this post was submitted on 20 Oct 2023
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So I have noticed from reading through posts and my own research that there isn't much information on how mental health and psychology would be taken care of and implemented. I could very well be wrong and would appreciate anyone's pointing me to an initial resource in order to understand more. And if it hasn't been confronted as a problem, I would like to ruminate with others on what those possibilities could look like. We can't eschew mental health.

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[–] schmorpel 8 points 1 year ago

Right now we have a top-to-down mental health system. You visit a professional, receive a diagnosis from them, and then have access to medication. This situation often arises when a person cannot function in their work environment, or when stress in the work environment or stress due to financial pressure causes the person to have mental health episodes at home. I do believe that a lot of disorders aren't really disorders to start with, but that people become disordered as an expression of trauma caused to them because they present differently from the majority or don't fit into the behavioural confinements of their community.

In a solarpunk future we would hopefully not expect people to work eight hours a day, and commute two hours, and have two partners do this just so they can afford food and shelter. We would not bully people or discriminate them, or deprive them of basic resources and force them to somehow cope. Kids would grow up in an environment where their natural needs are respected, they would not be locked up in a classroom all day, their parents wouldn't be stressed out of their minds all day. Access to health care would take care of non-capitalism-derived problems early, before they fester into full disorders.

There will still be cases of people who cannot fully take care of themselves or even are a danger to others, and as of now I don't know? I guess each community will have to come up with a solution that works for them - it's very much a case-to-case thing and not something that can or should be decided from above.