"Now I'm Not A Prejudiced Man . . ."

Written by craig

 The odd thing about prejudice is that the people who have it can rarely see it. 

I'm a clinician with a boatload of education and experience. I'm also very open about being on psychotropic meds. That last part should't matter, right?

Well, a few years ago I landed a job as a clinician at an inpatient psych unit where I worked with a bunch of professionals who also had their own boatloads. Now one might assume that people working in the field would be free of the stigmas about mental illness that permeate the community . . . and one might be wrong.

We were getting ready for an audit (in mental health you're always getting ready for an audit) and I noticed some strange vibes coming from the higher-ups. Not being one to raise a stink, I just let it go. Still, it was curious. 

The auditors came and went, and we somehow survived. A few days later, my supervisor shared the back-story. It seems that there had been high level meetings about whether to have me "take a couple of days off with pay" during the inspection. Apparently, they were afraid I might "crack." 

Now, this had nothing to do with my performance there. Nor did it have anything to do with my credentials. The sole reason for my "almost" vacation was my confession that I was taking meds. To everyone's credit there, the "almost" never became an "actual." The problem is not the people who are in the system; it's the system that's in the people. That system dictates the paradigms to be used.

I like all of the people where I work. Most of them are really good, caring people. Still, at times the road ahead seems a little longer than it needs be.