I Am Not Sick I Don't Need Help! How to Help Someone with Mental Illness Accept Treatment by Xavier Amador

Author:Xavier Amador
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Psychology
ISBN: 9780967718965
Publisher: Vida Press
Published: 2012-01-29T06:00:00+00:00

How to handle the “Do you agree with me?” question

Delay answering questions about delusions, having a mental illness, or the need for medication as long as you can. There are two reasons to do this—so that you preserve and build on the good relationship you have been creating with reflective listening and empathy. Up to this point, the person feels that his or her opinion is respected and honored. In fact, he feels so certain of your respect for his opinion that he has made the mistake of thinking you probably agree with him. Therefore, when you do give your opinion, it will probably hurt and make the person defensive.

The longer you wait, the more experiences he will have of your listening to him without disagreeing or essentially telling him he’s “crazy,” which is just how many persons with mental illness will hear your opinion unless you pay close attention to how you give it.

The second reason to delay has to do with the two ways one can give an opinion. I mentioned them in the previous chapter. By making the person ask for your opinion, you make him responsible for having to hear it.

Think about it. If you asked me over and over again whether I thought you were mentally ill and needed medication, and I didn’t seem very eager to tell you, you’d have no one to blame but yourself for having coerced me into giving it. Try to remember:

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