Social Work 114 Essay: Working Across Differences

Introduction
In times like these we understand there are many different sources of oppression or discrimination over the course of humanity. In this essay I only have room to cover a small amount of areas even in the small sections that I have chosen. Sometimes we only have our own lives and experiences to build upon when learning about these sorts of differences. Ive chosen to cover a small section of Mental Health and Gender issues, though mainly will be able to touch on usual racial and minorities issues within both sections. As well as the theories that work beside them in practice and current services which aid or harm their evolution. Please note that at the end of this document, there is an attached submission report from the HRC commissions visit in 2006 during its Transgender Enquiry. I will touch on the ideologies and issues pertaining to that in the sections about Gender Identity and Gender issues.

Part One: Mental Health

Section One: Discrimination and ADHD, and the cross cultural issues in Psychological studies.

In this section I will aim to cover the personal and cross cultural issues faced with being an Adult or even a child with Attention Deficit Hyper Activity Disorder. As well as the problems others may face getting diagnosed living overseas or in New Zealand. Though my references for this section are low, citations will cover personal experiences where references lack. First of all lets get the theories in this section out of the way first. Many people will agree that the Broken Engine theories1 work for the most part for individuals with ADHD medicated or un-medicated. This theory covers the idea that cognitive theories will help fix behavior where either medication or no medication fails. As we are all well aware, no amount of medication in the world will cover everything or even cure ADHD. Cognitive therapies go well with this theory; as they work directly at the source to teach someone what is going on. An individual is empowered either through Counseling or even a Social Worker to work through their behavioral issues. As an Adult with ADHD, the diagnosis was there off and on from a young age though formalizing it was the largest issue. As we all know the differences2 in Psychological and Psychiatric services and research vary from location to location. More so the cross references to American psychiatric and New Zealand3 research and services. Not just that but the difference in Governmental policies in handling Mental Health in terms of ADHD and ADD related disorders.
1 2

(Connoly & Harms, 2009) Psych trained professionals turned me down two to three times for proper medication based diagnosis in NZ 3 Official Personal diagnosis on New Zealand Soil, September 2009 Alistair Cameron Psychiatrist

The view of America Medicates Everyone vs. Cognitive All The Way comes to mind when explaining the differences in these services. Although labels can cause more harm than good in society; on the whole many ADHD sufferers seek guidance or even medication to serve a normal life depending on the level of severity of the condition. In personal knowledge, and experience in being treated in New Zealand4 there is a large discourse of trying to remove the idea that ADHD or ADD exists according to some professionals. Largely it is seen as just a behavioral problem; rather than an actual disorder that affects everyday life. In terms of discrimination it can be largely pressed into a category of lackluster attitude towards work ethics according to some working professions. Including low paid areas of general record keeping or even hospitality areas like restaurants and fast food. Also it can be an issue in education; with it not being properly recognized even with Psychiatric diagnosis at some tertiary levels5.

Section Two: Psychiatry and the DSM - DID/MPD vs. Healthy Multiplicity in the field of Social Work.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is in my personal opinion no matter which volume it is neither a guide nor complete reference to the spectrum of Psychiatry it references. Recently in the last couple years many changes were made, and the Fifth edition was released making more labels and more incorrect and traumatizing experiences for individuals worldwide. While I can agree, that there is salt and worth to this manual it is merely an archaic reference to the modern society in which it was born. While many communities worldwide are born out of the idea of harmony and largely stopping the creation of labels, we do understand as human beings we have a nature to understand ourselves and explain things. Over the years in our Post-Modern society we have come up with broader more accepting terms for things that deem stable and sometimes even quite healthy. Storytelling theories give us the chance to narrate our way through our problems and stabilize the needs of our forthcomings. In the idea of Multiple Personality Disorder6 or now known as Dissociative Identity Disorder7 this can be a frightening thing to pull through on; and because this is only something that of course was discovered and placed within the DSM manuals over time, many non-disordered labels and identifying explanations have come through8.

4 5

Bernadette Berry, Psychologist Dunedin Personal conversation in 2010 with fellow classmate Keziah Wallis 6 No longer standardized, originally found in the DSM IV now replaced with DID 7 DSM 5 8 (Healthy Multiplicity)

Plurality and Multiplicity worldwide can be seen as an excuse, to possibly hide or cover-up and underlying psychiatric disorder such as Schizophrenia, MPD, and Borderline Personality Disorder or even to fake Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is my varied belief that in finding similar non disordered9 ideas or even symptomatic features of plurality are quite the opposite of what people feel about MPD or DID - in that they are mainly over the course of time a source of stability in dealing with life shocks10 in which sometimes what is considered the social normality, are able to deal with. Maybe for some people these life shocks are Sexual Assault, Gender Identity Issues or even Bullying in the course of their life either in the workplace or education. Recently, in order to establish this part of my essay, I gathered a few questions on the Tumblr based blog called Living Plural: A guide to Multiplicity. Two individuals1112 themselves identifying with plurality and the need to stop the oppression in areas of psychological medicine, cognitive therapy and or social services as well as living in the world where the Social Normality is what is considered The Majority of Society. In the questions posed to people, and the answers first received by the Tumblr user Allarchade, much is disclosed about the idea that we are boxed in and told what we know about ourselves does not exist. There is no real need to prove a cross cultural connection with this; many cultures have experienced virtues and features of either the disorders listed above, or the non-disordered and stable versions of plurality. Unfortunately in this day and age due to digital computers and writing one cannot always prove plurality, and many cultural features set up to mock and disprove still exist. I would love to continue down this avenue however I only have around 800 words left to service the rest of this essay.

Part Two: Gender / Sexuality

There are no separate sections to this part of the essay, as gender and sexuality with reference to personal experience13 are one in the same. Although I must reference the idea that this blurs a line with the previous mental health subject, as not everyone that feels a pull towards one side of a gender spectrum should feel like they must act one it; as well as the idea that sometimes people of a plural nature can be forced to act on whatever nature is running the show as many will disclose14.

My own findings of plurality are due to possible stress related dealings from things over the years. th Monday Lecture, Sept 5 , 2011 Pat Shannon, SOWK114 11 ((Tumblr User) Stogu, 2011) 12 (USER & Haldeman, 2011) [Allarchade, Tumblr] 13 Previously noted, either via plurality or self-abuse Transgender Identity personally reported, until 2007 when personally felt it was wrong. (Never went through with psychological or medical transition.) 14 (Haldeman, 2006)
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In this day and age however, like mental health and taking care of ourselves the idea of labeling becomes a problem, but again I digress that within the Storytelling theories noted15 its a nature of humanity to discuss how we feel and explain. Post modernism creates new waves of ideas on what we are; and no longer are we bound by the traumatic features of yesteryear. However, the nature of the oppression within Transgender, Gender Identity and Sexuality was obvious to the Human Rights Commission in the last ten or so years16. Besides my own submission in 2006, they toured several key cities in New Zealand to figure out the ways to connect empowerment to these people17. Now I of all people realize through whatever means possible know that empowerment does not always mean resolution. There are uprisings of Human Rights issues going backwards stateside making this another cross cultural reference. Unlike places like in the South Pacific to my knowledge, like Samoa which are quite open to different walks of life the United States, despite it being a free country is riddled with strangulating policies that hinder rather than empower.

Conclusion and Ideological Response

Ideologies that harm and suppress creating a set of oppressions for both of these areas are the ones that have been around since before the dawn of time. Fundamentalism in religion; both Christian, Islamic/Muslim and other religions around the world are creating their own versions of ideas that deserve noting against mental health, racial and gender/sexual identities. Political influences from extreme right or left, not just in the United States but in our own backyard are the creation to newfound problems in policies within local and higher forms of government in giving a voice to people. I concrete my newfound research in my own mind about myself as we once were told in our studies You cant go into Social Work without understanding your own self, and who you are first. That who I am as a whole cannot live the rest of my life idly standing around waiting for a push in the right direction. The catalyst to these theories to empower, are things that have confirmed and aided my own problems not only in the past but currently. The issue that everyone who is different, out of the ordinary may I reference pop culture that if you are graced with any abilities out of the ordinary much like the five movies graced out of the pages of the Marvel Comics long running Comic Book series, X-men; you are shunned and boxed and labeled and constantly depowered. Sometimes this in itself is enough to cause trauma to the people we are inside, rather than the people we are perceived to be.

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(Connoly & Harms, 2009) (Human Rights Commission, 2008) 17 (Human Rights Commission, 2007), (Human Rights Commission, 2007) [Exec Summary]

Trauma and responses to Trauma are seen every day in popular culture worldwide; I remember referencing this Japanese Animation in last semester for SOWK111 in our second essay on the Meso/Micro and Macro responses to Social Work. Neon Genesis Evangelion18 is a prime example of the facets of the human mind exposed to trauma not just in a childrens way but an adult. In particular the monologue of the particular character Rei; whom spoke about with rhymes and riddles about life and self-disclosure. Can the mind really be split from trauma? I believe yes, but not in the same way a psychiatrist or medical professional sees it. While I am sometimes quite black and white in my thinking due to my personal experience with my ADHD; I believe the colored shades of grey explain the dealings of healthy and stable plurality at a later stage in my life. Needless to say, from a young age comics were more than just an obsession funny enough while I never was the type to have had a family full of serious dysfunction or trauma that added up to the world bank of Zurich; there was enough that my own persona obviously could not handle it. Being through Family Divorce; Family bullying; and experiencing Fundamentalism to some extremes during the Vineyard revival phases of Christianity in my later childhood years means that maybe I havent got Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and experiencing Sexual Assault by age 15 certainly means that Im unlike most girls my age but its enough to put strain on the way I work. Between my ADHD and finally being medicated learning about my own mind was a struggle and a half. I certainly feel that there is a form of healthy insanity as I jokingly call it every musical artist has some form of discussion about going slightly mad or even needing therapy19. Empowerment, and the Ideas I serve to continue on a path of Social Change work are what bring me to a final conclusion. We are all of varied racial backgrounds, mental status and varied life experiences who we are inside counts just as much as the outside. While I identify as plural, and possibly mildly genderqueer (due to constant questioning of my own ideologies) its my job as a student attempting a path in Social Work to empower not only myself, but those around me. Without seeing anyone, let's pass the time here. The time made from glass; we'll pass together. Without counting the numbers of past nightsWe'll pass the time, with you I'll continue my therapy ... And you will be my medicine.20 Ideas and Theories are words on paper its the way we look through the glass into the people around us, the way we perceive people without judging, the way we pass the time and enjoy life beyond the transgressions of debts and enemies these are the things that create a path into how we deal with life. As a Social Worker, we are not our clients medicine or therapy we are their empowerment to the rest of their lives.

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(Sadamoto, 1995) (GENKAI HARETSU)1997- 20 ((HIDE), 1997)

While I have indeed gone over the words limit, I will always be on the lookout on these theories and maybe someday prove my own theories on how to work in the fields of practice with cases and people different than those explained in our textbook.

*Attached is a copy of the 2006 Submission to the HRC Transgender Enquiry21. Resource Permission from Jack Bryne of the Human Rights Commission22

21

Cheeky Note: I nicknamed this submission the glitterbarf document; you are more than welcome to ask me about this. That is of course, if its not already apparent in the notes that Jack Bryne created in 2006. 22 (Unfortunately I couldnt properly attach this via word, as it was created differently than most PDF files I know of.)

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