Imagine that someone has received a blow to the head somehow \u2013 an accident at work, a fall at home, perhaps \u2013 somehow the person\u2019s head was struck hard enough to injure the brain. Now consider what would happen if this injury affected the person\u2019s behavior, causing him to act in a bizarre or irrational manner. Those who knew of the injury would feel compassion. Poor guy, he can\u2019t help it, he has an injury to his brain that causes him to act that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Most of us understand that people whose behavior is erratic because of an injury or illness in the brain aren\u2019t responsible for their actions. They\u2019ve been hurt. What they\u2019re doing is a symptom of a problem, not something they\u2019ve chosen. They need to be treated with respect and compassion, not ridicule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All of this applies to the mentally ill. We\u2019ve also received an injury to the brain. How it happened, what exactly the injury was, what might be done about it \u2013 these questions usually remain unanswered. We rarely have a blow to the head to point to as an explanation for our misery, no obvious wound or physical damage. Most of the time, highly sophisticated and complex devices such as the fMRI or the PET scan are required to identify differences between a normal brain and one that is malfunctioning. The differences are real and they are significant. They can mean the difference between a normal life and one of unending suffering; or between life and death.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Imagine that someone has received a blow to the head somehow \u2013 an accident at work, a fall at home, perhaps \u2013 somehow the person\u2019s head was struck hard enough to injure the brain. Now consider what would happen if … Continue reading