| For almost every battered woman and abused man I | | | | creditable and trustworthy psychologist that |
| work with, there is a layman's label attached to the | | | | understands the psychosocial politics of domestic |
| core of their self-perception. This label is typically | | | | violence. |
| bestowed upon them by their battering partner or by | | | | Your Internalization of the Mental Illness or Not |
| allies supporting his/her plight to save face and to | | | | Now as far as your internalizing these unprofessional |
| discredit and silence the abused. | | | | labels, either consciously or unconsciously, this will be |
| But the question is where do these nonprofessional | | | | your job and no one else's. It is all up to you as to |
| people obtain license to provide these diagnoses? | | | | how you receive and process what is dished out to |
| And why do these battered women and men | | | | you. No one knows you better than yourself, no |
| internalize the layman's psychiatric label? | | | | matter what anyone tells you. |
| Who Has License to Say You're Mentally Ill? | | | | Your job is to find the place within where your voice |
| I spent four years in undergraduate psychology | | | | only is present and pose the question, "Is what's |
| study and then four years of graduate psychology | | | | being said about me true?" Now if you don't feel |
| study and experimental research, followed by a year | | | | equipped to answer such a question realistically |
| of internship and then two years assistantship and | | | | because you have no idea what this diagnostic label |
| preparation for licensing by the board of psychologist | | | | means, then you will need to do some homework |
| examiners in order to be able to call someone a | | | | before you can proceed with the inner inquiry. |
| "bipolar disorder." | | | | Some people may be more comfortable doing their |
| Actually, I had the ability to make the diagnosis during | | | | research online, others may wish to go to the library |
| my advanced study, but to be professionally | | | | and some have a trusted professional they can |
| legitimate and insurance reimbursable, I had to endure | | | | consult. Whatever the method you choose for your |
| the full stretch of professional preparations described | | | | personal research, most important is that it be done |
| above. So I'm wondering how one can declare the | | | | before you retreat internally to ask the question: is it |
| same professional rights and responsibilities without | | | | true? |
| any training to do what it took me 11 years to earn. | | | | Now once you have satisfied your cognitive and |
| I'm sure you understand where this is going. | | | | intellectual understanding, it is time to explore the |
| If you ever are subjected to another person flinging | | | | inquiry from your inner knowing of yourself. Keep |
| a psychiatric label upon you, ignore it and ignore them | | | | posing the question, Is it true that I am_______? |
| if this person has no business doing so. Then comes | | | | You will see over time, a wealth of revelations |
| the issue of slander. For that, seek legal advice. And | | | | emerge and with this the thought that troubles you |
| secure a second psychological evaluation by a | | | | will let go of you. |