Sep 22, 2009
In Need of Psychiatric Care, and Resisting
"In Need of Psychiatric Care, and Resisting" In our culture death is not always a widely discussed or widely embraced subject, nor are the stuggles of the elderly to cope with it. Not everyone walks quietly into the light; some go kicking and screaming much like they came into this world. A favorite of mind who writes extensively on the subject (whose work I could not find a good link to) is Oliver Sacks, and I'd highly recommend looking into his publishings.Also of interest with this article is it raises a question of cultural and religious significance: Of how great of consequence is aging in the presence of an after life? For example in many Latin American countries, death is neither feared nor fought against. Indeed, they have a holiday celebrating it.
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This article was very thought-provoking, especially because I think it emphasized the generational gap between senior members of society and teenagers or adults. The article reminded me a lot of my grandmother, who didn't believe in anti-depression drugs and rather subscribed to the idea that any problem can be solved if you have the right attitude. Her beliefs are very different from what I hear in school as we are constantly encouraged to seek counseling. It's interesting that this cultural divide exists because as a person nearing the end of her life, it would seem that she would most need anti-anxiety or anti-depression medication as well as counseling.
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