~~~Welcome to Mental Floss~~~

As dental floss cleans out the mouth, mental floss cleans out the mind. This is my let-it-loose page to clean out the "thought-bits," where I can editorialize, ramble, muse, be strange, weird, obnoxious-- whatever. The sisterhood and brethren of the mental health field may find much of this to be heresy. Well, OK. 

A Quick Disclaimer:
None of what is expressed here in any way reflects the policies or philosophies of any organization, agency, hospital that I am a member of, or affiliated with. This is all my stuff!
 

Topics:

Politics and Psychotherapy

My twenty-two years of experience as a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist tells me that the vast majority of therapists are quite liberal in their political beliefs, as are the varied professional organizations to which they belong. What concerns me is that the underlying views of the therapist may be influencing the goals and progress of therapy, and that "political correctness" may now be a measure of one's mental health.

Does this mean that as political correctness changes, as it certainly did in the last 20 to 30 years, then our concept of mental health changes? And then, by definition, if you are not politically correct you are not emotionally healthy? And what about conservatism? Is it automatically antithetical to mental health? Are all conservatives suffering from emotional disorders?

Just some reflections, which will be continued in future Mental Flossing.

What do you think? Let me know.

Back to Topics

"Healthy" Suicide

Suicide is most often viewed as an "irrational" act resulting from a sense of hopelessness and depression. However, what about suicide in the context of terminal illness? Can suicide under the circumstances of increasing pain, decreasing quality of life, and increasing dependence on family and friends be seen as a rational, "healthy" decision?

Clearly, there may be religious, moral, philosophical, and legal issues involved in the decision to end one's life. How we view life, affects how we view death. If life is to be lived with dignity and self-respect, then would it not make sense to try (if fate allows) to die with one's dignity and self-respect intact?

On a personal note, I watched as my mother died of cancer over the course of a year. She underwent the nausea and loss of hair so common at that time (1973) with cancer treatment. For three out of four weeks of the month, she was too weak to even get out of bed. She was a very warm and proud woman whose body now was betraying her, and destroying her dignity along with her health. If she were given the choice of ending her life, I do believe she might have done just that. We all knew the outcome. In 1985, my father was diagnosed with bone cancer, after having undergone surgery for removal of a cancerous prostate. He was 75 at the time, and had been the major caretaker of my mother during that terrible year. I knew that he did not want to repeat that experience for himself, and that he did not want to put the rest of us through that ordeal. He was a very proud, very intelligent, well-read man, and an active supporter of the Hemlock Society. Reading was one of his joys, but his vision had deteriorated significantly so he could no longer do that. He shot himself. It was an act of courage, and a rational, "healthy" decision given his philosophy and the way he lived his life.

Our society is now wrestling with the idea of "assisted suicide," and various states are beginning to look at the legalities involved. While the details obviously need to be worked out, the goal should not be lost-- that is, that every individual should have the right to decide about the ending of their life

. Back to Topics

The Top Ten Reasons to Become a Psychologist

Back to Topics

My Prejudice

Prejudice is a bad word. Ideally, all prejudice would be eliminated. We do not live in an ideal world, and, sadly, prejudices do exist. I am prejudiced. I hate stupidity!.

Stupidity comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors. There are the narrow-minded, rigid beings whose world is so bordered that anything outside of their "boxes" is absolutely alien, and, therefore, wrong. Sensitivity, tolerance, and compassion are not their strengths. These are the Archie Bunker types and the stereotyped "red-neck" guys.

Then, there are the fakers. This is the so-called intelligentsia. They are college educated, often professional (and many in the mental health field), and supposedly full of sensitivity, tolerance, and compassion. For all their intellect, they are more often ruled by emotionality than logic, and if it doesn't feel right, then it must be wrong. It's all very simple for them - just go along with what they say and tell you to do, and the world will be fine. Disguised stupidity (with a touch of arrogance thrown in), but stupidity all the same.

Back to Topics

Just Some Observations

Most people do not listen anymore. We sure can talk (at least make noise from our mouths), but we tune out when others are talking to us. We hear what we want, not what is said. It's as if we want the person to hurry up and finish what he or she is saying, so we can now talk again! I am struck by how frequently people are misquoted both verbally and in print. Since speech is our most prevalent mode of communication, it is scary to think what the ramifications are when many of us have such poor listening skills.

The standards of educating our children are shot to hell! How many times have you seen or heard of a high school graduate who reads and writes so poorly, that he or she can't fill out a job application? Colleges that must offer remedial English reading and writing courses? We truly and sadly are dumbing down in this country.

Back to Topics

Quote This!^*

He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I ever met.

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President; I'm beginning to believe it.

Clarence Darrow (1857-1938)

One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important.

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)

A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

I never did give anybody hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell.

Harry S. Truman (1884-1972)

Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under.

H.L. Mencken (1880-1956)

Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.

Will Rogers (1879-1935)

I have just returned from Boston. It is the only thing to do if you find yourself there.

Fred Allen (1894-1956)

In America, anyone can become president. That's one of the risks you take.

Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965)

Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.

Mark Twain (1835-1910)

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of demand.

Josh Billings (1818-1885)

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.

T.S. Eliot (1888-1965)

^*All quotes are from an excellent book by Robert Byrne, The 2,548 Best Things Anybody Ever Said, published by Simon and Schuster, 1996

Back to Topics

Applying for Welfare^*

^*Excerpted from Dr. Laura's Web site.

Back to Topics  

Return to   Dr. Lockhart's Homepage     Mail to   Jlock@comcast.net

Copyright © 2004 by Jeffrey H. Lockhart, Ph.D.  All rights reserved.