thatkirkguy

I hear you. I definitely understand the fear of losing autonomy; it has been and remains a huge hurdle for me as I try (and frequently fail) to consistently treat my mental illness. Obviously I don't know you or your story, but I can say that, at least for me, a major component of my mental illness often involves some really dangerous (and I can see, now, flawed) thinking that keeps me from seeking or keeping up with treatment. The stigma can be brutal. Coupled with the fact that you typically (again, I can really only speak for myself) feel like a burden to anyone and everyone who you might have turned to for help. But I will tell you that, for those periods where I've managed to continue meaningful treatment for sustained periods I have seen that it's possible to live another way, and it keeps me going back. For whatever it's worth, from a complete stranger, I hope you'll find a way to get the help you need when you're ready.

Agreed -- apart from "in some cases the defendant." Here I would say in all cases. Having committed a crime doesn't void a person's right to justice. I think that many people in this country are far too quick to write people off once they've broken the law, as if that sort of marginalization is going to accomplish anything worthwhile. These processes have to be a balance of finding justice for all parties involved, including the defendant. Otherwise we don't have a system of justice, we have a system of revenge.

Brief follow-up if you don't mind? When you "un-write" do you discard the work entirely, or do you have a repository to revisit it later? I have a problem of believing I may regret losing it and so I end up sort of hoarding ideas and passages that I've decided aren't working.