I’m no environmentalist, though I do quite like wind farms – and a story on the BBC website today details a legal action against a proposed wind farm by a mother of autistic twin boys.
The clash of two causes – the environment and mental health – in such a way isn’t something I’ve encountered before, and I wonder what precedent this may set for the ways in which mental health may be considered a significant issue in/by our society.
On the other hand, I would hate to see mental health sufferers being exploited or having their illnesses used to justify wider behaviours or actions. Just as there needs to be greater social awareness of mental health issues, we mustn’t risk turning mental health into a cause for martyrdom or risk playing any kind of victimisation. This would, to me, be counter-productive to shedding some of the stigmas and boosting the (positive) public profile of mental illness.
www.wayforwardcounselling.co.uk
Filed under: Current events Tagged: | autism, children, environment, environmentalism, health, law, mental health, society, wind farm
