I previously identified as otherkin (it's more an issue of labels/community right now) and am extraordinarily mentally ill. I've been locked up so many times that I can't honestly remember the number anymore. I was almost placed in a residential home on multiple occasions.
And I've almost always been honest with therapists and psychiatrists about how I identify and feel. The vast majority have been of the opinion that if I don't want help with something and it's not causing a problem, then there's no reason to treat it, whether or not they think it's mental illness.
Being "locked up" is only for people who admit themselves voluntarily or are a danger to themselves or others with very, very few exceptions. Now, you should know that once you admit yourself voluntarily, it can be very difficult to get out if the doctor thinks you need to be there.
And as for sticking you with needles? Unless you're threatening yourself or others, you can always decline medication. The only times I have ever been injected against my will was when I was getting violent, and that wasn't to cure me of anything I had. It was to calm me down enough to safely be in solitary.
You do not lose your patient's rights when you are in a psychiatric institution. You do not lose your legal rights. You cannot be treated against your will except in very, very specific situations, and if you are, there are paper trails and sue-happy lawyers that would love to help you.
Then there's the last kind of thing I'd like to talk about: residential homes. This is basically the reality of what happens to people who are too mentally ill to exist in society. It's not being locked up. It's a lot like a retirement community with assistance, like meds management, appointments, and whatnot. There's no reason to "lock someone up" if they haven't committed a crime and aren't an immediate danger to themselves or others. There simply aren't enough resources in order to do this.
As for meds... I've been medicated since I was 8. I'm 24 now. I've had some luck in the past, but am still trying to find a cocktail that will keep me out of the hospital. Not make me "better." Make me no longer an immediate danger to myself.
And well, if you are, in some fucked up situation, unable to refuse treatment, self-identity cannot be medicated away. This has been proven, time and time again with any other dysmorphic "disorder." Meds can help someone cope, but they cannot fix the underlying cause.
no subject
And I've almost always been honest with therapists and psychiatrists about how I identify and feel. The vast majority have been of the opinion that if I don't want help with something and it's not causing a problem, then there's no reason to treat it, whether or not they think it's mental illness.
Being "locked up" is only for people who admit themselves voluntarily or are a danger to themselves or others with very, very few exceptions. Now, you should know that once you admit yourself voluntarily, it can be very difficult to get out if the doctor thinks you need to be there.
And as for sticking you with needles? Unless you're threatening yourself or others, you can always decline medication. The only times I have ever been injected against my will was when I was getting violent, and that wasn't to cure me of anything I had. It was to calm me down enough to safely be in solitary.
You do not lose your patient's rights when you are in a psychiatric institution. You do not lose your legal rights. You cannot be treated against your will except in very, very specific situations, and if you are, there are paper trails and sue-happy lawyers that would love to help you.
Then there's the last kind of thing I'd like to talk about: residential homes. This is basically the reality of what happens to people who are too mentally ill to exist in society. It's not being locked up. It's a lot like a retirement community with assistance, like meds management, appointments, and whatnot. There's no reason to "lock someone up" if they haven't committed a crime and aren't an immediate danger to themselves or others. There simply aren't enough resources in order to do this.
As for meds... I've been medicated since I was 8. I'm 24 now. I've had some luck in the past, but am still trying to find a cocktail that will keep me out of the hospital. Not make me "better." Make me no longer an immediate danger to myself.
And well, if you are, in some fucked up situation, unable to refuse treatment, self-identity cannot be medicated away. This has been proven, time and time again with any other dysmorphic "disorder." Meds can help someone cope, but they cannot fix the underlying cause.