I recently watched a segment of a talk given by Temple Grandin on autism. That got me thinking. Is it possible that what we view as disorders of the psyche might actually just be a form of evolution? Many psychological disorders seem to be based on the person with the disorder having a different perception of the world....either processing or viewing information differently from the norm. What is the norm?
When I was a child I would constantly receive poor grades in the categories of participation and social skills. I was incredibly shy (and still am but do much better with a glass of wine which wasn't encouraged in grade school). But really...what is the norm of a person's personality? Perhaps instead of dinging me on my lack of social skills, I could have been allowed to be my shy little self as long as I was doing my lessons and not eating glue or setting small fires....instead I grew up feeling inadequate because I wasn't able to socialize as adeptly (or at all) as other kids.
Much later, after a breakdown in college, I was officially diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I do believe that the little girl who had trouble socializing was already showing symptoms of the disorder and hence the personality issues. When you label someone as having a disorder you create an US and THEM scenario. I was now in the THEM....out of the norm and struggling to gain membership back in. But what if all the THEM's are really just a different evolution of the US's? Not really in need of repair but perhaps of a new means of interaction.
Yes, I do understand the basics of involuntary chemical imbalances and yes, there are many symptoms of bipolar disorder that can lead to drastic consequences if not managed. I am pretty sure that I wouldn't be here right now if I had not spent time on medication....but then again, it's impossible to say at this point in time. I eventually chose to discontinue my medication because I felt that it was interfering with my personality....I had forgotten what it was like to be me. What if my disorder is part of human evolution and not an anomaly that needs to be corrected?
And in the end, whatever our basic differences may be, acceptance is highly underrated. There is something incredibly healing and nurturing when anyone is not simply tolerated but actually accepted and even appreciated as is. I don't have any conclusion to all of this except that perhaps if we spend a little more time on trying to understand people within their own parameters, instead of trying to force them into ours, we may all learn something important.
