Lived Experience V.S Book Knowledge

 

It has come to my attention that some of my viewers do not think I am credible because I do not have a psychology or psychiatry degree. I think this is a horrible position because although I do not hold a degree to my name, I do have something infinitely greater than a degree. What I have as someone with a mental illness is the lived experience of what it is like to have a clinical mental illness. Some people may not believe that this is good enough, but I hope that after reading this blog they will reconsider their position. We live in a culture that literally worships the idea of college degrees. While I do admit that there are some benefits to having a degree, I do not think that it should be the end-all-be-all of knowledge. According to most psychologists, there are many different forms of knowledge, and lived experience is one equally credible form. I am not in any way advocating for lived experience with zero book knowledge by the way. I actually believe that lived experience plus book knowledge is greater than just having book knowledge. For example, when talking to a psychologist, it would be much more beneficial if the therapist also has a mental illness too. I say this because not only will they understand you from a clinical perspective, but they will also understand you better from a personal perspective. Actually, the therapist who deals with mental illness themselves will be much better equipped at helping you cope with your mental illness than a therapist who just knows facts about your mental illness. My psychiatrist and therapist cannot tell me much about my illness that I do not already know. In this blog, I will discuss three points why lived experience is better than mere book knowledge. However, I would like to say that I understand that this is a controversial subject because many people believe that if you do not have book knowledge then you are not credible. I hope to change some minds on this, but even if your mind is not changed, maybe you will come away from this with much more appreciation for the lived experience than you once had. If this happens, then the purpose of this blog will have been served. The three benefits of lived experience that I have found are the following: 

1) Much Greater Understanding 
2) Much More Empathy 
3) Able To Touch More People's Lives 

I will elaborate on each of these points, but I would like to say that these are not the only benefits that make lived experience greater than mere book knowledge. These are just the main points that I'd like to discuss. Feel free to leave them in the comments section below if you can think of any more. Now, time for my points. 

Much Greater Understanding 

I know that this sounds a bit controversial to say, but I firmly believe that when one has lived experience of a mental illness they will understand the illness better than someone who merely reads about the illness. I say this because as someone who suffers from Schizoaffective Disorder Bipolar Type, I understand all the nuances of my illness. My Psychiatrist and my therapist may understand my illness on a surface level because of their studies but when it comes to the nuances of my illness they have absolutely zero idea. For example, my psychiatrist and therapist may understand that there are times when my Depression causes me to not be able to get out of bed. However, what they will not understand no matter how hard they try is what the experience of being that depressed is actually like on a personal level. Another example is that my psychiatrist and therapist may understand that I will have periods where I am in a manic episode, but what they will never understand is how being in a manic episode makes me feel. Only someone who has experienced a manic episode will actually understand what a manic episode is like. 

Much More Empathy 

When someone has a better understanding of what it is like to deal with a mental illness, it does naturally lead them to have more empathy toward another person with a mental illness. For example, my psychiatrist and therapist will not show me as much empathy towards my Depression and mania episodes as someone who truly understands what I am going through. This is not to say that they do not care at all about me. Sure, they may care about me to a certain extent which is why they are treating me. However, they do not care about me on a personal level. This is why I strongly advocate for mental health support groups as opposed to regular therapy groups. As someone who has been to both support groups and therapy groups, I can honestly say that I get a lot more from the support groups (where everyone deals with a mental illness, including the leader) than from therapy groups (where the group is led by a therapist who does not have a mental illness). 

Able To Touch More People's Lives 

I have found that when I can identify with people with mental illnesses it naturally helps me to affect their lives. I say this because it helps me to help others when they know that I can relate to them. I completely understand why this is because I know for me personally that the people who have had the most impact on my life were people who could identify with me. I typically do not take advice from someone unless they can demonstrate to me that they understand me on a personal level. I know many other people who are just like me in this area too. So many of us who deal with mental illness do not really trust people who talk at us without any experience. However, when someone can demonstrate that they truly understand us on a deeper level than mere book knowledge, we tend to give them out trust. Trust means everything to people like us and we are not willing to just give our trust to anyone, even if they have a degree. 

I hope that this blog has shed some light for you on this very important issue and even if you still disagree then hopefully you better understand what I am advocating for. Again, I am not against book knowledge at all. I am an avid studier of Psychology amongst other things as well. I just think that book knowledge without lived experience is essentially worthless. Thank you for taking the time for reading my blog and may the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!!! 

-David Lee Chu Sarchet 
Christian Mental Health Advocate 

Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website

Check out the other Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website