Individuals do not just suffer with Psychiatric symptoms. Instead, they have a complex relationship with their symptoms. A depressed person may both love and feel intimate and secure with the familiar feeling of melancholy, and a person with occasional bouts of psychosis may strongly believe that the perceptions they have are helpful at
times.
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What kind of relationship did Robin Williams have with his illness? |
I stumbled across this article from the New York Times in my Newsfeed (Zite). I really enjoy the way it supposes we are individual in our relation to our symptoms (for example, some might find it helpful to receive a diagnostic label whereas others might find it harmful) and that the window to understanding someone is, of course, through relationship. I have treated numerous people with symptoms they didn’t want to change, which to me, has always seemed to be a morally valid and acceptable choice. Have a look and let me know what you think: