Kick Me

From today's Ashland Times-Gazette

I was privileged to attend the Mental Health and Recovery Board’s annual RSVP conference here in Ashland on Wednesday, a day always guaranteed to get my social justice juices flowing. Our local conference came on the tail of the International Human Trafficking and Social Justice Conference held in Toledo last week, leaving me disturbed in my spirit by the injustices often experienced by people who’ve been diagnosed with mental illness, by those whose lives have been trafficked in some way, and by those who have faced unimaginable trauma.

One of the goals of conferences like these is to inform those in attendance about the challenges faced within the public and private systems charged with caring for people who need support, such as ordinary people who are going through rough times, including veterans, mental health consumers, and trafficking survivors. Dr. Paula Caplan, the keynote speaker at the RSVP session, has spent her life in the mental health field, and raises thought-provoking questions about mental health diagnosis, treatment and medication. As a longtime advocate for appropriate mental health care for those who’ve faced trauma, she is especially invested in inviting veterans to be heard by others through the listening project, “Welcome Johnny and Jane Home.” In that role, she reminded her listeners of the power of both connection and creative expression in the recovery journey, for “that’s what brings you home.”

As she spoke about some of her concerns with the ways diagnostic labels have been determined and how the use of many labels can be damaging to people, I was reminded of the times when someone would tape a sign on the back of an unsuspecting victim with the phrase, “Kick Me.” That particular label, even when removed, caused quite a few chuckles as others remembered the humiliating action that some took in response to the sign. With Caplan, I sometimes wonder if mental health diagnoses can bring about a similar reaction. Can psychiatric diagnoses possibly function as ‘kick me’ signs, labels that stick long after symptoms are no longer apparent? What happens to a five-year-old child labeled with oppositional defiant disorder, or to the young woman struggling with grief who is given a personality disorder diagnosis? It whispers its accusing words: ‘you’re different, you’re flawed, you’re other.

’ It was Caplan’s commitment to advocacy that first connected her to fellow advocate and Ashland County resident Patrick Risser, whose memory was honored during the RSVP conference’s luncheon. A long-time champion for those who have no voice within the mental health system, Risser died in June. As those who had worked alongside Pat shared their memories, it was evident he had a tremendous impact on others. One quoted the lyrics from Wicked, “because of you my life has changed,” while another simply said, “Anytime I think of giving up, I think of Pat.” It is evident, as a third speaker said, that “we have a hole now where Pat used to be,” for his advocacy and activism was relentless, yet remains only in memory.

For me, the distress I feel in my spirit over both systemic short-comings and difficult individual circumstances is balanced by a sense of encouragement in regards to what can be done to create change in our culture and our community. Pat Risser led the way in the mental health field here in Ohio for many years, but I’m convinced that other voices will – and must – arise to speak truth to power and to take a seat at the table where decisions about policies, procedures, and legislation are being made. Pat may have done what he was able to do, but the question remains: am I too doing what I am able to do?

As I reflect on these days of training and inspiration, the ancient words as spoken through the prophet Amos run through my veins: “. . . let justice roll down like waters.” Whenever we name injustice, stand with those who have been harmed, listen to each other’s pain, or speak truth to power, we release another drop into a stream that will well up into a mighty flood of justice. Might it be so.