Meditation and Intoxicants: Buddy

Neutral Yet Close

The experience I gained at the time of establishing the buddy system for AIDS patients in the 1980s is something I would like to put to symbolic use once again, but in a very different field—namely that of mental health care. There is still much work to be done there.

Historically, this sector in Belgium—and therefore also in Flanders—has been underdeveloped and neglected. Access to care, particularly in Brussels, is deplorable.

I do not wish to offend the therapists who work there, and I have great admiration for their commitment. I only say that as a society we invest far too little in the care that people with psychological problems desperately need.

In practice there are long waiting times for those seeking therapeutic support. The word “waiting list” is politically sensitive and is preferably avoided. That it is so difficult to find the right help provokes surprisingly little outrage.

Fortunately, the media occasionally devote attention to it. For example, the world-famous singer-songwriter Selah Sue, born Sanne Putseys (Leuven, 3 May 1989), publicly identified herself as a psychiatric patient.

Selah/Sanne explained that both of her grandparents had psychiatric problems. She therefore comes from a family in which mental illness has taken a considerable toll. With her television appearance Selah Sue also wished to make a statement about the effectiveness of antidepressant medication.

In doing so she opposes various inflammatory articles in the media that question the usefulness and safety of such medicines.

For some people it is literally vital that they have access to such medication, although that alone is not enough. Treatment with medication should be part of a broader approach that takes the whole person into account and enables him or her to develop.

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