Reptiles

Reptiles
Silly Grins

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Integration Disorder

schizophrenia (play /ˌskɪtsɵˈfrɛniə/ or /ˌskɪtsɵˈfrniə/) is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness.(Courtesy of Wikipeida)

Not too long ago, schizophrenia was renamed. Now it is called "integration disorder" in an apparent attempt to deal with the negative stigma.  George Carlin would probably have said, "No matter what you call it, it's still 'fucking crazy'."

During another one of those talks over lunch, this time with families and at a park. Hadn't seen them for a while, not since the new addition. 
We talked about being here, what it means, and how to deal with it. The difference. The difference between the image and the reality. 

The image is of a very advanced and civil society. A doctor had remarked at how some papers had been published that dealt with renaming schizophrenia and how, wow, that place must really be ahead. 

He then said, the same doctor who has never visited Japan, an obviously intelligent and 'qualified' individual, paused...and also couldn't help but notice that, for 'developed countries' (or whatever the current term is), Japan's got an amazingly high rate of polypharmacy, possibly leading the pack by a long, long way.

When I heard this, I wanted to nod and pretend that I understood. But I asked for just a little bit more info. 

To people in the field, the idea of coming up with a more refined term through a very thorough process and then to agree on "integration disorder" is kind of on the bi-polar opposite side of the spectrum from the practice of old-fashioned polypharmacy... a practice where medication is all lumped together without too much consideration given to the side-effects, etc. 

At least that's how I thought I understood what he was saying. 

We'd been talking about crazy. And I'd wanted to reconfirm the chilling story he'd told, kind of out of the blue, last time we'd talked...

Something almost unspeakably dark had happened. 
"Could you tell it to me again?" I asked. 

"Okay...here it is. Do you remember that guy..." 

That's a story that I'm still figuring out how to relay because of what it could mean. Maybe in a few days. Fuck. Maybe...



 

7 comments:

  1. I was given Zoloft and a buncha other drugs without even speaking to a bi-lingual Dr.

    I should be dead and almost offed myself 2x. I got off everything including booze for 3 years (Feb 2012). I was drinking 25 beers a day and taking sleeping pills to no avail because of the drug cocktail i never really slept for months. I have been told since that i shoulda died and the sleeping pills on top of the tranqs and booze shoulda stopped my heart.

    There but by the grace of God go I......this place is 3rd world in a lot of ways.

    I own my part of the fiasco but they have licenses......to kill I guess??

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  2. Congratulations on staying off the booze and getting off the meds without having to check out.

    Those licenses to play god... more story for the blog. In time.

    Just the other day, I was thinking that people here aren't so religious about religion the way people in the 'West' are. But the one thing that folks do seem to be religious about is their culture of hierarchy. Those with the licenses, further up on the totem pole... I'm surprised sometimes at the attitudes I've witnessed (though I have occasionally been impressed).

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  3. There is just such an inward way in which ideas come from outside and get twisted and warped to the point in which they are barely recognisable. The titles are an absolute nightmare too. A minion of one of the bosses will come up to me and say "such and such wants to remove this part from your translation," or something like that. When I ask why, I get a blank look most of the time and when I make them go back and ask their boss for a reason, they leave being quite offended, almost as if the boss doesn't need to justify things with reason, because, well, he is the boss after all. Some of these guys (not sexist, there are no female bosses) think they are fucking Gods, especially the incompetent ones.

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  4. Also, I am looking forward to that post if you do it.

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  5. MT: Top comment sounds familiar - http://www.japantoday.com/category/opinions/view/the-trouble-with-translating

    Bottom comment - not looking forward to writing that post, but it needs to get out.

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  6. I am not sure what I was more afraid of: my depression, or a Japanese doctor treating it. So far I have chosen to deal with the former.

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  7. Bigg: I'm convinced that depression is something people here get treated for. Happiness... that's when people are put away.

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