Söderköpings Lilla Tidning, (Söderköping’s local newspaper) Christmas 2002
Mental health ways out of mental exhaustion and depression
Text Björn Esping
Today the state spends more money on sick leave and early retirement than on health and medical care. Exhaustion, stress and ageing are ordinary problems. More women than men are, today, on sick leave. “Our working lives must become more human”, said our prime minister Göran Persson, in his opening speech to parliament.
“If we can create a better psychosocial working environment we can lessen ill-health significantly”, says Peter Eriksson, speaker for the Green party, in a report about how one can come to terms with ill-health in the workplace. He suggests that the first thing to be done to reduce stress is to work fewer hours. He also proposes the National Health co-operates better with the employer. “To start with, the County Councils should get 2 billion crowns. We clearly have a situation where costs are rising rapidly and a patient on sick leave becomes the cuckoo chick who takes resources from other important areas. It is essential that we support these proposals.”
At Mullingstorp course centre, Vikbolandet, they have tackled the problem with great success for many years. Bengt Stern, a doctor from Stockholm started the course centre in 1985 and has, since then, developed a very thorough programme for personal development, “Meet Yourself”. The training is given in three week-long steps. Since the beginning, more than 3500 people have done the training. Lilla Tidningen visited Mullingstorp and spoke for a while to the manager, Viktoria Eriksson.
“What do you want to do with your life?” she asks. “What is your mission in life? I am silent; those are important questions. I, myself, am burnt out and have started to look at my own life.
“In order to feel well it’s important to be true to yourself and to others” she says.
I asked Viktoria three questions:
“What does exhaustion and depression actually mean?
“Exhaustion and depression are like all other symptoms an existential signal to development. We all need to pause and ask ourselves why is this happening to me? What can I learn from this? If we do not find the underlying cause of these questions and start taking responsibility for both our physical and our mental health, the problems will remain, or even get worse. The reasons for mental and physical symptoms are always a form of energy blocking, which, in turn, originates from fear. Someone who denies his emotional and physical needs for a long time, who says Yes when he means No and the other way around, will in the end become burnt out or depressed. This behaviour always begins in early childhood. The child finds a way to behave in order to get attention and approval. He also takes after his parents’ attitude to work and authority.
Which are the most common signs of exhaustion and depression?
It varies from person to person. Generally one can say that a person who is on the way to be depressed, withdraws, does not share his thoughts and feelings with the people around him, becomes depressed, lacks energy, while a person who is about to be burnt out is continually on the go, energetic and successful. Both of these people will hit the wall if no changes are made. They will become sick and will need help to recover. It is not necessarily a bad thing that it goes so far, as it is then that a person recognises his situation as being serious.
“How do you deal with exhaustion and depression at Mullingstorp?”
The person participates in MeetYourself step 1 together with a relative or a close friend. Being sick is not an isolated problem. People around are also responsible for what is happening. For example, when a child feels bad it is a signal from the parents to pause and look at themselves. Everybody who lives together with a person who suffers mental or physical symptoms needs to ask himself “where is my responsibility in this?” “What can I do to support him so that we can both get on with our lives? During the MeetYourself step 1, the participant’s situation in life becomes very clear. He encounters the reason for his troubles, gets the space to process them, let go of them and then get on with his life. At the very moment he interprets the existential message in the signal or symptom it ceases to exist. He then understands what it means to take full responsibility for his life.
Viktoria talks about the great interest that Mullingstorp has received and the positive results obtained here. Lotta Fernros, doctor and researcher at Karolinska institute, is working on her PhD thesis on the methods being used at Mullingstorp and the results that have been reached. The thesis will shortly be published.
“What shall I do in order to progress”, I ask
“Think about the life you are living and how you actually want to live” she replies. When you are able to formulate your longings, then the next question comes automatically, “What is the price of getting there?” Then you will get exactly what you longed for provided that you pay the price in the form of courage, change, involvement and sacrifice. In other words, you are willing to meet and be reconciled with your fear and vulnerability.
Source: “Feeling bad is a good start” Bengt Stern, Mullingstorp publishers, homepages for the Committee for Alternative Medicine (KAM, www.kam.se) and the Green Party (Miljöpartiet, MP)
Björn Esping
Facts: Lilla Tidning is a local newspaper in Söderköping