Depressing  − 25 April, 2008

I work in an environment where I expect people to be educated and mostly without preconceptions. Boy am I wrong...

I work on a committee where there is (unfortunately) only women. There is a fair amount of bitching and laughing at people's expense. While I don't mind complaining about quite a lot of employees who do nothing and won't be happy about the changes we are working on so they will do everything to block it, I have real problems with a situation that arose in our last meeting.

There is an employee who takes pills for depression. She has had quite a difficult time a while ago and while the pills must have helped at some point, it would be time for therapy so she can cope and get off the pills. She looks completely out of it, doesn't comb her hair and really, she looks depressing. However, knowing what depression is and feels like and knowing her histiry, I shut my trap. To me, the woman is untouchable. I dream of sahking her up but I feel it's not my job.

She has a job where she deals with patrons. People complain that she is no help, doesn't remember a thing and asks the same question over and over and that she is depressing.OK.

Thing is, in our committee there are only people who are educated by schooling...I expected them to be educated about mental health. The head of the committee was talking about the woman I mentioned, complaining and bitching and then she said "well, she's medicated..." as in "what do you expect from someone who takes pills".

It pissed me off but I kept my mouth shut. I make it a mission of mine to talk about mental health, medication and whatnot. But I felt I couldn't trust the woman and wondered what she would say when I told her about my own bouts with bipolar illness and medication. I just wanted to shout "hey, I was medicated for years! Did I ever look like that? You probably know dozens of people that take pills and don't even realize it !"

I knew of one woman in our committe who probably knew about my illness and she was laughing uneasily as the head of the committee made that very stupid remark. I was looking at those women, wondering if some of them were sick and were saying nothing, if they knew someone close to them who were depressed or bipolar or schizophrenic. No one scolded the "head", hum, for saying something so insensitive.

I was already drifting from this committee...I'm also drifting from that person. I tried being friendly but I can't trust her.