Cyprus-Forum.com

[Nikitas]

Bananiot said:

"I disagree with you on this one Nikitas. A nation (?) that makes a film such as "analyse this" shows that it has come to terms with psychiatry."

You obviously have not had as much contact with Americans as I have. The frequency and ease with which Americans resort to a "therapist", (there is not longer any need to qualify the word with the prefix "psycho", it is assumed), is frightening. Just as frightening is to sit across from an aquaintance and hear the phrase "my therapist told my you would say what you just said".

There are legitimate grounds for people to seek treatment. What has happened with psychotherapy is a relegation to the status of an all purpose crutch. And far from being alien to this approach, Cyprus seems to be following. There is hardly any media discussion on anything anymore without the pass partout psychologist being called in to give his opinion. The psychologist and the analyst have supplanted the mukhtaris and the priest it seems as sources of local wisdom. So I guess we are on the right track to the first world.

[Kifeas]

Normally, in third world countries, like Cyprus, people tend to make fun of psychiatry. This is because of ignorance or bias which is strongly entrenched into people. I think the term psychiatry does not help in clearly defining the area this branch of medicine deals with. The most common condition psychiatrists deal with is depression and this is a serious disease that affects a huge number of people and it is nothing to laugh about. It is a chemical inbalance of the neurotransmitter serotonine in the brain and like all diseases it is treated (to good effect) with antidepresant medication.

The idea that psychiatrists deal with "crazy" people is crazy in itself and most of these people who have such ideas, when they eventually suffer from depresion or any other disease termed as psychiatric, they become bad patients and their bias leads them astray, running to priests and monasteries ... to find a remedy for their ailment.

Eventually, we are all victims of our biases.

Bananiot, if Cyprus was a third world country, by now you -especially you, would have already had Hrant Dink's fait!

In that respect, you should feel yourself very lucky you were not born in Turkey, and blessed to the extent of daily kissing this country's soil, for having being born a Cypriot!

[Nikitas]

Psychiatrist Mikellides strikes again, in his weekly column of Politis he notes:

"The settlers are a reality. The continued flow of settlers in the occupied areas is also a reality. In the past I believed, in vain, that the Turkish Cypriots are Cypriots and will ally with us against the mainland Turks. That was a mistake. The Turkish Cypriots are money grabbers who make alliances not due to ideology but to line their pockets. At present the money is flowing from Turkey. In 2003 they voted yes because the money was from our side, now they vote no because they have grabbed a bundle and they do not want to hand anything back and there is plenty of money from Turkey. Generally the Turkish Cypriots are not reliable enough for anyone to ally themselves with them. Without the alliance with the Turkish Cypriots the Cyprus problem is a lost cause, and the trurkification, that is to say the turning of Greek Cypriots into refugees is imminent."

Now this man is, by his own admission in the same article, treating TC patients in his Nicosia practice. In the past he was pro unification and rapprochement and against Makarios and Papadopoulos.

Is this change of heart because of his experience during the last 3-4 years? Is he seeing some kind of light or is he just turning strange?

Those of you who follow his writings in other venues and who have an ear close to the ground in Nicosia give us a hint.

[turkkan]

Its interesting because in the past 3-4 years i have heard numerous TC's (all of whom were feverent pro-annan plan supporters), all from Cyprus, who have talked about the greek cypriots in the same distasteful light as he does about TC's since the referendum. Eitherway, with his new found views what is his proposal for a settlement now? I assume it has to be either partition or war to kick us out.

[Oracle]

Sounds to me like he has had a EUREKA moment ....

[Bananiot]

I think Mikellides is going through one of his usual mood swings. There is nothing more to read in his present writings. I think Turkan made a valid point. Many people were disappointed because of the "no" vote of the Greek Cypriots and in fact in the north I came across many Mikellides's. The path to solution is not a bed of roses and we all need staying power to see the whole distance out. Mikellides is genuinely disappointed, I have no doubt.

Silly woman Oracle however is overjoyed at Mikellides's new theory that we are so different from the Turks that we can never live together.

Kifeas on the other hand thinks that Cyprus is not a third world country. Let me put it differently. We are the only African country in Europe and when you realise this you can start work on improving it, rather than comparing it with Turkey. Why not raise the bar and compare us with Sweden, let us say. Would any Swedish Prime Minister that accepted 50 000 bananas from an obscure British-Ukrainian company under the table for his election campaign ever say "this does not concern me" when asked by jopurnalists and case close!

I was being bloody lenient when I said that Cyprus is a third world country!

[DT.]

I think Mikellides is going through one of his usual mood swings. There is nothing more to read in his present writings. I think Turkan made a valid point. Many people were disappointed because of the "no" vote of the Greek Cypriots and in fact in the north I came across many Mikellides's. The path to solution is not a bed of roses and we all need staying power to see the whole distance out. Mikellides is genuinely disappointed, I have no doubt.

Silly woman Oracle however is overjoyed at Mikellides's new theory that we are so different from the Turks that we can never live together.

Kifeas on the other hand thinks that Cyprus is not a third world country. Let me put it differently. We are the only African country in Europe and when you realise this you can start work on improving it, rather than comparing it with Turkey. Why not raise the bar and compare us with Sweden, let us say. Would any Swedish Prime Minister that accepted 50 000 bananas from an obscure British-Ukrainian company under the table for his election campaign ever say "this does not concern me" when asked by jopurnalists and case close!

I was being bloody lenient when I said that Cyprus is a third world country!

if thats your example then the UK is a 4th world country.

[Bananiot]

Are you talking about TB who was replaced by GB who had a freebie from a BG?

[Bananiot]

Perhaps you want more examples DT. I can provide them, providing you promise to listen.

[DT.]

Perhaps you want more examples DT. I can provide them, providing you promise to listen.

GO right ahead old timer. BTW whats a BG?