Colin, I agree with much you said. I work in a mental health center. I have
seen so many people walk through the door who see themselves as only a label.
They also believe or have been lead to believe that drugs are the only
answer. Never mind they don't have friends or family, or a decent place to
live, or a car etc. The loneliness and isolation I see is devastating. Also I
have run into people I haven't seen for a couple of years and they are
physically destroyed by the huge amounts of drugs they have been given. They
have gained tons of weight, are totally flat etc etc. Some people think they
are doing better because they are not bothering anyone-don't have the energy.
I think it's very hard for a person with bipolar or other illness to know
what to do. I recently asked a clinican,"What percentage of your practice is
loneliness?" She said, "50-70percent. Not that some don't have something
wrong, but if someone cared about them, most would be alright." Most of my
job focuses on people's loneliness and isolation, and poverty. there is no
pill for that-although I can imagine the drug companies trying to market a
pill that way. Maureen
