The other day, I went to see a Shrink – yes, a Shrink – to find out my mental health status.

The word ‘Shrink’ is not one to feature ever so often in conversations around here. There is an unspoken rule of thumb that forbids you from making serious references to such. To consider the possibility of visiting a shrink is a taboo in itself. You would be deemed as one on expired drugs or one on the peripheral of paranormal relations with the ‘spirit world’ if you dare utter to your family or friends a genuine need to see one; yet, this is a fantastic notion as it concerns our mental well-being.

Facing the world each waking morning can be a challenge; we never could tell the sort of experiences lined ahead of us. This makes us somewhat left without the power to choose the nature of the life experiences we eventually go through each day. We may be able to influence the pattern of some of our experiences based on the kind of lifestyle we adopt, however, what constitute the fibres of those experiences are totally out of our control. Now, how these experiences eventually affect us are largely dependent on our mental health condition but more importantly, how they impact our mental state is worthy of concern.

Our threshold for absorbing the aftermaths of negative experiences differ from one person to another. These aftermaths often include shock, the feeling of disappointment, mistrust, bitterness, resentment, doubt, paranoia, self-doubt and nonchalance to name a few. The fact that these conditions are not physical even makes it scarier and worrisome. Meanwhile, a major chunk of our behavioural patterns are directly linked and mostly in sync with these aftermaths. Recovery from these kind of aftermaths often requires the services of a shrink whom a lot of us around here would never want to be associated with. The apparent reason being stigmatization fueled by ignorance and myopia. For this reason, many opt for a visit to some cleric who may actually need the services of a shrink in his life too… just saying.

Everyone needs psychiatric evaluation. The regularity of this routine would vary from one person to the next, exaggerating the obvious! Now, don’t lie, someone just crossed your mind! Yes, someone just did and I can bet some loose change on that. *side eye* You actually just looked across your work table, scanning the open-plan office you work in for that colleague of yours that naturally exudes psychotic tendencies. Hmm, but has it also occurred to you that your supposedly sane-looking, ever comporting, unassumingly harmless work associate, friend or family member could actually be mentally disturbed?

Being the devil’s advocate, It is almost second nature for a lot of us to want to play shrink on other people. We always believe to know the reason Jack and Jill need to get their heads examined but in the real sense, the joke is on you. You need to get your head examined and I am dead serious about that. Make it top priority to find yourself a medically qualified Shrink to unburden that mental baggage you’ve carried around for eons. It may help you bring closure to that self-doubt you are struggling with, come to terms and make peace with your schizophrenic nature. Thank me later.

As promised earlier, here is what I came back with from my visit to the shrink’s. He identified through his diagnosis some tendencies that may lead to certain excesses based on his prognosis if further occurrences with unscrupulous alliances are not checked. Phew! Now, I feel alright though I left my prescriptions at the shrink’s. I think my shrink needs to see a shrink also!

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