When a relative disappears without explanation purgatory follows. Neither alive nor dead as there is no evidence to say what happened.
This is what happened to the O’Keeffe family. Only to find that Dan was never far from home.

Awareness of mental health has increased. But it is still a taboo. And has a way to go before being equal to physical health. Poor mental health if not directly experienced can still puzzle those who do not suffer from it.

To not be able to get out of bed from depression. Or to be so anxious that the relationships cannot be maintained. In extremes the mental health cannot be survived. An end is more preferable. Nobody is to know. Suicide has to be innately private to succeed.

To the majority of the population mental health is periodic and mild. Perhaps triggered by a culmination of events, a perfect storm. People come into therapy in crisis. Not knowing what else to do. Whatever they try to do to alleviate their suffering it doesn’t work. They need support to get over the troubled time.

The issue with crisis is that therapeutically it has to be survived. Out of crisis then the work can begin to find out what path led the person to the crisis. And significantly what coping strategies help or hinder the crisis recovery. Curiosity and courage help to see how we have learnt to survive and if that helps us in our adult lives.

Copyright Adrian Scott
North London Counsellor Blog 2021
All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer: This weblog is the view of the writer and for general information only
This article is designed to provoke argument and critique