What do you do when you don't know what to do? What do you do after all your attempts to resolve your unhappiness have failed? Feeling powerless to resolve an unhappy situation can lead to physical illnesses and social and psychological problems. When failing to control someone, or something, that cannot be controlled, desperation can lead to creating other behaviors to alleviate frustration and unhappiness. These newly created behaviors are meant to give the feeling of control when feeling powerless. While they may not totally resolve one's unhappiness, they do serve to make the situation more tolerable and feel as if they provide, at least, some control in their lives. The most common creative behaviors are depression, anxiety, obsessing, eating disorders, delusions, hallucinations, substance abuse, and addictions, et al.At the core of all of one's unhappiness can be found a very common thread . . . unsatisfying relationships. Excluding natural disasters, war, and poverty, when was the last time you ever felt unhappy that it didn't involve someone who was important to you at the time? Understanding how we receive information and process it leads to the choices we make in our efforts to pursue happiness. Are these behaviors mental illnesses or are they the result of attempts to control and ease the frustration of an unhappy and unsatisfying situation when all else has failed?In "Mentally Ill or Frustrated and Unhappy" Rice explains why we do all of the things we do and how many of these choices result in the exact opposite of what we want to acquire. He shows how to immediately improve your connection in your world and relationships by way of Choice Theory(R), created by the late Board Certified Psychiatrist, Dr. William Glasser, M.D.
About the Author: Michael Rice is a Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor who is certified in Reality Therapy and Choice Theory by the William Glasser Institute. Choice Theory differentiates from conventional psychiatry that diagnoses mental illness and brain disorders for conditions that have no pathology and are treated with psychotropic medications. Choice Theory is based upon personal choices, personal responsibility, and personal transformation. What is being diagnosed and medicated as a mental illness is, in reality, the behavior of someone who is acting out of frustration and unhappiness. The unhappiness and frustration is the result of an unsatisfying relationship with someone important to them . . . something that is occurring in the present. The frustration and unhappiness is the result of several unsuccessful attempts to control a situation that will result in an acceptable relationship. The relationship problem may also be the client's own relationship with him/herself. Mike has been in private practice since 1998 and over the years has helped over four thousand clients for substance abuse and several other behavioral health and emotional concerns. His years of practice and experience has encompassed group therapy, one-on-one, and couples counseling, helping others to better understand themselves by teaching Choice Theory methods of improving their relationships with the important people in their lives. Mike has been an active member of the William Glasser Institute, having served as the Regional Director of the Western states as well as having served on the U.S. Board of Directors of the Institute. Mike has presented several workshops at conferences in AZ, CA, NV, TN, CT, and Bogota, Columbia. He has presented at the AZ Psychological Association and the Sierra Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence in Sacramento, CA. Along with Dr. Kenneth Larsen, Mike co-emceed the opening ceremonies of the William Glasser International Conference at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles in June of 2012. Mike remains the CEO and Director of Court Counseling Services in Mesa, AZ, which he started in 1998. He continues to assess clients for substance abuse, teaches life-skills, and shares his experiences with client issues and Choice Theory applications in his books and articles.