Labels have caused me a lot of discrimination, oppression, and stigmatization. I have been incorrectly diagnosed three times before the psychiatrist settled on bipolar disorder. Furthermore, I cannot even count how many weight gaining medications I have been put on. I am not a big fan of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The DSM as you all know at one time even listed homosexuality as an illness. God knows, how many horrific experiments and treatments were done on homosexuals because of that unnecessary inclusion.

By Alex Sangha

Now that I am nearly 50 years old, I would like to write about my views on living with a “mental illness” for nearly 30 years.

At the age of 19, when I was first diagnosed, the psychiatrist at the hospital in England told my mother, to not expect me to go to university. During my second hospitalization at Surrey Memorial Hospital, the social worker on the unit wrote in her treatment summary that I should not apply to be a social worker because during that admission I happened to be non-compliant with my medication.

I have since completed two master’s degrees and even received an award from the Fraser River Branch of the BC Association of Social Workers for advocacy. I guess the psychiatrist and social worker who was supposed to help me were wrong after all. Because of this first-hand experience, I always try to see the strengths in people and support their dreams in life.

Labels have caused me a lot of discrimination, oppression, and stigmatization. I have been incorrectly diagnosed three times before the psychiatrist settled on bipolar disorder. Furthermore, I cannot even count how many weight gaining medications I have been put on.

I am not a big fan of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The DSM as you all know at one time even listed homosexuality as an illness. God knows, how many horrific experiments and treatments were done on homosexuals because of that unnecessary inclusion.

The DSM is not the bible of the human brain in my view. We know very little about how the brain works, never mind how multiple medications interact, and the consequences they have. And this is coming from someone who is a trained and educated Registered Clinical Social Worker who is qualified to diagnose mental illness using the DSM in British Columbia.

I feel if you want to label me, label me as a “creative humanitarian,” which more accurately reflects my current situation and abilities.

I agree that being a creative humanitarian does cause a number of setbacks and life challenges. I do not want to undermine the suffering and difficulty that many people face which can be significant and prolonged.

I feel it is necessary for many patients to ideally take the minimum dose of medication possible that has the maximum therapeutic effect in order to improve day-to-day functioning and quality of life with minimum side effects. When the house is on fire you may need to take more medication to put out the fire!

On a more positive note, I can personally attest that being a creative humanitarian also provides you with insight, resilience, and empathy for others.

There are many other benefits as well, such as during the highs I am very productive. For instance, I graduated from a prestigious master’s program in Public Administration and Public Policy in the Department of Government at the London School of Economics where I was admitted on a partial entrance scholarship. I also founded a non-profit in Sher Vancouver and wrote a book and produced a short documentary, My Name Was January, that won 14 international awards and garnered 63 official selections around the world. The film also entered the Canadian Screen Awards for Best Short Documentary in 2020. Furthermore, I am immensely proud that I established a successful counselling practice.

Most notably, I can also see the world from three different perspectives during my highs and lows, and when my mood is more in the middle. This gives me a lot of ideas and makes me a creative person, hence a “creative humanitarian.”

I would like to open up the mental health system and health care establishment to look at people living with mental illness in a whole new way.

Look at their strengths and what is possible for them to achieve within their capacity.

Look at how to support people holistically instead of with just the “medical model” with a diagnosis and pills.

As a creative humanitarian, I feel people with mental illness can not only survive but thrive.

I feel my brain chemistry and my moods may be different than the average person but that does not mean I am sick or ill – all the time.

In fact, I don’t even like the term “mental illness or mentally ill.”

I am not an illness!

I am a human being with feelings, emotions, and potential.

Alex Sangha is a Registered Clinical Social Worker and Registered Clinical Counsellor in BC. He is the recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal from the Governor General of Canada.