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Trust. Imagine it. Think about it. Let the concept seep into your brain.
How many times a day do you trust someone?
You trust that your house was built safely, that the roof won’t cave in or the walls won’t fall down.
You trust that your toothpaste is safe for you to use.
You trust that the water in your shower won’t make you sick.
You trust that the barista at the coffee shop didn’t accidently spray cleaning fluid into your drink.
You trust that the cook at the restaurant washed his hands after using the toilet.
You trust that drivers will almost always obey the rules of the road.
You trust that the food you buy in the grocery store isn’t going to make you sick.
You trust that laundry detergent and dish washing soap are safe to use.
You trust that the people who make hand sanitizers, and deodorant didn’t use poisonous chemicals.
You trust the people that make shampoo, gel, and foam.
There are literally hundreds of people we trust on an average day.
Now imagine being psychotic, and not trusting any of them.
It’s torturous. It is hell. Nowhere is safe. Nothing is safe. You can’t get comfortable. The world is a dangerous and hostile place. You are trying to stay alive, but it is possible that anything can and will kill you.
Now imagine, someone approaches a person who is feeling that way, and gives them orders. It’s likely that scenario is going to go badly, because a person who is terrified of almost everyone and everything isn’t going to think following an order is going to keep them alive. Most likely, they are going to think following the order is going to hurt them.
I don’t know the best way to handle someone who is psychotic, but I do know, shooting them is the worst possible option.
We need much more training on how to deal with the mentally ill. I believe all lives matter, even the ones that are difficult to understand, and the ones you may not want to encounter.
On my best days, I feel love for every creature. On my worst days, I don’t have the strength to love even the most lovable, and that is when I need you to keep an eye on me, and step in and lend me a hand.
When I read your post I feel enlightened about what my mom went through with her illness. She had schizophrenia as well, and at that time, there were not many resources for her or our family to help us understand. I really appreciate your honest, beautiful posts.
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I’m sorry to hear your mom had schizophrenia. It is a tough illness to battle. I hope you have some good memories of your mom and it wasn’t too hard on you.
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I have been contemplating writing a post on trust for a while now. The thing that keeps mauling around in my head is that I have so many issues with trust stemming from childhood trauma and then stemming from myself because the one person I was suppose to be able to trust let me down in a big way, and that person was myself. So its been a hard journey since.
Wonderfully written piece, I never really thought about the fact that we trust that many people in the run of a day.
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Yes, trust is a huge issue for lots of people with a mental illness.
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I completely agree with you – there is a need for improvement. I just wrote an article about a new initiative that requires police officers to be accompanied by a mental health worker in mental health cases. The social services and justice system are working together to help provide mental health patients with the help they need. Perhaps, you’d be interested in reading the article.
https://thesocialparalegal.wordpress.com/2015/04/13/criminal-justice-system-meets-mental-health/
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Thanks, I will read it!
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