GirlChat #553001

Start A New Topic!  Date Index  Thread Index

Re: Why the 'mental health' association at all?

Posted by Matthew Hutton on 2012-April-22 12:37:13 EDT, Sunday
In reply to Why the 'mental health' association at all? posted by The Phantom on 2012-April-21 23:42:00 EDT, Saturday
  Views: 0    Likes: 0     
Is there an assumption that 'MAPs' necessarily suffer some kind of mental impairment, or just that if they do have mental problems they have to be treated differently from other folks?

No, quite the opposite.

We believe that if they have mental health needs related to or unrelated to their attractions, then they should be treated the same as everyone else. And often they are not. A lot of the literature and knowledge out there focuses on prevention for example only and doesn't see the MAP as potentially having any other issue to deal with. We'd like MHP's to recognize we have a broad range of mental health needs just like everyone else.

What do you mean by saying that MAPs "may have the same mental health needs as the general population"? What are "mental health needs"? Surely the "general population", i.e. most people have no "mental health needs" in the sense that they aren't mentally ill most of the time.

I think most people do have mental health needs in general. You need to keep your mind healthy just like your physical body. One doesn't necessarily have to be labeled has having a permanent illness if they go through a phase of suffering from depression.

Statistically many people in the general population do have mental health needs, and an MAP may be one of them, or not. If they are, we'd like therapists to know as much about the orientation as possible.

How does the idea that we must obey the law at all times square with the intentional (or otherwise) pursuit of MAPs in everything they do to ensure that they are bound to break some law or other? Does B4U-ACT have no political aims in this regard at all?

In all honesty I'm afraid I don't understand this question, could you maybe rephrase it?

What kind of therapy do you envisage? What about cognitive behavioral therapy? Is that the sort of thing you are thinking of?

No, not at all.

Again to the contrary, such a therapy is usually only focusing on whether or not an MAP is at risk of offense. That would not be something we'd like the average MHP to feel a need to pursue.

For example it is often helpful to just vent about anxiety or depression, either related or unrelated to living in this society with your attractions. Cognitive behavioral therapy would not help with that.



This post is archived, preventing any new replies.

Responses