I have a few well-off patients. One in particular is a bored, wealthy, bipolar woman.
And like many well-to-do ladies in Naples, she volunteers once a week.
Today she was extra happy and I asked her why.
“You know, Dottoré, yesterday I went to distribute food to the homeless and when I do that, unconsciously, I say to myself: ‘I am rich and they are poor!’ So afterwards I feel light, fulfilled, normal!”
“Signora, but do your friends with whom you volunteer know that you are being treated in a mental health center?”
“Of course they don’t! I can’t just go around and tell them my business! Besides, if I did, they would think I was crazy!”
“Well, I think you’re wrong not to tell them. You're such a good soul. If you told them, it would amount to double volunteering — both to the needy and to your friends. Because if they knew about your mental distress, unconsciously, they would say to themselves: ‘We are healthy and she is crazy!’ And so afterwards they would also feel light, fulfilled, normal!”
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