“Practice of Madness” is a double entendre, that extends to levels far beyond the individual, making it have an extended triple meaning:
- As diagnosed and certified “mad people” – both Alarryyk and I share the label of “bipolar”, we thus “practice” madness in our everyday lives. However, since we are informed researchers on the topic, we reject our labels, as they are essentially irrational, based on a list of “symptoms” that are supposedly common to all “bipolar” individuals, located in the “Bible of Psychiatry” – the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), available for free download on this site. We have found through our own experiences, the experiences of others, and our research that individuals given this diagnosis have very different experiences of “mania”, “hypomania”, “depression”, and “mixed states”. We reject the dichotomy that exists to describe “normal” versus “abnormal” individuals, their emotions, and their behaviours. We believe that anyone can be pushed into these states under certain social conditions. Since this is not the view of the powerful institution of psychiatry, or most non-psychiatrized individuals, we write about the differential treatment that we are subject to, including the issues of stigmatization, discrimination, and marginalization.
- The double entendre comes in as psychiatry itself is a “practice of madness” – from the inhumane treatment that psychiatric patients are subjected to, such as over- and forced medication and electroshock “therapy” (now termed “electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT…I guess “convulsive” is supposed to sound terrifying than “shock”??), to the negligence that results in many deaths every year because of irresponsible physicians prescribing drugs en masse, after being brainwashed by the pharmaceutical industry during medical school into believing that “mental disorders” are mere “chemical imbalances in the brain” – which is only a theory. Under the Geneva Conventions, these “treatments” are considered torture, yet psychiatry gets away with inflicting them on thousands of individuals every day, given their status as “patients”.
- The institution of psychiatry and it’s forever-increasing power, along with the experience of marginalization, demonstrate a “malignant microcosm” – other individuals are subject to human rights violations by other powerful institutions, such as the government, a societal structure based on patriarchal values, and corporate entities. Thus, we believe this blog offers something to all marginalized peoples, as we navigate a mad world and share this experience.
The artwork and photographs shown here are from three different sources. The first is from Lotuswork’s impressive collection of drawings, at a blog where he works through his experience of “bipolar disorder” through alternative treatments, art, and more. The second is from an absolutely disgusting blog called “Dr. Shock”, created by a psychiatrist who is a big fan of ECT, leading me to wonder, has this “doctor” ever witnessed the short- and long-term effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy, or does he just really like delivering electrical current into people’s brains? The third is from a run-of-the-mill self-help site that defines “bipolar disorder” in the way we hate – the definition that belies the DSM list, making claims about genetics, the statistical proportion of the population that is supposedly “bipolar”, and the false association with the disorder and severe drug and alcohol abuse.
O velho ditado diz:" De médico e louco todos nós temos um pouco"! Eu sou nice "bipolar" kkk.Suas informações são preciosas! visite o meu blog. niceveloso.blogspot.com
I agree! "We all go a little mad sometimes…"
could cause me to experience a jump to a slightly different plane of reality…kind of like being on a fairly strong dose of mushrooms for several days…incredibly frightening at first, but pleasant and very rare now.
I use medical discourse because I've been labeled this by psychiatrists, but I think there is a spectrum of how intensely one experiences the world – I am definitely on the high end of the spectrum, such that sometimes, just seeing a certain pattern on the ground that reminded me of something I saw during my 7 med-induced seizure
I wish I could interpret more of your message – do you speak French or Japanese? Only other languages I know, no Portuguese unfortunately! I will visit your blog at once!
scars xoxo
I am a survivor of multiple overmedication and the practice of psychologists and psychiatrists to maintain a certain level of sickness with which to maintain an income. I no longer see a shrink and don't plan to ever go back to one, for any reason. While I was diangosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder or Multiple Personality, I now disbelieve any diagnosis relating to my psychological makeup. I don't believe a doctor can figure me out, for I don't fit in any pigeonhole, slot, mold, or other classification.
Psychology has little or no use, considering it has expanded beyond its useful reach. ANYONE who seeks psychiatric assistance is automatically mentally ill, most often seeing a psychiatrist whose prescription pad is written on before the notebook is opened, and an SSRI or worse is prescribes, and then, "What's troubling you?" is asked.
Presently, I self medicate with a little alcohol, occasionally reefer (rare) and even more rare, salvia divinorum. I've been through Hell, and according to the DSM-IV, I should be heavily medicated on lots of benzodiazapenes. I prefer chocolate. It's faster and safer, and leaves little for side effects.
I'm sorry I've taken some time getting back! I've been a little down and out since my "Effexor Redux" experiment.
Precisely – just because a sample of individuals share a few common characteristics, doesn't mean they have any cohesive relation that can be categorized as a specific "disease". I remember, many, many years ago, joking around with my best bud (I believe some reefer was involved), that we could fit any category of criteria in the DSM! I'm heavily medicated on the benzos…plus Effexor…plus a "mood stabilizer" that I often forget to take because it doesn't have any observable effect. I take the Effexor because of the withdrawal I go through without it, and the benzos to control the anxiety the Effexor causes, plus PTSD symptoms.
And damn, a few nights over the past couple of years that I've spent trying some plants (ethnobotanicals) from around the world have done more for me than all psychotherapists/psychiatrists/psy-whatevers I've seen – they taught me about my ancestry, made me forgive myself for mistakes I made when I was young and pressure was put on me to act as a mom to my little sister, etc, etc.
Although chocolate…I'm going to get some right now!
Cheers!
scars xo
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The best compliment I could receive
My dream has been to be a writer since I was 8 years old…I still have my journals from back then (don't quite think they're blog-worthy! 
) . Comments like yours enrich my spirit and keep me going. I'm honoured to have you on the feed.
May 2012 treat you very, very well!
scars XO
ps – I tried to email this to you, but it said the address was out of service
"Thanks again for your lovely and amazing compliment, to be cliché for a moment (it's 7 am, I'm allowed, hehe). I noticed that you sell kratom, and I was wondering if you would at all be interested in setting up an ad (I would require a SMALL payment) on my site…I've got 1500 registered users, about another 750 on the RSS feed, 57 networked blogs followers (just started that a couple months back), and site visits = almost 500 GB in traffic/month (I know because I have a cincopa account, and I pay $19.99/mo for their "100-500 GB traffic" package, and I'm now getting messages saying that I'm over 80% above my limit). I advertise for some other ethnobotanical sites that have affiliate programs and do alright, but I find private advertising arrangements work SO much better. I have past posts on kratom and I could put in links and all that jazz…lemme know if you're at all interested – if not, I will most certainly not take it personally!
Best Wishes,
"
Jen (a.k.a. scarsarestories
Send me an email at scarsarestories@gmail.com!
I am a current student of psychology. I really like your posts. I too am disturbed by the use of drugs by psychiatry. I have been marginalized trying to prove the drugs do more harm then good from writing papers about the harms of antidepressants. Example: prozac tested 6 times with placebo. 4 times placebo was better 2 times prozac was better. FDA passes it saying we tested it twice and it worked!! I got a D on that paper because "antidepressants help people" according to my professor.
Hey! Thanks so much, Dustin…as you probably know from one post or another, "your" compliments make my world because they fulfill my "always has been" dream.
and you've got it!) that had a thesis stating that George W. Bush was the best president the USA ever saw, I would give it an A+! There may not be a formula to answering an essay question, but there is to marking one!
Now, holy FUCK re: the "D". Can I have this professor's e-mail address? I would like to give him some anonymous feedback, of course letting him know that I am NOT a student nor do I speak of any specific student, so he can skip right past any desire to lash out in the form of poor marks or embarrassment in class (I bet the guy likes embarrassing his students in front of a class that will feed his ego and laugh and nod along with him, am I wrong?), but WHO ON BLOODY EARTH TAUGHT HIM HOW TO MARK A PAPER?!? WHAT THE HELL??? That's just incredibly WRONG!!!! From a goddamn "scientific, empirical standpoint". Marking based on one's personal opinions…and that's it? Disagree with me = F? Or maybe "I think [though he would never say "think" but claim to "know"...what a fool!] antidepressants saved my wife's life so they work, and I'm going to bring my 'knowledge' with me in my briefcase like a math professor carries a protractor"?! HOLY NO.!!! SERIOUSLY…if a student gave me a paper that was properly researched and made logical conclusions, on top of being well-written (which is uncommon, when facing a stack, to be kind
Wow. Academia blows me away in its absurdity once again. I knew that such opinions were marginalized in psych departments, but I didn't know that this went on. Holy shit.
Thank-you so much for informing me. I feel the need to DO something…