- Mathieu Amalric and Benicio Del Toro in Jimmy P. (Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian)
Last week, while recovering from a minor bike accident (which I described the other day), I remembered how enjoyable it can be to overcome an injury or a treatable illness like a cold and flu. The process has a clear narrative arc: you follow the doctor’s orders (to rest, take medication, et cetera) and gradually the pain and other symptoms go away. For someone who’s been treated for a mental illness or disorder, this narrative is especially satisfying, since mental problems, however treatable, never go away. Even with psychotherapy and medication, the best outcome you can hope for is learning how to live with the condition so that it doesn’t overwhelm you.
