LABELED ABNORMAL

Adopting a "psychologically disabled" lifestyle is becoming a career choice for some and a lifestyle for others. With the societal acceptance of emotional challenges has come a sad embracing of incapacity.

Good therapists want to help you get functional and happy.

It's important to accept that we all have issues. Life is full of challenges and these range from personal issues, like debilitating anxiety, to struggles in developing healthy, rewarding relationships. It's hard for everyone, no matter their gender, race or economic level. Yes, life presents bigger challenges for some (just look at those dealing with significant physical limitations), but that doesn't mean it's easy for anyone.

You need to ask yourself, however, if you view life and it's challenges as something to be overcome or if you think you're defined by your issues. Do you need your issues or can you let them go, if you get help in understanding how to do this?

There are a number of individuals who seek the "disabled" label as a kind of self-definition. Typically, they believe they have a chemical imbalance that makes it necessary for them to rely on pharmaceutical medication to function. Medication can be very helpful in the short term, but believing you must take an anti-depressant or an anti-anxiety medication your whole life is short-changing yourself.

The human brain is amazing and complex beyond belief, but don't conclude that you're just missing a certain chemical as an explanation of the emotional issues you're facing. This is a rough road and involves the need to tinker with medications--switching doses and medications--over the years. Brain chemistry can be changed by the thoughts you choose.

Don't get me wrong. This is not a condemnation of medication or those who find it helpful.

But embracing dysfunction has become an acceptible alternative for some people and, from this perspective, individuals never get better--are never able to heal and learn.

You deserve better. Learning to believe in one's self can be very difficult, but you can do difficult things.

Therapy can be helpful precisely because the therapist doesn't have a stake in your choices(like your friends and family). Good therapists strive to maintain objectivity and they're working themselves out of a job. They want you to get better. They want you to not need them forever.