This letter is associated with the following article:
Letters
Saturday, June 21, 2008 12:00 AM

Sick in the head

I've diagnosed myself with heart attacks, blood poisoning, meningitis and multiple sclerosis. Turns out, what I had was hypochondria.
By Jennifer Traig

Read other letters about this article

  • Friday, June 20, 2008 07:46 PM

    @gensing

    Can you cite any peer-reviewed, published scientific studies that show that telling people to "get an effing life" is an effective therapeutic strategy for treating the mentally ill?

    From my experience, when someone's brain isn't working right, yelling at them really doesn't help it work better.

    It's like kicking a computer when it catches a virus. Okay, sure, you got to express some rage. Bet that felt good, huh? But your rage didn't help the computer one bit.

    Usually the best thing to do is figure out what's really wrong, and work from there.

    —Silenced Read Silenced's other letters

    Flag
Read other letters about this article

Most Active Letters Threads

685

Obama's exceedingly familiar justifications for escalation

The "new" approach to Afghanistan touted by White House officials seems quite old
Glenn Greenwald Read article
625

The commendably missing element from Obama's speech

There was no pretense that human rights is our goal, or the likely outcome, in escalating the war
Glenn Greenwald Read article
440

The face of rotted Washington

Evan Bayh demands more debt-financed war - fought by others - while boasting that he's a stern "deficit hawk."
Glenn Greenwald Read article
320

Yes, it's Obama's war now

An uninspiring speech sells a dubious policy, but progressives who feel betrayed have only themselves to blame
Joan Walsh Read article
209

Bigotry wins in Switzerland

By voting to ban the construction of minarets, Switzerland apes the most extreme intolerance in the Muslim world
By Juan Cole Read article

View all »

Letters Help

Currently in Salon