h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

i think this is the first piece i've seen on h2g2 about mental ill health? going to go and search for more in a minute I think..
I found this piece interesting, but am wondering if you could include something about Older People with mental ill health or Dementia - I find this to be a group of people/illnesses that most people know little about, despite their large presence in our society, and the fact that many of us will suffer from some form of dementia in our later years.
Great entry my only thought,it only skims the surface really and could be more in depth! Could just be me tho as I am interested.

Thanks I'm glad you liked it. This wasn't an intention to do more than explian the way we understand mental illness. It certainly wasn't an attempt to explain ever different mental illnesses. One of the problems with writing entries is to know when to stop, this is nearly 1500 words long, I worry people wouldn't be able to read it all in a sitting if it was longer.

I don't really personaly feel qualified to write about specific mental illness as I haven't had personal experiences of any mental illness. C543 is a list of all the edited guide articles on the subject of heath, a great many of these articles include mental heath.

..ahh, a bag full of info! Fanks.
Am glad you have no personal experience of mental ill health, apparently you are one of the two in three lucky ones! (see, what you can find out in just a few minutes!!)

Many years ago I started to read the psychology of Carl Jung, starting with the lay book, Man and His Symbols, and still have this very 'dog eared' copy alongside my computer, for easy reference. I've graduated to his more difficult writings, including the conversations with Prof. W. Pauli, Nobel Laureate, Physics, who originally went to Jung for help, this was about 1930. The book of letters came out last year, titled: Atom and Archetype....Reviewed on net....
Pauli suffered from what Jung called an, Abaissement Du Mental, a lowering of conscious contents, which allowed the psyche, the unconscious an opportunity to slip in, and remind him who was really in charge, (small laugh) but this happens to many who have too rational an outlook on life.
Jung described the case of a woman, who being firmly in the rationalistic set of mind, couldn't see the forest for the trees.
One day she was explaining a unique dream, in which she received a golden scarab pin as a gift, an ancient symbol of rebirth. At that moment Jung heard a gentle tapping at the window, turning around, he saw an insect was trying to get into the darkened room. He opened the window, grabbed the insect, and noticed that it was a rose chafer, the beetle most resembling the scarab of her dream. He then handed it to her, saying; Is this what you meant?.... That broke her resistence to irrational events, and the treatment was more successful after that.
Jung, from many years of personal experiences, plus what his patients related knew that these events occurred, and many at that time were afraid to share these experiences, for obvious reasons. Now with the net, and many such claims, we are getting to a point where we can discuss the nature of reality, even the nature of consciousness itself. The psychologists have yet to catch up, and book knowledge, i.e., current views of mind, don't give an accurate picture.
I've found value in what Jung had to say, and it might be of some interest to others to read the articles on the Jung site, which is:
http://www.cgjungpage.org ... There is a good forum there too....

What we really need these days is a more realistic view of the psycho-physical reality, and the understanding that ego is just the most recent development. As Jung said, "the psyche must not be ignored, it's as natural, as limitless, and as powerful as the stars."

Best,

Todd Laurence