Unless you have been living under a rock this past week you read, watched TV, listened to talk radio, about the firing of Juan Williams by NPR. No this is not a political diatribe, but a commentary about the fall out of words. The CEO of NPR derided Mr. Williams by telling him to discuss his issues with his psychiatrist. Immediately the reaction from Mr. Williams was to accuse the CEO of slander for implying he was unstable, which in effect that was what she was trying to do. She issued a public apology for the psychiatrist comment the next day. The media outlets lit up with the defamation charge against Mr. Williams not because of what he originally said, for which he was called racist, and for what they used as his reason for firing him, but the fact that he was slandered with the label of mental illness. Because the CEO of NPR said Mr. Williams should discuss his issues with his psychiatrist she implied he was considered unstable and that made him unfit to be a journalist or remain in their employ. Apart from the fact that this would be a direct violation of the Americans with Disability Act it truly bespeaks of a terrible amount of ignorance.
The reality is that I believe this does not bode well for our children. So many of our children see a therapist or psychiatrist among the many doctors that monitor their programs. For many of them on medication it’s the only way to receive the medications that help them with the focus, anxiety, depression, tics, and myriad of other co-morbid issues. That society does not see that this as a necessary outgrowth of actually alleviating a neurological based condition and that it actually helps them function is truly telling about the hills our children have to climb.
It is without a doubt terribly saddening because the nasty comments came from those that actually pride themselves on their open mindedness and their respect for the variety found in society. In fact these journalists who are supposed to be those that lead the way in thought and deed have shown themselves to be some of the most closeminded individuals on the planet. To deride someone for seeking help is beyond contempt. To belittle them for seeking health care is beyond contempt. To demean those that have issues and declare that they are unfit for society is repulsive and smacks of historical bigotry.
The sad thing is that no one came to the defense of those with mental illness. No one in the media or politics or science for that matter actually stood up and said this is repugnant to demean persons with mental illnesses and needs. Oh sure they derided the fact that Mr. Williams was declared unstable by NPR, but no one said so what if he did see a therapist or a psychiatrist? What does that have to do with his understanding and view of the world? What does that have to do with his ability to report and comment on the happenings of the day? What does that have to do with his ability to truthfully tell how he feels in a situation? Where were the mental health professionals? Where was the AMA? Where were any of the professional societies that support those who practice mental health?
No one stood up and defended those who have neurological imbalances. No one stood up and said this is defamation. No one stood up and said that people who take medication for psychiatric defined neurological issues are quite capable of functioning and leading full and successful lives. Twenty years after the Americans With Disability Act and there is still a stigma to having a disability, especially one that requires a psychiatrist.
Hubby has always been very protective of the boys and their privacy. He is afraid that one day the boys will go for a job and be turned down because the parent of a student they went to school with will remember that they had issues growing up. It is also why when the boys applied to college we also did not tell the colleges about their disabilities. With the reaction of society to Mr. Williams being defamed per the psychiatry comment, I can see where he gets his fear for the boy’s future and why we need to be even more vigilant and more proactive in protecting their privacy.
As we advocate for our children to be accepted by society because of their autism, it has become apparent to me that we have a much longer way to go than previously thought. For it is not just about their autism it is about their right to treatment and the fact that that treatment should be respected. Their need for treatment does not make them a lesser person. Their need for treatment does not make them incapable of being positive and productive members of society. OK, I will say it, society still really sucks. Until next time, Elise
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Comments (9)
OK. I will say I do not have autism nor does anyone in my family. I do not pretend to know much about that...but I wanted to cry when I read this, not only because I want to dedicate my life to psychology, but because I would be dead if not for my therapist.
It's silly. Pretty much everyone (if not everyone) would benefit greatly from having a (good) psychologist. So many people have so many issues.
I have a psychiatrist and I don't care what people think about it...
@Liquid_Pain_523@xanga - I agree with that..
That was so insensitive of the CEO. I saw two therapists during my teenage years. Without the second therapist, i probably would have dissolved into nothing. She changed my life just by listening to what i had to say.
Very good post. One of the better one in a long time. And a valid point.
This stigma needs to be lifted.
Great great post. I think a lot of lives could be saved from losing to mental illness with a good therapist or psychologist. I know a lot of people don't see one when they have serious problems because "they're not crazy".
O gosh... I could spend the next hour going on about this. But I won't. It's the people who don't see therapists that are messed up. Take my brother and I for example. We both have PTSD. I get help for mine and he doesn't. We were raised in the same family. I've never had substance abuse issues. He has. I'm not nearly as unstable as him. He's a woman beater, and basic prosecuter in the codependent triangle. I've worked through so many years of therapy I'm not even in parts of a dysfunctional family. He threatens suicide when his wife leaves him, because he's seeing other women, because he wants her to beg him not to die. He yells at my five year old little niece to look powerful in front of strangers. But it really makes him look like a jackass. And I'm the sick one for getting help??? Because the word psychiatric comes into play. Yah well I'm cool with that... The best part is, I won't say his exact job title, but it's serving the public.
This is absolutely ridiculous and pisses me off beyond belief.
I have one son with debilitating ADD and another with Asperger's. My husband has both of these. I have had depression/anxiety issues for years. We have all been to psychiatrists (well, except my husband who refuses to seek help, but that's another story...) for our issues. If you need help and you seek help, that is a good and positive thing. The ones who don't seek help are the ones who should be stigmatized.
I work in a hospital that has a very busy psychiatric unit. It really, really bothers me when I hear comments from employees about how they don't want to go to the "scary 5th floor."
If it weren't for my therapist, I may be dead. He saved my life.