The odds

Roger initiated the locker room discussion yesterday. His adult son had just entered treatment for a mental illness/substance abuse problem. Do these things work?

The opinions ranged from counselors are snake oil salesmen getting fat off the afflicted to accounts of miracles. Some asked if drugs were being prescribed and what else was being provided.

I had only two questions. What did his son perceive as the source of his problems and how was he changing his life to get better? This parallels allocution in criminal cases as well. What the court wants to know is if the offender accepts responsibility and if he’s going to change his relevant environmental factors.

Mike, an acquaintance from high school days, has been holding forth on the web about his problems. It never ceases to amaze me what people will make public, but it’s not a big surprise from what I remember about him. He’s being forced into getting counseling. Classmates are speculating about the chances for success.

I give it one in ten thousand. He’s had numerous run-ins with teachers, family members, supervisors and others over the years and, by his account, it’s always been their fault. True, it’s the job of the counselor to help him see his role in all this, but I think he’s too entrenched in his delusions to accept responsibility for or acceptance of or the consequences of his actions.

On the other point, Sara has withdrawn from an activity group I belong to, subsequent to a demented episode. It’s nothing new and no one thinks this latest remission will last because she’s just too broken.

While that may be the case, I ascribe some importance to environment. She associates with other damaged people, including one who eggs her on in aberrant behavior, sometimes creating conflicts by forwarding her comments to others or posting them on the web. He’s frequently involved in discord and misery loves company. She’s incapable of discerning this and repeatedly falls into his traps.

Roger said his son is coming to see that he’s created his own problems and that he’s shunning malignant influences. I like his odds.