Thread by @DisInHigherEd

Q2 From MJ (@manijadegarcia): It seems uncommon to associate mental health struggles w/ disability. I do see discussions of this during #DEHEM21, which I feel hopeful about.

Academic culture is ULTRA VIOLENT & TOXIC towards people with mental health struggles.

#DEHEMChat

1/

https://twitter.com/DisInHigherEd/status/1450163518712463362

(@manijadegarcia) I am in a #ClinicalPsychology PhD program & have found that clinical psychologists are among the MOST violent & most likely to stigmatize #MentalIllness, mostly due to shame from avoiding confronting their own struggles & training in Western medical models.

2/

(@manijadegarcia) Applicants/trainees in clinical psychology are—as a rule— told NOT to discuss their mental health & are punished for disclosing.

This culture mixes in ugly ways with other core -isms in clinical psychology, like racism.

#DEHEMChat

3/

(@manijadegarcia) Ex. After disclosing some of my mental health struggles in my first doctoral program I was later forced to report patterns of racism in my lab & eventually at my clinical internship site. My valid reports, documented w/ evidence over years, were pathologized

4/

(@manijadegarcia) I was described as either ANGRY (not a symptom of mine) or "TOO EMOTIONAL." My first "advisor" compared me to a solider who had lost a leg due stepping on a land mine, "who can walk, but just not like us."

Ahem, this is the same advisor I had reported.

5/

(@manijadegarcia) My 2nd "advisor" was also the director of my funding program. She threatened my funding several times due to my "ANGER" & "seemingly adversarial way" of telling the truth about racism—once by sending me to her supervisor for a lecture on anger management.

6/

(@manijadegarcia) reminder: aggression is NOT a symptom of mine! This supervisor of my "advisor" however gushed abt. how he gets so enraged he goes into the hallway often to curse out loud (#WhosAngry).

#DEHEMChat

7/

(@manijadegarcia) So, by disclosing #MentalIllness to the very people who have appointed themselves "leaders" in knowing/caring abt. mental health, I set myself up to NEVER be taken seriously by my "mentors." My new mentor is NOT like that, but it is the CULTURE.

#DEHEMChat

8/

(@manijadegarcia) Of course, as a Black person I wasn't taken seriously anyway. But they can't say that out loud, so deferring to #MentalIllness is a convenient method of engaging in #racism RAMPANT in clinical psychology & beyond. After all, the "leaders" do it!

#DEHEMChat

9/

C.W. #Suicide

(@manijadegarcia) as a Black person, someone doesn't even have to know my mental status to make very dangerous claims about me. Once, after I kindly & firmly called out a doctoral student & her mentor for stealing a project of mine & publishing w/o me...

10/

C.W. #Suicide

(@manijadegarcia) the student was upset & decided to call 911 & tell them I was suicidal. She has NO training in mental health AT ALL. She also had ZERO merit for this claim. I was not close to her & NEVER talked about mental health with her.

11/

C.W. #Suicide

(@manijadegarcia)

I had been upset but NOT AT ALL close to suicidal (I have been in the past) & my interaction w/ her that day was brief & NOT loaded w/ emotion.

Nevertheless, a few hours later the police came knocking looking for the "suicidal Black man."

12/

C.W. #Suicide

(@manijadegarcia) I was the ONLY Black person in this Queens neighborhood for BLOCKS (the other being @potuslives, not kidding).

So, if you don't know, this was an attempt on my life! Police show up with guns for "mental health" reports when you're Black.

13/

C.W. #Suicide

(@manijadegarcia) Fortunately (1) I am trained mental health professional, (2) these police were calmer than most; & (3) I was able to CALMLY show them the interaction that took place.

Still, I was led into the back of an EMT van, neighbors watching eagerly.

14/

C.W. #Suicide

(@manijadegarcia) The EMTs were Black & when I explained what happened said what I suspected, "this was an attempt on your life." They "assessed" me & let me go.

This was right before COVID, while Black people were being shot for similar reports (still are)

15/

C.W. #Suicide

(@manijadegarcia) I think OFTEN abt. how lucky I was that day. I'm not embarrassed AT ALL about feeling suicidal, when I do. This WASN'T one of those times!

#MentalIllness is OFTEN used in academia as weapon & smoke screen for A LOT of other sick things.

end/