|
Hello all!
I know this was already explained, but I thought for further information - it might help to share what I know, from living in Russia for 4 years.
In Russia ANY psychological, neurological, developmental, and/or unexplainable physical problem is diagnosed as 'mental disorder'. Our orphanage is class VIII, which is for kids with mental disorders/diseases. Every single one of them is labeled 'invalid, group I, II, or even III.' Scary, eh? It's labels. Marxist/Darwinian teaching for the past 80 years has done its work - anyone and everyone with something we don't like or can't explain must be kept from thinking they're as useful as everyone else. This isn't *my* observation, these are words that have been said to me!
I must say any of the kids in our orphanage could make it just fine in society. Every single one of them has been neglected or abused, but, contrary to how they've been labeled, they're incredibly bright and capable. Actually that's the thing we argue about the most, with the caretakers and teachers, and director. They maintain that these kids are mental and most should be locked up. We keep insisting it's the labels they put on them and the low expectations (combined with neglect). Anyways, it's a long story.
I just wanted everyone here to read that 99% of the time (In my opinion and experience), Russian diagnoses of 'mental disorder' are debatable. When our kids run away or disobey too often, they send them to a mental hospital to be drugged and locked up. The 'treatment' is inhumane. The kids come back like zombies and walk around all messed up for a couple of weeks. One boy actually was overdosed with some sort of something and never was the same. These are MY kids. This is MY story. I'm not making it up!
When I ask them what it was like there, they remember fragments. They stutter. Most wet the bed for a few days after returning. They have trouble processing, sleep for many hours, and the sunlight hurts their eyes. It's like a creepy movie, and it makes me wanna scream. This is 'treatment' to 'fix' mentally unstable kids. Gee, wonder why the system is all screwed up?
So keep in mind that disobedience and rambunctiousness in kids is also seen as mental disorder.
Don't mean to write a book; I just wanted you to know. Just the mere fact that a kid is an orphan is reason enough to label him 'mental', because obviously, if his parents didn't want him or didn't have the wherewithal to stay alive long enough to raise him, he's got mental issues.
*sigh*. This is the truth. I watched them do a 'mental health' evaluation on one of my buddies once.
They asked him what his favorite color was (he said red). Then they asked him if he likes to play outside. He said yes. They asked him if he has trouble sleeping at night, and he said no, not usually.
They declared him mentally unstable, and in need of 'treatment'. When I asked what in the world those three questions proved, they said 'it was the way he answered. We're professionals. We can tell.'
So, they started pumping my buddy full of goodness-knows-what. That went on his permanent record, and the following summer when he and a group of boys got it into their heads to run off and see how far they could get, he was sent to the mental hospital for the remainder of the summer, 'cause he was 'disturbed.'
For mental, physical, and any other handicaps, there are 3 groups - group I allows you to work but you get paid a pension; group II allows you to work with certain restrictions, and you get a pension; group III means you're not allowed to work and you get a full pension. The sub-categories are endless within these 3 groups.
Just FYI - not knowing is the hardest. If you have any questions re: all this, I can do my best to answer!
-RussianJen
|