|
Denial
You
don't know why you keep these appointments. The doctor doesn't
do anything except tell you to keep taking the pills. The
pills don't do anything but give you a headache and make
you sleepy. And sometimes they make you hear voices.
The
voices were getting louder last week, so you stopped taking
your nighttime dose. You're feeling better already. The
voices are still there, but now they give you ideas for
poems. You've been able to stay up later and later and write
more. Won't your doctor be surprised when your book is published!
He's probably getting jealous already. You can see it in
his eyes; he's getting worried that you're coming back to
life. He asks, "Have you been taking your medication?
Have you been having trouble falling asleep? Are you feeling
more energetic? Have your thoughts been racing?"
No,
you tell him, this is the best you've felt in months.
This
chapter covers the following topics:
- Denial
- Denial
Is a Prominent Feature of Psychosis and Mania
- Most
People Do Not Like to Think of Themselves as Ill
- How
to Cope with Denial
This
excerpt may not be reproduced without written permission
from the publishers.
Fifty Signs of Mental Illness: A Guide to Understanding
Mental Health
Yale University Press / New Haven and London
Copyright © 2005 by James Whitney Hicks
Return
to Table
of Contents > Previous Topic:
Delusions
> Next Topic: Depression
|
