Funny Farm

One of my best friends has a Bipolar disorder, another friend of mine has some Borderline disorder and three years ago I was diagnosed for having suffered from Dysthymia since the age of eleven.

I know quite a number of people who take a Happy pill every day and some others who take Ritalin for an ADHD-disorder. I have friends who suffer from anxiety attacks, panic attacks and OCD. Still others who abuse alcohol in large amounts or are drug addicts. I know many who go and see a “person to talk to”, some who go on “silent retreats” and others who try every New Age ritual in the world to find their "true inner being". They meditate, drink herbs and use hot stones to drive bad energies away. Some people look to the stars for guidance and others use tarot cards or religion to answer the questions of life.

All of these friends of mine, have one thing in common which is - all of them are completely “normal” for anyone who doesn’t know what diagnose they have or what pills/herbs/drugs they pop.

When travelling or talking to friends from abroad the subject of Sweden being notorious for suicides and a high rate of depression, always comes up. I’ve heard the notion that in “other countries” there aren’t as many mentally "sick" people.

This I think is totally absurd, maybe we have higher statistics and more people are diagnosed here, but couldn’t this be because there is a greater understanding of depression and other mental health issues here? Also, since media writes about these things everyday it lessens the negative stigma and people become more open about it.
In countries with corruption, wars and/or other social miseries, media concentrates on those news topics instead. The mental health matters are not talked about and therefore the negative stamp and ignorance is still strong.

But then what is a mental health problem?

What is the difference between people who take sleeping pills prescribed by a doctor against insomnia, and people who self medicate them selves with a ‘spliff’ before bedtime to help them sleep?

Why is a person who takes a drink to calm his nerves every day more “normal” than a person who takes a prescribed Ritalin pill to focus?

Is a person who goes on ‘silent meditation retreats’, drink St Johns Wort tea (against depression) and visits a tarot card reader so much dissimilar from a person who talks to a psychiatrist and gets a prescription for Prozac?

Why is it more shameful to have a 2 week psychosis caused by a hereditary disorder than a psychosis caused by smoking too much hashish?

Is one of them saner than the other? And who decides what sanity is? And when is a person so insane that he/she should be institutionalised?

Too many questions.

All I know is that if someone wants to institutionalise me and all my friends – because I am sure every single one will fall under some category of insanity if one looks closely enough - on a beautiful tropical island because we might be a danger to ourselves or society, then I will welcome them.

But hang on a minute, maybe Sweden (which on the map looks like a big dick) already is a big loony bin or funny farm for people who worship phallic symbols (the midsummer pole) and copulate like mad men in every bush?