Bob Bowd:
> A concern I have about the biological model, and its link to genetics, and
the
> use of pills, is that it becomes a convenient argument for policing the
mentally
> ill through repressive legislation, such as Ontario's Bill 68, which
forces the
> mentally ill to take their medication, or face involuntary incarceration,
as a
> social response, rather than providing adequate support services and
funding to
> address the human needs of the mentally ill to integrate with their
community,
> and experience compassion and acceptance. It becomes too easy to assess
> behaviour on the basis of whether pills are being taken, or not, rather
than in
> terms of isolation, limited life opportunities, and marginalization.
Medication
> refusal can often be a symbolic gesture with multiple meanings - wanting
to be
> "normal" or a form of denial of the illness, depending upon the individual
> biography, as one possibility.
To a government, such as Ontario's, it probably doesn't matter which model
is used. "Have you taken your pills today?" could easily be replaced by
"Have you seen your shrink today?" as a criterion of politically valid
behaviour. If a government wants to control and repress, it will find a
means of blaming the victim and a method of doing so.
Ed Weick
(613) 728-4630
