Week 8 Kenta Nishiyama A03

From the reading, " I would always rather be abnormal than holistic: nine micro-essays", written by Shana Bulhas Haydock, stated about how mental health has been considered as a non-normative issue and the only ways to cure the problem is by fixing into a larger schema of wholeness. Haydock has claimed about how society sees the issues as a neurodivergence and it is going against the norm. In order to fix that threat, it is necessary to be normal in society. However, it will devalue the person`s characteristic and loses his dignity and uniqueness. Although Haydock mentioned that holistic mental health is a liberal in nature, personally, it is an involunteer treatment that mental health requires to do. I felt socialization has a strong impact on establishing norms and controlling people`s behavior and wills. It gave a strong inspiration for me after looking at the word " I would always rather be abnormal than holistic", I thought it does reflect my life and got trapped in a cage. I have lived in Japan for 3 years and experienced depression in society. It because of the way how I was different from other people, and it just makes me sick every day, being with those people. I felt like I have to act myself to become a different person in order to adapt to that society, something like being normal. However, it just gave me stress and anxiety being with them and felt like I was stupid being around them. Although my case is a bit different from Haydock, i do sees some similar points that he stated.

Haydock, S, B. N.d. "I would always rather be abnormal than holistic: nine micro-essays" Retrieved from Feb. 21,2018. (https://canvas.ucdavis.edu/courses/299229/files/folder/Week%20of%20Readings/Week8?preview=5191897)