Motherhood and Courage
I was not prepared for the degrading treatment that I received in divorce court. Although the hospital refused to give me a copy of my own hospital records, my husband had obtained them with no difficulty, and he gave them to his lawyer to use against me. The decision, of course, was that I would not be granted custody of my daughter. As the judge put it, ìI donít believe that a woman who has received electro-convulsive treatments should have custody of a child.î
Lessons:
- Successful personal and business relationships empowered me, especially my relationship with my daughter.
Applications:
- A meaningful job is critical to recovery. A gratifying personal role, such as motherhood, is also healing and empowering.
- Even today the legal system is full of inequities toward mental health consumers, and discriminates against them. Both lawyers and judges need to be educated in the rights of mental patients and their humanity.
- It is still difficult for a mental patient to obtain a copy of her hospital records, even where her right to do so is explicitly stated.
- ECT does create long-term memory loss that can be damaging to personal relationships and to recovery.