Going Mad? Understanding Mental Illness

Madness is as much a part of being human as is joy.

the patient comes first.’

In the world of healing there is no room for exclusivity, professional egotism and pedantic manoeuvrings — the patient comes first.’

is as if they have become the Greek character Sisyphus, who has suddenly found the extra strength to push the boulder over the ridge of the mountain and down the other side, finally freeing himself from repeated failures.

It’s so ironic, setbacks were not part of his repertoire. It’s easier to be a big fish in a small pond, but Paris was shark-infested waters.

Within the world of the classical definitions we are actively psychotic.

Without being oversimplistic, we can come out of our psychotic dream state when the alarm rings and end it. However, John experiences his dreams in waking consciousness. In other words he is caught up in a continuous daydream.

The imprint left by years of self-loathing is not likely to be shifted by a pill or a potion.

Surely one of the fundamental laws of consciousness must be: As I am perceived by others, so shall I perceive myself.

f we see symptoms as expressions of an underlying personal history, they can be valuable sources of information — they can point the way to a solution. In much the same way as a pain in our big toe draws our attention to an ingrown toenail, a psychological symptom alerts us to an underlying problem. Anaesthetising the symptom or shooting the messenger defeats its purpose and is not a wise move.