Mental Disorders: Identity or Disability?

[Guyzerr]

No comments in this thread except to say many things are being said by ignorance of never having been there or having suffered that..

I find this discussion quite disgusting..

Having a wife that has been doing battle with major depression for the last 20 years I find many of these comments very disgusting as well. Some people really don't have any idea what it's like.

 

[Roxi]

Exactly, and I feel very sorry for you and your wife. Dealing wtih depression is really horrible. I have a borderline personality disorder and its very hard for me to function 'normal' sometimes. It's hard to get out of my head.

I love it when someone who knows nothing talks alot of shit. Dealing with a mental illness is really hard, it just doesn't affect you, it affects your family and friends as well.

I feel sorry for anyone with one. I know how hard it is. To be medicated isnt fun either.

Actually if you had read her original post properly you would see that she lives with a man who deals with depression and is on medication for it.... Even though what she said was I admit quite mean and slightly ignorant she obviously does in some way understand the effects it has on a family situation. Maybe that is the reason why she feels the way she feels who knows now i am in no way justifying what she said cause I do not agree what so ever with it but maybe reading peoples posts a little more clearly rather than getting on the defensive straight up would be a wise choice. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Roxi]

I stand by what I said that she doesn't know shit. If she did, she wouldn't be posting this crap would she?

I did read her original post, I don't buy into her bullshit.

I did not say you needed to change your view on it did I? You said she obviously does not understand how it effects others and apparently she does EVEN though she has made a view on it that obviously is offensive and like I said rather ignorant. Her bullshit as you put it is her own burden and I do not believe she is trying to make anyone buy into it she stated her opinion on the matter and you felt it was wrong which is fair do's.

 

[Roxi]

No you didn't, nor did I assume that lol.

I just don't see how she could assume all of that shit, if she does infact live with someone with an illness.

Some people do not understand its the way of life, like you do not understand how she could feel the way she does if she lives with someone who deals with depression. Like I said in my original post I dealt with depression along with other things and I learnt to live without medication for it and I encounted many people who felt as she does but rather than getting defensive and letting it get under my skin I choose to ignore and move on from it cause if someone is not willing to try and understand me and what I deal with from day to day then whatever you become a tiny little blimp on my very large map!!

 

[retro]

No you didn't, nor did I assume that lol.

I just don't see how she could assume all of that shit, if she does infact live with someone with an illness.

That's the thing though... she doesn't appear to actually see it as an illness. She's called diagnoses "excuses", and said that 80% of people that suffer depression would be "fixed" through exercise and a change in diet.

 

[Roxi]

You're right, it's just hard for me to let stupid comments go. I've been living with this illness for many years and it's really hard for me. Being on meds isn't fun, I'm just sick of the whole thing. It's a never ending cycle.

Hope I didn't come off bitchy towards you, if I did I apologise.

No need to apologize, I did not take anything you said as being bitchy towards me. The point of my posts was just to say that you will run into people who do not feel as you do but do not let it bring you down if it is something that you feel strongly about or deal with everyday especially if you do not know them cause you end up upsetting yourself and that maybe there are underlining reasons for everything.

 

[Roxi]

That's the thing though... she doesn't appear to actually see it as an illness. She's called diagnoses "excuses", and said that 80% of people that suffer depression would be "fixed" through exercise and a change in diet.

And like I am trying to state to you... She has her opinion and so do you, she does not understand your thoughts and opinions and you do not understand hers.... And I know that in your life span my dear Retro you have met people who have pretty much told you to suck it up and it is all in you head the key is to just laugh and say ok whatever, its your right to feel angry and upset over comments made by others but in all honesty does it really matter as long as those you hold dear know and strive to help you and you keep doing what you need to to keep the wheels turning in you life??

 

[retro]

And like I am trying to state to you... She has her opinion and so do you, she does not understand your thoughts and opinions and you do not understand hers.... And I know that in your life span my dear Retro you have met people who have pretty much told you to suck it up and it is all in you head the key is to just laugh and say ok whatever, its your right to feel angry and upset over comments made by others but in all honesty does it really matter as long as those you hold dear know and strive to help you and you keep doing what you need to to keep the wheels turning in you life??

I realize all of that. But it is rather aggravating when someone that has no fucking clue actually has the audacity to spew the completely ignorant shit that mystic did in this thread.

As far as opinions go, everyone is entitled to them. Just as I'm entitled to tell someone that their's is fucked up, and let them know that they should educate themselves before they make such broad statements. Cure people of their total and complete ignorance about mental illnesses, one person at a time. Of course, that's just a pipe dream, because there are plenty of people that are going to cling to their idiotic opinions regardless of what you tell them.

 

[Roxi]

I realize all of that. But it is rather aggravating when someone that has no fucking clue actually has the audacity to spew the completely ignorant shit that mystic did in this thread.

As far as opinions go, everyone is entitled to them. Just as I'm entitled to tell someone that their's is fucked up, and let them know that they should educate themselves before they make such broad statements. Cure people of their total and complete ignorance about mental illnesses, one person at a time. Of course, that's just a pipe dream, because there are plenty of people that are going to cling to their idiotic opinions regardless of what you tell them.

The way i see it is you are taking this as a personal attack on you and what you deal with Retro, yes she said that 80% of people who suffer depression can fix though changes in there life styles and in all honesty where 80% is possibly unrealistic it most likely is a lot lower than that it is a fact and that statement however over exaggerated it is is actually true.. HOWEVER she did not really comment on the other 20% did she?? She did not deny all mental illness she merely stated that SHE felt a good portion of people who say they suffer from depression are just looking for an easy fix to there problems. I am commenting on her views on mental illness here and not the rest of that post because in all honesty I did feel the rest to be somewhat mean spirited but it is her choice to have those views...
I guess what I am trying to say is that you took the first part of her OP and read what you wanted to read without thinking about the 20% she did not comment on.

Get angry at me all you want, I am not sticking up for anyone merely pointing out that you took something to heart that possibly was more misunderstood or maybe i should say misinterpreted.. Exactly what I was explaining to Ravana..

 

[HK]

People who shouldn't....
I truly believe that more and more doctors these days (especially here in the states) are just handing medication out to people as a way to keep patients. A person goes into a doctors office complaining of depression, short tempered, lack of sleep whatever the case maybe and rather than dealing with the issue at hand they say "open you mouth and swallow the little blue pill" because if they did not that person would move onto the next doctor until they find someone who will give them the easy fix they are looking for, sad really. And then those who scam they system to get high which is very self explanatory really. There are a lot of people out there who would just rather take a pill to make them happy than deal with life and in all honesty working in a pharmacy has just verified my thoughts to myself cause I see so many people come in and get medication for this that and the other most of which could survive without it but are to lazy to do so and then I see those who are in need of it as well.
Its the people who shouldn't who really make it hard for the people who do need to be on medication to stabilize them that make it difficult for others to understand and for ignorance to exist on this subject.

If there was a pill for every problem in the world wouldn't that just be wonderful.

There's almost a culture these days that if you're say the right things to the right doctor, they'll give you a pill and you can continue with your life, however miserable it is, and get an artificial happiness, and that that's better than making active changes in your life.

Now I'm not saying that anyone who suffers from a mental illness could just get some more exercise and feel better. But I think some people are shuffled onto the medication bandwagon at an early age because it's easier for their doctor to give them a pill than spend time working out what changes could be made to make their life better, or they themselves have no desire to change.

My boyfriend is bipolar. His main symptom of this is his anger but as I've told him before, if he'd never told me he was bipolar then I wouldn't have guessed - he had his worst sessions when he was young, between 15 and 18. So living with him is not, in my opinion, comparable to living with my friend who got sectioned, who is frankly off the rails. What I do know though is that his mood and his outlook can be vastly improved if he gets enough sleep, eats decent meals and so on. So to a degree I think some people with a mental illness could have an improved quality of life if more effort was made to make changes in their actual daily life, rather than just offering them a pill and sending them on their way.

Obviously for some people, medication will always be necessary. But perhaps making positive changes to their lifestyle would also help them function, rather than expecting a pill to do everything.

Just to come back to the original point as well - I do think that especially among young people, there's a level of 'cool' attached to being 'damaged' in some way. As if it makes you more interesting to be ill. So I do wonder how many teenagers diagnosed as depressed or borderline or manic or whathaveyou, are really just saying the right things to a doctor who hasn't the time to dig deeper, as most doctors don't.

 

[Peter Parka]

Some people just dont understand what they cant see. If someone was walking around with a broken arm taking codine for it they wouldn't be stigmatised as faking it or not needing their medication but because its a mental condition which is wrong with them, its ok to accuse them of faking and playing on it or to completely dismiss their condition as not existing and them not needing drugs. You know what would help stabalise some people with a mental health issues condition? If people accepted it, stopped minimalising, stopped shunning and stopped accusing them of nasty things to do with it.

 

[Guyzerr]

She also said if her children had an illness she would try and work out where she went wrong.

That wouldn't solve anything for the person that was dealing with the illness. By then it's too late to try and figure out where a parent went wrong because the damage has already been done. Besides that maybe it was caused by something other than parenting skills or lack thereof.

Mental illness has numerous causes and effects an it's unfortunate that in todays day and age some people just don't get it.

 

[Panacea]

Here's a clinical secret about personality disorders (bipolar, borderline, antisocial, narcissistic, schizotypal specifically): by their very definition, those with these disorders sometimes look like shady attention whores who have nothing wrong with them. Don't believe it! They are suffering, out of control, as are those close to them. They need therapy, they need meds, they need compassion even when it's nearly impossible to give.

It's a tough battle, there's ups and downs, but they're humans too. Personality disorders are harder to overcome than mood disorders (depression, anxiety) because the person effectively fights themself and sabotages their mental health with mood swings and sick thoughts. I give people credit for trying to have a life in the face of all this.