I read recently that mental illness affects 60% of us. I was shocked by that. Just take a minute to think about it. Right now, both arms, both legs and most of my intestines are likely to be clinically depressed.
Are there any other mamalian species that suffer from mental illness? Are there any documented cases of our closest relatives (Bonobo Apes?) commiting suicide? It's said that Van Gogh displaced his ear due to mental illness; are there any chimpanzees wandering about with less than two ears as a result of self-mutilation? I suspect not, which leads me to believe that mental illness must be an aberration, an affectation, a label used to conveniently reduce something to its lowest common denominator.
If I'm correct, then the solution is simple. Since the majority of us are labeled as being mentally ill, we should use the privilege accorded to the majority, namely of picking on the minority! If you're currently mentally ill, you should be classed as normal, and the cheerful, cogent types should be labeled as defective, and we should pity them, and help them in their difficult journey to recovery. We need new labels: the currently insane will be termed 'normal', and the currently sane will be termed 'absolutely barking mad', or ABM (*)
Currently, I suspect vast portions of health-care budgets are spent trying to combat mental illness. Under my regime this money could be re-directed. After all, I'm convinced that statistics will show that if we leave well alone, people termed as ABM will gradually become normal of their own accord. Think of all the money I've just saved, and yet, I offer these ideas up for free; I must be normal!
(*) All the best maladies and afflictions have three letter acronyms.
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