Liberal Mindset

This story was told to me by one of my best friends. It is a true story. It is one of the best insights I have ever seen into the "liberal mind set," where other people think they know what is better for you, than you actually do.

My wife had been depressed for many years. We had been to see many different psychologists, psychiatrists, and had tried absolutely every medicine there was. One of the psychiatrists had mentioned a "day care" program at a local mental health facility. My wife was not in such a state that she had to be committed for constant care, but she definitely needed some kind of care. The "day care" sounded like it had possibilities. I was simply not capable of meeting all her needs, and indeed was not sure that I was not part of the problem.

We decided to visit the facility one evening to check out their programs. After a short wait, we were taken to a small room, where an "interviewer" talked to us about our problems. We gave the usual litany of problems a depressed person can list. This certainly included the feeling of suicide, which all very depressed people experience at various times, and which the interviewer managed to elicit from us. She even got my wife to admit that she had been having those feelings recently. Real amazing, huh...

Well, over the next hour or so in this interview, for one reason or another, we were not feeling very positive about the interview, the possibilities offered to us, and the attitude of the interviewer. My wife was even starting to withdraw and feel uncomfortable, which she does when she has a distinctly negative reaction to the situation, the interviewer, and the potential outcomes of continuing to do this.

We indicated to the interviewer that we didn't see much point in continuing the interview, and she could see that my wife was becoming withdrawn and upset at the progress, or lack thereof in the interview. She certainly did not want us to go, so at one point, we decided to leave of our own volition. At no time were there bad feelings exchanged, nor was there any yelling, nor was either of us visibly upset. The only "visible" indication was my wife's uncomfortable reaction to the interview.

Well, get this..... When we were down the hall on our way to the exit, we discovered that she had called ahead and had instructed the staff to lock the door on us, so that we could not leave!

Now put yourself in this situation. You have come seeking information, and have opened up very truthfully to the process. But the interviewer has concluded that she actually knows more than you do, after maybe a half hour interview. And she was ready to commit you to the hospital, and lock you up! My wife had already been in this situation in the past. She and I both knew this was not the best course of action - we had learned this painfully over the years, and we knew what was best. That is why we were making the effort to check this program out. But the interviewer thought she knew what was best for us.

This situation was one of the most harrowing, frightful, incredible exercises in self discipline that we have ever gone through. We actually had to go back into the room and convince the interviewer that my wife was not going to commit suicide that very night. In our existing state of mind, where we were quite upset at this entire process, and how we had been treated, it is a miracle that we were able to convince the interviewer that we were "OK." In other words, the burden of proof was on us.

We did manage to convince the interviewer that we were OK. We all agreed that my wife would come back on Monday next to check into the "day care" program. Needless to say, we lied about this, and we certainly never set foot in that place again, and don't ever intend to. I am surprised they only called back once to check on us. I wouldn't put it past them to send the police past our home to check on us occasionally. Well, I am exaggerating a little there. Liberals don't have quite that power yet...

In retrospect, it may have been one of the best learning experiences my wife ever had to go through. She got to see up close and personal the mindset of these people. Its effect on me was equally eye opening, for an entirely different reason.

Now I don't mean to demean the entire field of psychology and psychiatry, because there are people who actually can make a difference. They can be very tough to find however.

Be careful out there.....

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