Coffee, fall colors, plants, books - the perfect lifestyle as far as I’m concerned.

And to be clear none of this is to dismiss the potential harm in listening to what’s on the internet. At all.

Perhaps it’s extremely helpful for some people, but it’s also extremely harmful for others. Those encouraging use of the MH field should take that seriously.

Also, encouraging people with concerns about their mental health to head straight to what’s conventionally defined as a qualified clinician doesn’t address the issue of people being sent straight into a situation where they are harmed. There’s tremendous danger in the mental health field.

… I would hard disagree and that’s a hill I would die on. In fact we desperately need such wisdom and philosophy from very diverse sources. Moreover the MH field currently has way too much clout in that regard.

I guess it depends what you mean by “mental health”. If you mean specific mental illness categories identified in the DSM, I would largely agree, though there is room for peer support/mutual aid. If on the other hand you mean our emotional world, our thoughts and beliefs, our interpersonal lives…

They call this “positive peer culture” and claim that it’s therapeutic. The real effect is getting kids to adjust to mistreatment, especially their toxic family system. But the mental health professionals can easily say that it’s to teach kids “self regulation” or some other nonsense.

Not saying it’s bad for everyone, just that ADHD diagnosis isn’t always good for everyone. Also it’s merely a way of looking at something.

But the false narrative that obscures this has so much weight because it’s propagated by expert authorities (educational, mental health etc).

Therefore they are unable to even begin to wrap their head around what’s going on for the client let alone help guide them through it. In fact, they likely just pile on more of this dynamic.

But the mental health professionals tasked with helping them either weren’t bothered by the same dynamics in their own lives or are dissociated from the reality of what happened to them and how they were affected.

Unfortunately, instead of recognizing this and taking any accountability, the school essentially regards them as stupid, then subjects them to various forms of harassment like psychiatric drugging and labeling, behaviorism, non-consensual therapy etc.

It can be valuable for some people, don’t get me wrong. But the typical story likely way overstates its value and understates the risks/harms.