Monday,
October 27, 2003:
"Suffering ceases to be suffering when
it finds meaning." Dr. Duncan McKinlay
often quotes this line by Viktor Frankl -- and
seems to live his life by it as well.
Dr.
McKinlay, 29, an Ontario native, is a world
expert on disinhibition disorders, but he's
also a man who has lived with Tourette's.
But
his suffering ended about five years ago, when
he realized that he had the ability to make
a difference through public awareness.
"Yes,
I still have tics," he said through twitches
and grunts. "But I'm a doctor, so I don't
really have a disorder, as far as I'm concerned."
Dr.
McKinlay spent the weekend in Bridgewater, explaining
to the public how people with Tourette's, attention
deficit disorder and other learning disabilities
see the world differently from people he referes
to as "normies."
The
community symposium, called Life's a Twitch,
was organized by Pathways Community Association
to promote awareness of the disorders and their
accompanying problems.
Parents
and educators from across the privince took
in the lectures, and Dr. McKinlay says this
is crucial.
"Oftentimes
the biggest problems that occur with these disorders
aren't caused by the disorders themselves,"
he said. "It's the perceptions about it
by others and even the individual that cause
problems."
He
calls the process "vicarious healing"
for himself because he wasn't diagnosed until
adulthood. Through research, his Web site and
seminars, he has reached out to many people.
"Thank
you for this gift from God," one mother
told an organizer, saying she finally understood
what her son might be dealing with and how to
help.
These
are comments that are still a bit overwhelming
to Dr. McKinlay, but he is starting to get used
to it after conducting more than 200 workshops.
"I
certainly wasn't planning for an of this to
happen, but no one else was doing it, so I guess
it was up to me," he said of his work.
"Besides,
I wouldn't wish the first 19 years of my life
on anyone, so if what I do helps, then that
is what I have to do."
The
workshops continue this afternoon at Parkview
Education Centre.
rstevens1@ns.sprint.ca
