Archive for March 24th, 2008
March 24th, 2008
The Antidepressant Song
As a witness to the various ways that individuals survive the ravages caused by mental illness, I am always impressed at how resilient human beings truly can be. I have seen people return from the pits of despair and the chaos of psychosis to resume (or perhaps begin) productive and engaged lives, functioning in their communities in the “social role of their choice” (quoted from an older version of the Mission Statement of Singer Mental Health Center). It is a common misconception that mental illness does not respond very well to treatment.
As a medical student, I was once discouraged by a respected mentor from choosing psychiatry as my specialty because he believed that mental illness is primarily caused by “social problems that cannot be resolved.” He could not have been more wrong, and I am glad not to have heeded his advice. I could argue that diabetes is just as frustrating an illness to treat since many people do not do well because they choose not to follow their prescribed diets, exercise regularly, or take their medications correctly. The fact is that mental illness does respond well to treatment, and much of that is owed not only to the marvels of modern medicine, but to the innate human capacity for adaptation.
When I was asked to blog on this site, I was unsure as to what to expound upon. I’ve written essays in school newsletters and journals before, and I still write an occasional column for the staff newsletter at Singer. But those diatribes have been shaped and focused by the specific audiences I was addressing. This is the first time I have been asked to write for a general audience, but it occurred to me that perhaps part of the reason I was selected for this board was to offer my own unique perspective as a psychiatrist in this community. So I will probably be writing a lot about mental health issues, although I may diverge to other topics from time to time.
For now I will be focusing on this idea of Resilience, something on which I have given much thought lately not only because of the experiences of my patients, but because of my own experience with surviving stress. Stay tuned…
Raymond C. Garcia, M.D.
March 24th, 2008
So I am reading rrstar.com, and see this quote:
“Your 173 is the new East State Street,” Pankaj Mahajan, director of retail development for First Rockford Group, said.
And then I begin thinking to myself. Do I really want 173 to be State Street? We already have the interchange at I-90, so we know something is coming. It’s that something that has me wondering. I love having the convenience of the box-stores. We already have Target, Menards, and Home Depot. We’ve got Office Depot & Office Max. Have Bed Bath & Beyond, Michael’s and TJ Maxx, too. I’ve got my dry cleaners and cell phone store. Oh, and we have the movie place and some restaurants, too. We’ve got the Riverside & Rockton Wal-Marts, so we don’t need them. I’d like to have a Best Buy. But what else would we need there?
Am I just so lame that I am satisfied with the national retailers we already have? What other national retailers want to be in my neighborhood? Do I really want a four-lane 173 with traffic and stoplights everywhere? The Christmas holiday was only three months ago, and I remember the traffic and parking nightmare at State & Perryville. I really don’t think I want that in my back yard. Maybe someone will change my mind.
March 24th, 2008
You know, as I read the articles on rrstar.com as the village board debates and decides on lot sizes, one question keeps coming to my mind: What differentiates Roscoe from other communities in the northern part of the valley? Have they met the need to be competitive, yet still offer something different?
In my mind, Roscoe is a terrific bedroom community, one that I wouldn’t mind living in. Larger homes, larger lots, higher median incomes, higher median educational levels. What’s not to like about that picture? Debates over 75 vs 85 vs 100 vs 110 foot lot size. Is the need for Roscoe to be competitive among developers going to change perceptions? It does in my mind.
I’m thinking long term, so follow along with me here. Let’s hypothesize that Roscoe keeps its development lot sizes at 100 feet. In the short term, developers are going to select other communities with smaller lot sizes and start filling them up. As population goes up, so do issues such as roads, schools, etc. So other communities will have to deal with that. Then the other communities start complaining that they can’t handle the growth. Then the light bulb comes on … Roscoe’s got room … Surely there are buyers out there who don’t want to be cramped. The developers begin seeing the light … less homes, more room, higher prices. Suddenly, Roscoe comes to the rescue, and it gets to keep its differentiator … better demographics. Certainly one of the northern valley communities wants to attract a different resident than those who don’t mind being cramped…
In my mind, Board Trustee Sharon Atkins has it right, as quoted by rrstar.com: “I think we should be able to offer what other communities do not have.”
Let’s see what happens in the next few months as variances come into play.
