THE WAY THINGS ARE...WHY?

When l returned to school, at the age of forty, I was already ''older then dirt'' Most of the time I found myself being asked for wisdom by younger classmates, In most classes there seemed to be this belief that Carl had the answers, or should have them, or would get them, I found some professors who would profess ultimate knowledge of why we, each one of us, act/behave, think, feel, react, believe, etc., etc., the way we do. Many exhibited various forms of distress at my seeming threat to their leadership role after all I was only a ''student'' and a freshman at that. Many of my young freshmen peer would sit taking notes imprinting the supposed knowledge these professors would expound into their memory banks. It seemed to me that the information speech had not been changed or updated in a very long time. Each person seemed to believe, without question, the information given by this all powerful giver of candle light.

One or two in the class would, attempted to let sun light in by question using the ''why'' to the knowledge givers, But, in order to receive the grade needed to pass, one did not question beyond what was clearly acceptable to the professor, Slowly their individually alike boxes were being formed about them; creativity stifled, The ideas passed on in class after class offer views of how to correct the problems of Twenty-first century humans based mostly on Nineteenth century ideas. Expectations of how a person is to act were formed, according to what label is applied. The label (diagnosis at times) does not insure recovery from a particular dysfunction, and the label may perpetuate the prognosis.

Depression, as an example, may have several epidemiological beginnings yet the depressed person is, in order to be labeled (diagnosed) depressed, must display certain behavioral criteria. Once an acceptable, to managed care companies, diagnosis is made ''treatment'' can begin. Overtime these criteria will either continue which will mean more treatment, or abate which will mean a cure has been achieved. This is the basis for the medical model of wellness.

There is only one way a person can get influenza and that is by being infected by the virus. If someone were to be infected by an influenza virus they would be treated in a specific way. There are not many cures for one particular disease. So each person who contracts an influenza virus can expect to be treated the same way, Since mental Illness can have many entomologic beginnings how can people with mental health problems all be treated the same? Chemotherapy has replaced behavior therapy and psychotherapy due to increased case load and cost of patient care. Warehousing (mental institutions) was societies answer to giving rid of those that are undesirable and cannot be boxed. This practice in effect for hundreds of years ended in the nineteen seventies. Now we call them the ''Homeless'' and use bus therapy on them.

These quick fix, band-aiding, of those who suffer must be stopped and it is time to stop the oppression of those who are different.