Mental Illness....

[Roxie Grey]

Do you believe in it? I know that I do, and that it can often be more debilatating than many physical problems.

I know that some people don't believe that such a thing as mental illness exists, and I was wondering, if you donot believe in it, what do you think it is, and why? I am a VERY open-minded person, and I know that it is extremely hard for those who have not ever had one to understand.

I am asking this question because I have a mental illness, and the other day I came across an article that a man wrote on the subject, and that he believes that there is no such thing, and that those who say they have one are faking it or insane.

I refuse to believe that all who don't believe in mental illness are that rude and narrow minded, and would like to say that if you don't then I donot discriminate.

If you do believe in them, then could you state why you do, and to what extent? And if you are reading this and have one, then I wish you the best of luck and the most amazing life of all time. <3

[Josh Braun]

I admit that I'm a bit depressed, I'm pretty damned bipolar, I'm anxious

 

Have you ever thought that maybe those were just your emotions? Depression is genetic where there isn't enough serotonin in the brain, so it's biochemical along with bipolar and anxiety attacks, so there is proof that chemicals and medication help them so I don't know how you can say they don't exist when that happens. If the medication did nothing, and there was no basis for the medication, I'd see where you are coming from.

 

Most people just buy into weakness and decide that they can't possibly help themselves.

 

So if they can't help themselves, then why does the medication. I can almost guarantee you that if you were given the same medication as someone who was depressed, bipolar, or had anxiety attacks, that it would do nothing because you don't have a mental illness. And nobody "buys into weakness". You think they like being depressed to the point of killing themselves?

[Abreo]

I can almost guarantee you that if you were given the same medication as someone who was depressed, bipolar, or had anxiety attacks, that it would do nothing because you don't have a mental illness.

 

It would have an effect, a lot of those drugs can be used as party drugs.

[Josh Braun]

hahaha but not a positive effect.

[Abreo]

Well whether or not it's a positive effects entirely depends on who you ask.

[Josh Braun]

Well it matters on what effects they want. But I meant like for the body and stuff like that.

[Peggy Perna]

You think they like being depressed to the point of killing themselves?

As a person who has been suicidal many, many times, I can honestly say that it sucks. It is the worst feeling in the world to be so depressed that all you can do is curl up in a ball, because you don't have the will power to get out of bed. You don't have the will to live. You feel like nothing in the world could be worse than what you are going through. And you're willing to do anything necessary to make the pain stop. Because, believe it or not, being depressed is actually painful. It isn't necessarily a physical pain, but it's definitely a mental and emotional pain. 

Depression is very real. And it's true that you can't truly understand how real it is until you've gone through it. Sure, there are varying degrees of depression. Yeah, people use the word "depressed" when they just mean they're really sad. But that's just because they don't understand the true extent of depression. It really is a mental illness. My life would be so different if I had never been affected by depression. But it's a coping mechanism. It helps people deal with what sucks about their life. Not everyone gets the help they need, but that isn't their fault. It is because most people don't know what the signs of depression are. If people knew the signs, so many lives could be saved.

[Savanna Shay]

Have you ever met and spent time with anyone who has any of the conditions you named that you feel are false?

[Vanille (Captain, please)]

My mom's bipolar. When it hits, believe me it's real. It would be an insult to all the people with mental illnesses to deny they exist, because when she's doing bad there is no way she's faking it or is insane (and it is very creepy and disturbing) so yes it exists, clearly, and the medicine helps. REALLY.

[Eric Jones]

I do believe that mental illness, while a real thing that affects many, many people, is over-diagnosed in many cases, especially with adhd in small children, especially boys. This is, in my unprofessional opinion, due to the fact that many people have learning styles that do not mesh well with the current educational model, which requires sitting down and paying attention for many hours a day. Many people require physical activity in order to learn, and thus are stymied when they attempt to learn in the way best for them - doing things. Thus these young people, whose only fault is that they are different from what the school they attend finds agreeable, are unnecessarily labeled as "mentally ill" and medicated when what they really need is someone to recognize that they learn best in a method different from the way that they are being taught now.

 

Also, I think that I heard on an NPR radio program that ADHD can be treated with diet. I'll have to see if I can find that so that I can post a link.

[Gnome]

It hurts me that people could possibly think that these people are faking it. I mean, some people could be but there is no way that people would choose to have mental illnesses. No one WANTS to lose interest in everything they love. I believe that a small amount of people fake it because they want attention, but the majority don't fake it. I myself do not believe I have any mental illnesses, though I have been really depressed a lot lately, but there is a difference between being sad sometimes and having depression. A lot of people don't understand that. Also, I include eating disorders as mental illnesses, and how could anyone say that anorexia doesn't exist? It's all over the place and it's horrible, and not eating is a lot harder than it looks. I doubt anyone would do it unless they truly had mental problems.

 

I saw a lot of references to schizophrenia, and that is one hundred percent real. There's 'hearing voices' like almost hearing what your mom would say to you or something similar, and then there's hearing voices that make you want to do things even if you know they are wrong. How can people explain the cases where people say they murdered someone because 'God told me to do it! God spoke to me!' otherwise?

[Amy Banker]

I am asking this question because I have a mental illness, and the other day I came across an article that a man wrote on the subject, and that he believes that there is no such thing, and that those who say they have one are faking it or insane.

 

I don't really understand this, because isn't "being insane" a kind of mental illness? Either this man has no idea what he's talking about and is spouting nonsense or you've related it incorrectly. But, more importantly-

 

I believe that mental illnesses are real, but that perhaps the categorizing and naming of them as "mental illnesses" is misleading. It isn't just something that is going on with your brain, but a biochemical difference or deficiency in your body. It's an abnormality of the chemicals and enzymes of the body just like a diabetic has with insulin, and you don't see people claiming that diabetes is made up or in the diabetic's head. 

 

Severe depression runs on both sides of my family, and last year I became severely depressed myself. There had been no traumatic event, and I literally felt almost nothing all the time. I barely spoke to my friends because I had no interest anymore, and I would sit for hours doing nothing, just staring into space. I would go home every day and just sob for hours. I quit doing my schoolwork, and I quit reading - which is one of my biggest passions and doesn't require much effort. After I started taking medication and going to therapy for the past year and a half, I've gotten a lot better - but I'm still not the same person I used to be.

 

I only share this because it shows that depression and other mental illnesses are real, and it wasn't in my head. I also had numerous physical symptoms - just like a diabetic has when left untreated.

[Josh Braun]

I think people think some of them are fake like Hypochondriasis, even tough I still believe it exists. Or something like Dissociative Fuge where people just forget where they are, walk, and not know how they got there.