IT TAKES ONE A LONG TIME TO BECOME YOUNG

THE REBELLION OF THE MENTALLY ILL

I know, I know, I'm supposed to be clever and write something here everyday. At least it seems the WDC e-mails I have gotten EVERY SINGLE day reminding me to "Update Your Blog". Are they that anxious to see me roving through blogville?

i have no brilliant insights into the complete and utter wackiness that folks have draped themselves with. My career was as a Psychiatric Social Worker.....for over 20 some years. I've dealt with all "those" people long ago. The ones who were locked up in State Mental Hospitals because the world didn' want to see little retarded kids roaming their cities. I dealt with Pedophiles, long before the hysteria ignited about how many are really lurking around. My job was to keep them locked up for as many years as possible. I dealt with the gang bangers, sex offendors, rapists, murderers, violent, uncontrollable people in the world who were darn right dangerous and scary. I've treated abused kids, addicts, alcoholics, schizophrenics (they were kind of fun to listen to - when they talked to their imaginary friends); psychotics, suicidal teenagers, kids that wiffed glue from bags, kids who cut themselves with razor blades. Seems I've heard every tale that could every be told, heard every story, listened to to experiences that even now would shock and horrify the 'normal" folk out there.
I retired....but I enjoyed being a counselor, Social Worker, trying to help families deal with guilt and frustration over their children. Helping sick people get better, helping them learn to do the simple things we take for granted. helping a phobic go into a grocery store. teach someone how to take the buses in town., listen late into the evening (while on call) to a young man who told me straight out he had a gun and was going over to the local High School and was going to kill a few people. (This was YEARS before the Columbine shootings). The kid was serious. But, I did what I had to do......woke the school principal up at midnight, explained this was NOT a joke (it was an ex-classmate, wanting revenge toward his ex-girlfriend still in school). I called the cops, and explained that he needed to be arrested for something, anything, jaywalking, make something up......just told the cops to get him to mental health....to buy a few days until he signed himself out.

Not sure why all this came to mind - but, I guess I'm not surprised at the many violent events that have occurred in the last 5-6 years. It was as if I saw it all 20 years ago....tension mounting, frustration, folks feeling "less than", teenagers bewildered, damaged badly by sick parents.

Unfortunately, the 'normal" type folks who can hold it together....never did see it coming. Shootings, child mloesting, serial rapists, arsonists running amuck - gang bangers feeding off of the gangster rap crap music from Compton.

There's an underbelly, there always has been........but now there are no rules, no "don't cross over this line". Anything goes now, especially if it'll get you on YouTube.........

I'm glad i helped many, many, many people rise from despair, depression, addiction,.....I'm thankful to the scientists who discovered new medicines that have allowed pshychotic folks to be able o live in an apartment, and not be freaking out. And I'm proud of the Psychiatrists who have medicinal tools and who I've seen, literally make a person go from wacko to normal overnight. because the right combination of diagnosis and medicine was given.

We've come a long way - no sanitariums, no lobotomies, no thorozine shuffles and babbbling side effects.

Today you'll see a kid with Down's Syndrome bagging your groceries at Vons or Safeway. You'll see a developmentally disabled person stocking shelves, paid the same wage as anyone else. And you'll usually receive a smile from them, and I hope you return that smile.

Mental health care has come a long way - and I'm proud that i was a small part of that progression. I admit I was often sneaky, and broke the rules alot - but, for the severely handicappped, deaf and blind kids whi had never been anywhere or known what was out there........sneaking them all on a bus bound for Disneyland just seemed to right thing to do. And, I also did a few other major rebellious rule breaking..........bu red tape, blue tape, and going through proper channels was never why I became a Social Worker. i wanted to make Social Change, Community change......and solve problems from Point A to Point B...........Not by running around having clerks stamp a form in 5 seperate buildings.............so, out the window did the form blow.........an accident of course.

My blog i guess says something - I still tell people, BE INSPIRED, BE A REBEL, DON'T LET ANY AGENCY treat you "less than"..............

I hope the next generation will continue on with fighting the good fight, will maintain idealism, will press on, break rules......and help people............one person at a time.