Your opinions on Mental Illness

[Heyesey]

Apologies - not my best post . BP is the current term for what was previously described as MD although both are still currently used. I personally prefer the use of the BP term as in my experience is holds less negative connotations. Just a personal preference I guess.

 

Unfortunately, that's exactly the same thinking that turned cripple into spastic, into handicapped, into disabled, into differently abled. Now that people use "differently abled" as an insult towards people who do something stupid, where is there left to go?

 

The problem of people referring to medical conditions to insult people with does not go away simply by renaming the condition. It's not the word itself that people think is an insult; it's the condition, no matter what name you call it. Within twenty years, "bipolar" will have just as many negative connotations as "manic depression" ever did, because it's exactly the same thing.

[GabbleRatcht]

From a personal perspective, I've suffered from a brief spell of clinical depression and have been lucky enough to come out the other side. I took medication for 3 or 4 months, and I know that while I was depressed I genuinely 'wasn't here'.

 

There are chunks of my life that I only know about through diaries, timesheets, tax returns and ratty letters form my bank manager. There were odd occasions during those times I do remember - things like princess Diana dying, big stuff like that. I've sort of mislaid two or so years of my life...

 

And no, people on the whole don't treat you with much compassion. I'm convinced that some folks think depression is contagious.

 

Well said.

 

And there is no point people telling you to ' pull your socks up ' because it doesn't help. You will get out of the 'hole' when you are ready and not before. Certain things in life can cause fully rational people into mental illness/depression/alcoholism. You may still appear rational to the watching world, but on the inside...........

 

So, to the OP, no, the compassion isn't there. Unless you have been there yourself, you won't understand. Harsh, but true.

[donuticus]

Ronnie O'Sullivan? There's a difference between mental illnesses and being a bottler.

 

I draw your attention to my signiature.

[StarSparkle]

I draw your attention to my signiature.

 

I can't believe I haven't noticed your signature before, Donuticus, but it's excellent, spot-on and I agree with it wholeheartedly. Well said.

 

StarSparkle

[Rich]

I used to be depressed for a while back in the late 90s, I did 2 things to stop it, first I told the morons at the job centre where to shove their poxy £35 a week, and secondly I stopped watching Eastenders...

[GabbleRatcht]

I used to be depressed for a while back in the late 90s, I did 2 things to stop it, first I told the morons at the job centre where to shove their poxy £35 a week, and secondly I stopped watching Eastenders...

 

Yet again Rich, you show your true colours.

 

There are people here trying to have a serious discussion, about a serious subject, who know what it feels like and you take the p***.

 

I'm sorry, but why not get some empathy instead of your xbox?

 

And I would ask you to look at my sig too.

[Rich]

Yet again Rich, you show your true colours.

 

There are people here trying to have a serious discussion, about a serious subject, who know what it feels like and you take the p***.

 

I'm sorry, but why not get some empathy instead of your xbox?

 

 

Um, in case you don't know, I have asperger's syndrome, which is classed as a mental illness, so I'd assume I DO know how it feels, OK?! OK I apologise for making lighf of teh subject, but my first point about being depressed while I was on teh Dole is true.

[Halibut]

Um, in case you don't know, I have asperger's syndrome, which is classed as a mental illness, so I'd assume I DO know how it feels, OK?! OK I apologise for making lighf of teh subject, but my first point about being depressed while I was on teh Dole is true.

 

It's not classified as a mental illness, it's a mental disorder. But a difficulty with being able to be empathetic is one it's characteristics.

[Moonbird]

Not only do I think that people with mental health problems are treated as pariahs by our society, but I also think that there are just too many carers and family members that end up with mental heath problems themselves as a result of the stress of trying to do their best for their loved ones, without the support that they need.

You are absolutely 100% right on that Medusa, families of people with mental illness are forced to struggle along alone with things untill they end up in exactly the same boat, it's only then the help comes if they are lucky that is

[BobbyBunny]

As a sufferer of Bi-Polar disorder - I don't really care what you call it, a lot of people don't even know what it is - but I agree that having a mental illness is just as hard, if not harder, than having a physical disease. I generally have two options - I can be medicated up to the nines, able to work, but not generally be THERE in a mental sense - when I'm medicated I'm not ME, I'm a drug - and live life 24/7/365, or I can NOT be medicated, be ME, act a bit weird sometimes, sleep 2 hours a night, be unable to work and have an unsteady mind but at least its ME, and not some drug thats talking for me.

 

Not many people understand what being medicated does to you. Half of my family actually say I should be medicated and a zombie just so I can work. If they'd experienced being drugs they wouldn't want to be drugged either.

 

There's definitely a limited understanding of mental illness, and people need to learn more. Just because I look fine in a physical sense, doesn't necessarily mean I am. The same applies for everyone.