"Fake" mental illnesses

[Jaymes]

ADD. Social anxiety disorder. Depression. OCD.

People often interpret some--if not all--of these as something that people need to just "get over", or that it's just "being picky", or "shyness".

Why is this? I see more commercials about mental disorders now than I ever have. To my recollection, there were none when I was growing up. But now it's "out" enough to be talked about in commercials. So why does ignorance still prevail about these and other often-misunderstood disorders?

 

[Ody]

So why does ignorance still prevail about these and other often-misunderstood disorders?

For the same reason ignorance is prevalent in regards to homosexuality and history.

 

[standing_alone]

I think some of it may have to do with some people thinking that illnesses are just something that are physical (more visible), if that makes any sense. People think of illnesses as affecting the body more so and not the mind.

 

[dbakerman76]

ADD. Social anxiety disorder. Depression. OCD.

People often interpret some--if not all--of these as something that people need to just "get over", or that it's just "being picky", or "shyness".

Why is this? I see more commercials about mental disorders now than I ever have. To my recollection, there were none when I was growing up. But now it's "out" enough to be talked about in commercials. So why does ignorance still prevail about these and other often-misunderstood disorders?

The bottom line on all this is that people don't want to know. People rather just ignore these diseases of the mind. They tend to view them as some sort of character flaw.

 

[McBell]

I suspect that it is because there are so many people diagnosed with 'mental illnesses' who do not actually have that mental illness.

How many children where "diagnosed" with Attention Deficit Disorder merely so the doctor could collect his cut from prescribing Ritlin?

 

[standing_alone]

They tend to view them as some sort of character flaw.

Exactly. It is so much easier for some people to condemn than to recognize that there may be something there that runs a bit deeper than a mere character flaw. Instead of addressing the real problem and actually trying to help, it's so much easier to look down on the person and blame them for how they are.

 

[dbakerman76]

Exactly. It is so much easier for some people to condemn than to recognize that there may be something there that runs a bit deeper than a mere character flaw. Instead of addressing the real problem and actually trying to help, it's so much easier to look down on the person and blame them for how they are.

More often than not those dismissers offer a simplistic answer to solving the problem. How many people have been told that when they turn their life over to the supernatural their problems will disappear. In my life, its been more often than I can count.

 

[standing_alone]

More often than not those dismissers offer a simplistic answer to solving the problem. How many people have been told that when they turn their life over to the supernatural their problems will disappear. In my life, its been more often than I can count.

Very true. Though I have gotten few recommendations to turn to the supernatural, people have often given me simplistic answers, that for a person not suffering from a mental illness might work, but for me would do nothing to help and could possibly even be worse. I don't know how that is for others, but that has been more my experience.

 

[PureX]

The bottom line on all this is that people don't want to know. People rather just ignore these diseases of the mind. They tend to view them as some sort of character flaw.

Sure. As long as these things are "character flaws", they woun't happen to US because we have stronger characters. This sort of thinking is natural to human beings because we fear what we can't control.

 

[Ozzie]

ADD. Social anxiety disorder. Depression. OCD.

People often interpret some--if not all--of these as something that people need to just "get over", or that it's just "being picky", or "shyness".

Why is this? I see more commercials about mental disorders now than I ever have. To my recollection, there were none when I was growing up. But now it's "out" enough to be talked about in commercials. So why does ignorance still prevail about these and other often-misunderstood disorders?

Ignorance lingers because the stereotypes built up will take longer to deconstruct and require more investment than advertising solutions. Ignorance is due in part to the concealed nature of these mental conditions. This makes them easy to fake. Malingering on these conditions is both practised and overly suspected, in both cases to the detriment of the real sufferer. For example an insurance company will hire a clinical psychologist to diagnose malingering rather than real mental illness in order to avoid having to pay out workers compensation claims. There is also a social bias towards not accepting an affliction as real unless its symptoms can be treated pharmacologically according to the medical model. Some of these disorders are cyclical and tend to cure themselves, then recurr independent of interventions either psychological or psychiatric. It is a complex problem IMO.

 

[Yoco]

While in a psychology class recently, I learned an important fact that changed the way I look at many of these "grey area" mental illnesses that are sometimes difficult to distinguish true mental illness from other things: A person is only diagnosed with a "Disorder" when it negatively affects their lives.

The example my teacher gave was a person who must lock their door seven times before leaving. If this person feels no negative impact from this, it is not a disorder; it is simply a personality quirk or somthing of that like. However if this person suffers from anxiety if there is any question as to how many times they locked their door, or if they begin being chronically late for work due to taking the time to lock their door, than it becomes a disorder.

So basically, for those people who have been diagnosed with the above listed mental illnesses, and others, the problem extends beyond a personality quirk, and has become a problem in their life. Whether the problem stems from a chemical imbalance in the brain, or a pattern of social interaction that results in "antisocial" behavior, the people diagnosed with these illnesses have suffered negative impacts.

 

[Sunstone]

::Edit:: Actually, as much as I like you guys, I don't think I'll share this info cause I don't want you to think I'm crazy. I mean, you probably already do, but I don't want to hurt my image any more than it already has been.

Good Grief! How many of us RFers do you know who aren't crazy???

 

[CDRaider]

Mental illness is just as common as the common cold. I'm not kidding you. IN complete honesty there are just as common. Your body goes through period of weak immunity when you get sick and so does your mind. Depression is the common cold of the mind and is the #1 reason people call off work. they aren't sick in the body, they are sick in the mind.

Its ashame that people stigmatize mental illnesses like they do. There is no definent line between healthy minded and crazy. Mentally ill people are not usual violent and don't have these weird complexes, the majority of them are just normal people with a 'charater flaw' as someone stated earlier. Like Yoco said, if its not harming their life then whats the problem.

Its like people who like the ugliest color of green you've ever seen. They like it and it makes them happy and it does not harm you. They may spend extra money finding paint that color and spend extra time searching for things that are that color but what about them liking that color hurts anyone? It really doesn't. There is a professor on campus who has to wash his hands between everyclass. He washes his hands when things change, when he leaves work, when he wakes up, when big portions of the day change. As he tells people "Yeah, i have a mental quirk. It doesn't hurt you, it doens't hurt me and i leave myself an extra minute here and there to make sure I have time so I'm not late because of it. Whats the problem. If it makes me happy and pacified and I dont' feel the need to change it then why do so"

The point is valid.

 

[CDRaider]

Why is this? I see more commercials about mental disorders now than I ever have. To my recollection, there were none when I was growing up. But now it's "out" enough to be talked about in commercials. So why does ignorance still prevail about these and other often-misunderstood disorders?

To answer this question, its the stigma. If you go to the doctor and are diagnosed with something, you could generally go, Oh ok, i have OCD well its alright because i'm not freaking out over it. but instead what happens is "Oh crap, I have OCD and every one will thing i'm a freak job and I will lose my social status if people know I'm mentally ill, medicate me!"

 

[Sunstone]

It's traditional to see the symptoms of mental and emotional illness as character flaws. Prior to recent medicine, there wasn't a whole lot people could do about those symptoms except exhort each other to rise above them, preach at each other to become better people, and encourage each other to just give up the symptoms, as if any of that was really possible. You can't cure major depression with philosophies, and you can't cure OCD with exasperation and shaming. But not too long ago, that's all people had to confront those illnesses with.

 

[Bishka]

I can't tell you the number of times I have run into this.

I have ADD/ADHD, Bipolar, OCD, and SAD.

I've met people who tell me these aren't 'real' and to just get over it. They've obviously never tried to 'get over it'. With what's been said, I mostly agree.

One point, CRAIDERS, I don't agree with to the fullest extent. I believe a lot of people have mental illnesses, but not everyone, and certainly not as many as you suggest. In my experience, there aren't a lot of people who had to have gone through what my little sister has gone through, so that's why I see that point as different from my opinion.

 

[PureX]

While in a psychology class recently, I learned an important fact that changed the way I look at many of these "grey area" mental illnesses that are sometimes difficult to distinguish true mental illness from other things: A person is only diagnosed with a "Disorder" when it negatively affects their lives.

The example my teacher gave was a person who must lock their door seven times before leaving. If this person feels no negative impact from this, it is not a disorder; it is simply a personality quirk or somthing of that like. However if this person suffers from anxiety if there is any question as to how many times they locked their door, or if they begin being chronically late for work due to taking the time to lock their door, than it becomes a disorder.

So basically, for those people who have been diagnosed with the above listed mental illnesses, and others, the problem extends beyond a personality quirk, and has become a problem in their life. Whether the problem stems from a chemical imbalance in the brain, or a pattern of social interaction that results in "antisocial" behavior, the people diagnosed with these illnesses have suffered negative impacts.

And even more importantly, they are unable to discontinue the behaviors even when they recognize that these behaviors have a negative impact on their lives.

 

[CDRaider]

I can't tell you the number of times I have run into this.

I have ADD/ADHD, Bipolar, OCD, and SAD.

I've met people who tell me these aren't 'real' and to just get over it. They've obviously never tried to 'get over it'. With what's been said, I mostly agree.

One point, CRAIDERS, I don't agree with to the fullest extent. I believe a lot of people have mental illnesses, but not everyone, and certainly not as many as you suggest. In my experience, there aren't a lot of people who had to have gone through what my little sister has gone through, so that's why I see that point as different from my opinion.

Well the real point i suppose i was trying to make it that everyone suffers from mental illness but not on a vast scale (i.e.-deep depression). It really is quite comparable to physical illness. There are some people who get sick all the time (like my friend, she's had kidney stones, excersise induced asthma, food allergies, and a skin condition. Yeah, she gets sick all the time. Me on the other hand, I'll go years without a cold or flu but when I get one I crash because I'm not used to being sick and don't know how to handle it.

Its that way with mental illness. There are some people who go through serious mental illness or mental conditions so in no way am I trying to trivialize what your sister when through, don't get me wrong on that. But then there are people like my other friend who are find 99% of the time but he gets super depressed like one or twice a year. The thing is, to understand where I am coming from, it is ESSENTUAL for people to understand that mental illness is not a dirty word. Thats the #1 thing I hope people can get out of this post/thread.

 

[Ciscokid]

ADD. Social anxiety disorder. Depression. OCD.

People often interpret some--if not all--of these as something that people need to just "get over", or that it's just "being picky", or "shyness".

Why is this? I see more commercials about mental disorders now than I ever have. To my recollection, there were none when I was growing up. But now it's "out" enough to be talked about in commercials. So why does ignorance still prevail about these and other often-misunderstood disorders?

I've suffered from Social Anxiety...and general anxiety. My doctor had me on Celexa for quite a while. Today I'm not on anything but I occassionally get hit with a jolt of anxiety.

 

[doppelganger]

ADD. Social anxiety disorder. Depression. OCD.

Is anyone here familiar with the scientific literature behind these diagnostic classifications or the diagnostic criteria for them?