Even for a girl like me, then, there comes a day when she can stop surviving and start living. To survive, you have to look good or talk good. But to end your story well-- here is the truth-- you have to talk yourself out of it.
Chris CleaveRead
Psychiatry in this place is like serving an in-flight meal in the middle of a plane crash. If I wanted to make you well, as a doctor, I should be giving you a parachute, not a cheese-and-pickle sandwich.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the urgency of addressing fundamental issues rather than offering superficial solutions.
Chris Cleave uses the analogy of serving an in-flight meal during a plane crash to illustrate the inadequacy of traditional psychiatric care in moments of genuine crisis. Rather than providing mere comfort or temporary relief (like a sandwich), the focus should be on equipping individuals with essential tools for survival and healing, akin to giving them a parachute to escape a dire situation. This perspective advocates for a more proactive and impactful approach to mental health treatment.
Themes
PsychiatryCrisisMental HealthSolutionsSurvival
In practice
Example use cases
In a mental health conference discussing the importance of effective treatment strategies.
More from Chris Cleave
All quotes →Still shaking, in the pew, I understood that it isn't the dead we cry for. We cry for ourselves, and I didn't deserve my own pity.
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Death, of course, is a refuge. It's where you go when a new name, or a mask and cape, can no longer hide you from yourself. It's where you run to when none of the principalities of your conscience will grant you asylum.
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Is it my fault if I do not look like an English girl and I do not talk like a Nigerian? Well, who says an English girl must have skin as pale as the clouds that float across her summers? Who says a Nigerian girl must speak in fallen English...?
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So when I say that I am a refugee, you must understand that there is no refuge.
Chris CleaveRead
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