It sounds really strange to speak of the upsides(the more positive aspect of a

situation that is generally bad)  of being ill. Surely there are only downsides?
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But rather than(thay vì) assuming, as we normally do, that  our mental illnesses are
just a problem for us,  
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we can dare to ask in a spirit of open-minded  exploration: What are my illnesses
doing for me?  
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Whatever their costs, what are their secret  upsides? What are their unexpected
benefits?  
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Why might I be covertly(ngầm) siding with(đứng về phía)  them against the possibility
of health?
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We often develop psychological illnesses because  the alternative(sự thay thế) to
them is in some way worse. The  
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illness protects us - at huge and tragic(bi thảm) - cost  from a confrontation with
something that threatens to be (dường như có thể xảy ra) yet more painful and
psychologically  difficult: the truth about what has happened  
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to us, what we need to do next and the true  nature of certain people we are close to.
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Think of the person who repeatedly fails her  exams, despite being very intelligent
and driven(determined to succeed, and working very hard to do so.)  
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What could possibly be the benefit of an illness  as awful as self-sabotage(phá hoại)?
But if we examine this  
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person’s life, we might find the presence of a  hugely competitive and jealous mother
who could  
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be extremely displeased by her daughter’s success  - and might respond by cutting
off her love and  
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becoming highly aggressive. The daughter  hence chooses the illness of self-
sabotage  
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over the yet more awful realisation that  her mother was damaged and damaging
and  
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never loved her properly. It can feel ‘better’  to be ill than realise one was always
unloved(không được yêu thương).
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Behind a great many psychological illnesses, we  uncover (khám phá) “benefits” - if
we can put it that way: 
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- failing can be a protection against being envied(thèm muốn, ghen tị) - worrying
about our appearance can distract  
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us from the fact we were made to  feel horribly unworthy(không xứng đáng) as a
child. 
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- being manically(điên cuồng) busy can block out  uncomfortable news of our true
sexual desires 
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- being paranoid(hoang tưởng) can prevent us from  acknowledging who we are
really annoyed with. 
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- an addiction can keep us  ignorant of our early abuse
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In certain circumstances, getting ill is - to our  unconscious minds at least - the easier
route.  
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It might not be in any way nice or simple to  be always impotent(bất lực), or worried,
or a failure  
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or paranoid, but these options might  nevertheless be better than realising  
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that one has an altogether(hoàn toàn) different sexuality  or was furious with a
supposedly beloved parent  
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or is jealous of a sibling or should be changing  jobs or leaving a partner. Behind a
great many  
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psychological illnesses, is a highly distressing(đau buồn)  truth we’ve exchanged for
a neurotic(dễ bị kích thích tinh thần) symptom.
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Once we realise the overall mechanism(cơ chế),  we should - whenever an illness
comes into view(xuất hiện) - repeat the naïve(ngây thơ, ngờ nghệch) enquiry: what 
is the peculiar(đặc biệt) and particular advantage  
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of this illness for me? What does it  prevent me from knowing about myself?  
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What would I need to do if I wasn't ill?  What is the upside of feeling depressed,  
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or of blowing up a relationship or of being  impotent or friendless(không có bạn)? We
may generally  
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complain about these problems - but, if we can put  it this way, what purpose are they
serving for us?
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We can then dare to think that there is  something worse - something truly difficult  
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to swallow - that we are protecting ourselves  from via being unwell. The way to
overcome a  
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mental affliction(đau khổ) is to cease(ngừng) to look at  it merely as an explanation-
less(without, không cần) nuisance(mối phiền toái).  
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It may be a shield protecting us from what we deep  down suspect - mistakenly -

would hurt us more.