Samantha Torrence - Depression is a common illness among Americans today, and the effects of depression in themselves make it difficult to treat. Much like a viral or bacterial illness, depression has the mechanism built in to make it survive as long as it can and guide the body and mind towards further harm. One of the tactics used by this prevalent disease is short term memory loss and symptoms of ADD. Given that this is an accepted complication, why is it that treatment facilities and institutions of higher learning still punitive against those suffering from these ill effects?The symptoms of depression as listed by WebMD, number one addressing memory loss:
difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
fatigue and decreased energy
feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness
feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
irritability, restlessness
loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
overeating or appetite loss
persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment
persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings
thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts
Psychology clinics routinely deal with people who suffer depression. One could argue that depression is the largest demographic of their clientele. Therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists know that inherently until treatment is well under way that their depressed clients will have terrible memories, and those without strong support at home and in family will miss appointments. Yet despite the knowledge of these complications, many treatment facilities can be punitive against people who miss appointments, going as far as kicking them to the curb for "no shows." What negative affects could this have on a person with depression stemming from abandonment issues let alone the treatment of any individual going through such difficult times?
Psychology clinics are apt to defend themselves on the grounds they have to make a livelihood. If a patient doesn't show up for an appointment, they lose money and cannot get paid. However, this is not the reason given to their patients. Most clinics will say that it is due to non-compliance of the patient. Some psychology clinics will do this after as little as two "no shows," which does not give the depressed patient the opportunity to develop a routine or treatment to overcome his or her depression and the side effects.
Psychology clinics are not the only institutions who target people with depression or ADHD inflicted forgetfulness. Schools at times do this to not only their students but the parents as well. In Loudon County, Virginia the attendance laws are extremely strict and have put good parents in difficult situations for merely having ADHD or Depression. Maureen Blake, 42, is a mother of 5 children 3 of which are school aged. Maureen also suffers severely from ADHD and because of her illness and the hecticness of running a household with 3 young children Maureen's kids have been late to school over 10 times per child in this year alone. Her crimes, which include her kids only being at times a minute late, landed her in handcuffs. She was released on bond for what is classified as a misdemeanor and then appeared in court to receive $3,000.00 in fines. Aside from being late her children get wonderful grades, are well loved and taken care of, and are well received by their teachers. The spirit of the law in which children must attend school for their benefit seems to be followed by the Blakes, even if it is not to the letter of the law. So why has the county become so punitive?
Ms. Blake is not the only parent who has been hauled into court for tardiness, but the Denicore family who is also facing a simliar situation has a different reason. Teaching their children personal responsibility and making them get dressed, brush their teeth, and get a nice bowl of cereal for themselves before it is time to go to school. If they drag their feet they could be late. This practice is not uncommon for many families, especially families of working parents who need to get to work as quickly as their children need to get to school. They also face fines but Mr. Denicore could also lose his job as a lawyer if he is convicted of the class three misdemeanor. Is being a few minutes late for school really worth the livlihood of an entire family? Loudon County court judges need to decide.
Maureen, who is afflicted with ADHD, has been working very hard with psychologists, life counselors, and friends and family. She knows her illness has an effect on her children and has enrolled them into therapy as well. Since her conviction her children have only been late twice to school, but that is only after Maureen hired a driver to help. The added expense on a woman for misplacing her keys and being a few minutes late to drop off her childen seems rather punitive in some minds. A institution of higher learning equipped with on staff counselors should be more understanding of her problems, yet it seems the educators and staff are ignorant to the effects of ADHD.
Personal responsibility is important, but in today's society where depression, attention deficite problems, schizophrenia, and other mental illnesses are compound one on top of the other, maybe we are asking people to be responsible for more than their minds can handle. How can we fix these problems?
