the music of artists like Emilie Autumn, Dir en Grey, Malice Mizer and The Cure that "triggered" my bipolar disorder, anorexia and anxiety! Of course my love for horror exacerbated my panic attacks, nevermind that they were always COMPLETELY unrelated to the novels and movies I enjoyed, and more connected to the three above issues.

It's amazing how doctors will radically misinterpret the (healthy) things people will do to cope with/get some enjoyment out of life.

From: [identity profile] starpolish.livejournal.com


Because, you know, there's no way that you were drawn to those artists because you can relate to them, instead of hte other way around (or, y'know, just because you like them). Ugh. Psychology people should know better. :(

From: [identity profile] indilwen.livejournal.com


EXACTLY. God.
And nothing against psych majors/doctors, but I've had one too many instances of someone finding out about one of my health problems and going "I've taken a psych class, I might be able to help you!"
Talk about rage...

From: [identity profile] starpolish.livejournal.com


I have a psychology degree. I worked at a shelter for a year with kids who ranged from "basically no issues other than normal rebelliousness" to "severe psychosis." I cannot STAND people who think taking one class or even having the undergrad degree means crap. Even people with the Ph.Ds and Psy.Ds get it wrong. Psych is so terribly new relative to science, and way more complex than most people realize.

I'm sorry you've had those crappy experiences. Not all psych people are douche bags (though I will admit I get frustrated when people say "that's person's schizophrenic" re: characters in fiction with Dissociative Identity Disorder..)

From: [identity profile] starpolish.livejournal.com


Er, left out a sentence in my first paragraph. It should have ended "That doesn't mean I'm an expert and can fix everything magically by spouting some Psych 101 at you."

From: [identity profile] stillbourne.livejournal.com


Im poting a clicky-link to my asylum.....
Those kids need to read this.
VEYR WELL DONE, lady!
xoxo

From: [identity profile] strawberry-goth.livejournal.com


I see why that was a tough one. Good advice. Reminds me when my brother was admitted to a mental health facility, and the doctors decided based on my appearance that I was a bad influence on him(I was being supportive. They even tried to keep me from seeing him. Sad isn't it?

From: [identity profile] gloomsan.livejournal.com


I've just watche one of your video's online, I love your accent!!

From: [identity profile] gloomsan.livejournal.com


Sorry, I ment it more in you have a nice American accent. (I like in the UK)

It's not harsh or anything

I'll shut up now

From: [identity profile] cupcake-goth.livejournal.com


No, no, don't shut up! I just can never remember who is where. If I'd remembered you were in the UK, I wouldn't have been confused. :)

I'm glad you like my American accent. I wonder if it's undergone any changes considering the Stroppy One is a Brit, and we've been married for 12 years. :)

From: [identity profile] gloomsan.livejournal.com


Not a problem :)

The few American's I've met have wither been from the south of New York area.

Where about is your hubby from? I do know a few American's have been confused by the various different accent's we have here (especially the liverpool accents lol)

:)

From: [identity profile] kambriel.livejournal.com


I remember being in a similar position once in my teen years ~ apparently my buckle boots were the root of all evil, and if only I could be parted from them, all would be well in the world. Well, guess what? I somehow managed to survive their horrid "powers", have happily made a life for myself that incorporates a love that was founded back then, still have that pair of buckle boots to this day, and am planning to have them bronzed ;)

From: [identity profile] m-cobweb.livejournal.com


I actually brought that up with a talk doc once, although he'd never said anything about goth culture, just to make sure he didn't have any ideas along those lines. His response was, "I wear gray every day and I'm not depressed." And we talked about it, and I knew I'd gotten lucky and was in the right place. (I don't mind giving his name out, if anyone would like it.)

From: [identity profile] pope-guilty.livejournal.com


I thought people stopped doing the whole "goth=depressed" concept after high school. :(
.

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