Mental Health

[Corrin]

you have to deal with your issues, not rely on crunches such as drugs. there's not much difference between relying on drugs and wheeling around in a wheel chair dispute having perfectly good legs. there are so many people who just don't know how to deal with their emotions & end up walking like mindless sheep to drug dealers. whether their in a store with a permit or on the street corner a drug dealer is a drug dealer siphoning off the money of the weak. i feel sorry for anyone who go's to one of these quack pyschs that dish out pills rather then helping out with peoples psychiatric needs.

I disagree with this sentiment, mental illnesses are diagnosed when the symptoms you're having affect your ability to function, so it's very hard to just "Get over it". We need help, therapy, and sometimes medicines to help us. Mental Illnesses have a real impact on the brain, you can see it in MRI's the difference between, say, someone with clinical depression and someone without.
Mental illnesses are much more than what you make them as, it sounds to me like you don't think mental illnesses are even real?

 

[shadowmoon522]

I disagree with this sentiment, mental illnesses are diagnosed when the symptoms you're having affect your ability to function, so it's very hard to just "Get over it". We need help, therapy, and sometimes medicines to help us. Mental Illnesses have a real impact on the brain, you can see it in MRI's the difference between, say, someone with clinical depression and someone without.
Mental illnesses are much more than what you make them as, it sounds to me like you don't think mental illnesses are even real?

there's difference between "getting over something" & "dealing with it"
i never once said "get over it".
there are plenty of ways to counter clinical depression without drugs:
aerobic exercise
stop thinking in such a negative manor about yourself & stop caring what other people think about you
aromatheraphy
psychobiotic yogurt. yeah, i'd recommend friendly bacteria over drugs any day
making a journal
meditation
self-hypnosis: its kinda hard for depression to keep hold of someone who wills him or herself into the habit of positive thinking. the imbalance in the brain caused by depression dose not affect free will & habits.
music, if your susceptible to the emotion altering effects songs can have. there are those who are immune to it for some reason of another.
there are various ways to deal with depression & pull oneself out of the hypothetical black hole.
those who are depressed are fed up with it & it leads them to search out solutions. that's just something natural, human beings are pattern seeking completionists by nature. if somethings unresolved it eats up mental energy in the back of your head. its one of the reason why humans tend to like puzzles, watch tv, read books, make theories, ect
also, doctors are often the worst people to go to for help with depression cause they tend to have a more limited understanding of it &/or a lack of time.

 

[Sydian]

this is exactly my point, for something like depression its not the best idea to use drugs. depression is crushing sadness, using drugs won't get rid of the cause. sadness, anger, happiness... everything has some psychological root that caused it and there's always something that can counter it. everyone has the capacity to overcome their emotions & control them or at least be able to fight them.

Just because I fight differently than some doesn't make their methods any less valid, though. Sometimes, medicine does work for people. I have a friend that takes anti-depressants and that works better for her than not taking them. I never actually did take them, so I can't say for sure how they would have done, but I have fought well on my own without. I don't think it's fair to say people shouldn't take them because it does work for some people out there. The things you listed to deal with depression are nice and all, but having depression doesn't make you want to do those things usually. I didn't want to get out of bed most days. I skipped classes a lot. I didn't want to go anywhere or do anything. It's not easy to force yourself into doing aerobics, eating healthy (on the worst days, I'd always get Taco Bell, for example, because it made me feel better somewhat), and especially just not thinking about things.

What I'm basically saying is that people tackle this differently...I wasn't trying to say meds were right or wrong in my previous post. I was simply stating my personal experience and that I didn't (and still don't) take medicine for this stuff myself, but that doesn't mean I think everyone should do what I do. That's just what's worked for me.

 

[Auticorn]

there's difference between "getting over something" & "dealing with it"
i never once said "get over it".
there are plenty of ways to counter clinical depression without drugs:
aerobic exercise
stop thinking in such a negative manor about yourself & stop caring what other people think about you
aromatheraphy
psychobiotic yogurt. yeah, i'd recommend friendly bacteria over drugs any day
making a journal
meditation
self-hypnosis: its kinda hard for depression to keep hold of someone who wills him or herself into the habit of positive thinking. the imbalance in the brain caused by depression dose not affect free will & habits.
music, if your susceptible to the emotion altering effects songs can have. there are those who are immune to it for some reason of another.
there are various ways to deal with depression & pull oneself out of the hypothetical black hole.
those who are depressed are fed up with it & it leads them to search out solutions. that's just something natural, human beings are pattern seeking completionists by nature. if somethings unresolved it eats up mental energy in the back of your head. its one of the reason why humans tend to like puzzles, watch tv, read books, make theories, ect
also, doctors are often the worst people to go to for help with depression cause they tend to have a more limited understanding of it &/or a lack of time.

I said it once... and I'll say it again... very loud and clear. Pardon the large caps.

DIFFERENT THINGS WORK FOR DIFFERENT PEOPLE. These things you mentioned are actually proven NOT to work for a lot of people. It's just like having an autistic person go on an all gluten-free diet. While, this may improve the autistic symptoms in some autistics, it doesn't mean it will work for all of them. Also, those things aren't a quick reacting thing. They take time to work, for more than how a medication would work. It'd take months for the body to build up on the stuff you have 'suggested'.

Pardon me for attacking, but it's people like you that really drive me up the wall. Too damn stubborn to see the good in things. Like Ludger said as well, just because she was able to overcome most of her challenges in life doesn't mean other people can do that same thing.

Would you rather have a mentally-ill person standing next to you with a knife in hand? Think of how much this person is suffering. They are being told in their head that they need to kill someone or themselves. Do you want that to happen?

You sound like the type of person who's never been around people who have mental health problems much. It's true you can overcome the challenges, but not everyone responds the same way as others do. Ludger said her friend takes anti-depressants, and her friend can't function without them in life. Hell, even my best friend has severe mental health issues and also takes medication. She can't function without it because she'd be a nervous wreck.

I'm one of those people who take medication for extreme amounts of anxiety and depressive tendencies caused by emotional overload. I self-harmed. It got to the point where I literally wanted to fucking die. I felt like my emotions were suffocating me, and I even thought of suicide just to get rid of the overload in my head. No, I couldn't overcome it simply by trying methods you have suggested. I was put on medication to help me control it, and my mind is much clearer than before.

Now, my boyfriend is going through what I did all those past years. Do you not understand how hard it is to see him suffer the way I do? To know that everything I try to do doesn't seem to help him in anyway? He IS trying VERY hard to be stronger. He's trying hard not to let his anxiety and depression bring him down. It breaks my heart knowing he has to go through this because I know exactly how it feels. Don't start attacking people with mental health issues until you've walked a mile in their shoes first. Mental health issues are very real. They can't just be overcome simply by eating some type of yogurt or some sort of special diet that could take almost years to do anything.

in the 90s, 2000s & even now days hundreds of kids where/are misdiagnosed with ADHD and autism. "oh look, that kid can't sit still in a classroom, it can't be that their just bored like any kid would be, lets throw a label on 'em & give 'em sedatives" mindset has taken over the minds of various psychiatrists.

Excuse me?! While agree that it's common to be misdiagnosed with those things, I think you are talking it way too far. Just because someone doesn't look or act autistic or has ADHD, doesn't mean they don't have it. How the hell would you know? Do you have some kind of radar? I certainly don't look or act autistic like most do, are you going to tell me I'm not really autistic? You don't know that kid's story or anyone's story. You don't have any idea what that person is going through at all.

Also, I agree with Meloetta. If you don't want people to jump on you, then the best think to do is to either keep it to yourself or rephrase it differently. Do you not see the amount of people you are offending?

 

[天 (Caine)]

that "ethics and code of conduct" doesn't really mean much in a country that has legalized inhumane actions & conditions to mentally ill on multiple occasions due to the fears & blind prejudice of multitudes of people & is still doing so to this day.
most of the ones who break the rules either don't realize their doing so or do so in a manor that they can't get in trouble for it.
in the 90s, 2000s & even now days hundreds of kids where/are misdiagnosed with ADHD and autism. "oh look, that kid can't sit still in a classroom, it can't be that their just bored like any kid would be, lets throw a label on 'em & give 'em sedatives" mindset has taken over the minds of various psychiatrists.
most of the ones who do get misdiagnosed don't even realize they where misdiagnosed due to the nature of the drugs that get shoved down their throats.
i've seen many kids who are outright brain dead & can't even think for themselves due to these medicines. the pyschs & their very own parents don't even see it.
what i said ticks you off? why? pride?
cause you think that haven't read though all the data? you didn't say anything that i didn't already know. still not enough information to even tell how much of the research was made by biased people.
do you think that your judgements are always right?
or are you reading what i say with tone other then a monotone thus reading it out of context?
that wouldn't be to surprising if you where, a series of questions with 2 being answered is usually enough to trick the mind. various people have misread what i say as being far from what i said it as.

The problem with this post, and your others in this thread, is coming down to a "I'm right because I say I'm right" which simply doesn't work. What you're saying conflicts with years of research, studies, and trials that can be easily found on Google. There is no such thing as a bias in academic research and when a study has the slightest possibility of being biased, the results are considered invalid and they have to start from scratch again. If you doubt what I'm saying, take the time to do research instead of spouting off blatant ignorance and pseudoscience.

As far as ADHD diagnoses in children, it's still considered controversial, but that goes with the majority of psychiatric diagnoses in children and young adults. With that being said, I want you to read what's known as a scholarly article. If you don't know what this is, read this first. After doing that, read this. Do some basic research before you spout off nonsense.

Now, I will say this. In the United States, while being held under APA's guidelines, all mental health professionals are not created equal. However, this is the same case with other professions, especially in the medical field. This is not just limited to psychiatry and psychology like your posts lead people to believe. You have to have alot of heart to work with the mentally ill and some get into the profession without realizing what exactly they're in for. Needless to say, these professionals don't last long in the field.

I'll also say that psychiatry is only one side of a coin. Treatment requires both talk therapy and medication, one without the other is ineffective in treating mental illnesses. I'd stress the importance of therapy but this is a bit off topic and will require a completely new post.

The reason this hits a nerve with me is because people like you who hold superstitious beliefs and flat out lies prevent those who suffer with mental illness from getting the help they deserve. Your opinions are pseudoscience and are not academically supported. You cannot wish away clinical depression. You cannot wish away schizophrenia. You cannot wish away an episode of psychosis. They are caused by physical problems within the brain which is why medication is needed to correct that.

 

[shadowmoon522]

The reason this hits a nerve with me is because people like you who hold superstitious beliefs and flat out lies prevent those who suffer with mental illness from getting the help they deserve. Your opinions are pseudoscience and are not academically supported. You cannot wish away clinical depression. You cannot wish away schizophrenia. You cannot wish away an episode of psychosis. There are caused by physical problems within the brain which is why medication is needed to correct that.

theres a good deal of difference between what i said & superstition. people's minds are more capable of what any text book says or research says, which leads to various misconceptions. either way, this debate is essentially meaningless in the grand scheme of things. there's not much difference between arguing with the other people on this thread & arguing with members of cult.
also, medicine is just the application of ideals, beliefs & methods as opposed to theories about application & use.
at its core, its just hit & miss experimentation & categorization.
and now your more then likely gonna get ticked off & cloud up your thinking again and leave some remark about your belief that the human mind is incapable of overcoming its biological inconsistencies.
also, why do people keep bringing up schizophrenia & psychosis? their two completely different animals then depression & more then likely the very roots of the creation of the bible.

 

[Kanzler]

theres a good deal of difference between what i said & superstition. people's minds are more capable of what any text book says or research says, which leads to various misconceptions. either way, this debate is essentially meaningless in the grand scheme of things. there's not much difference between arguing with the other people on this thread & arguing with members of cult.
also, medicine is just the application of ideals, beliefs & methods as opposed to theories about application & use.
at its core, its just hit & miss experimentation & categorization.
and now your more then likely gonna get ticked off & cloud up your thinking again and leave some remark about your belief that the human mind is incapable of overcoming its biological inconsistencies.
also, why do people keep bringing up schizophrenia & psychosis? their two completely different animals then depression & more then likely the very roots of the creation of the bible.

Your brain is biological tissue just like any other, and can be dysfunctional just like any other. Every tissue can succumb to disease that it itself is unable to recover from. Why should the brain be any different? It's not magical in any sense. There are things that the human body is simply not capable of, and I don't see why you think the brain would be an exception to that.

also, medicine is just the application of ideals, beliefs & methods as opposed to theories about application & use.
at its core, its just hit & miss experimentation & categorization.

Also, what? Medicine isn't theory and it's just hit and miss experimentation? Where did you do your education, and what kind of things do you read on a daily basis? I've read a couple of your posts, and you frequently redefine or exaggerate things in a way that most people would not agree with. It makes it difficult to have a fruitful conversation because you can't even agree on basic ideas.

 

[Bellsprout]

i think i have anxiety on a manageable level. i worked really hard on it on my own because i was fed up with letting it control my life. i feel stable nowadays

 

[Kanzler]

So are you a troll or ...?

Personally, I think it's irresponsible to knowingly spread misinformation, but each to their own ethical standards, I guess.

 

[Aslan]

I had a lot of trouble with my self-esteem when I was in both preschool primary school. My parents had and still do have rather high expectations of me so I was always rather stressed when it came to education. Go to tutoring for most of the weekend, do these tests, pass this entrance exam, tour this school we expect you to get into, do this, do that. I didn't have very good fine motor skills either so not being able to do simple tasks like sewing, origami and tying my shoes till much later than everyone else also wasn't a huge confidence booster.

It did burn me out a lot to the point where I questioned if I had disappointed my parents and I kinda just let myself spiral into that thought pattern, being a kid and all. If I had to explain my thoughts, the most common ones would probably have just been "man you're stupid, everyone else can do this" "you'll never get it" and just general negativity and high levels of stress. Most of my free time was eaten by tutoring so I didn't really relax from any of it either; but I ended up getting both a scholarship and acceptance into one of the best high school in the states so hey... sorta worth?!

I also had a lot of anxiety at the same time and even now, it's still there pretty much. The worst it ever got was when I managed to worry myself about eating; to the point I just stopped because I was so scared. I was about 10 or so and had just almost choked on my broccoli one lunch so I said to myself: "i'm so scared of choking, what if this happens again?". It sounds melodramatic but that's what I thought and I guess I just decided to... stop. It took so long to learn how to eat properly again and there was a lot of tears, anger and self-hatred but I got there and recovered from it within about a year. The other anxiety I've had is mostly constant worrying - about anything. It could be about exams, thinking about topics such as death and so forth. I used to get so riled up in my head because of it.

I guess the last thing though would be intrusive thoughts. I rarely have them now and I don't really want to explain any of them but I did. Looking back on it, my mental health isn't exactly the best but I've learnt how to deal with a lot of it through just using positive thinking and tuning out the bad thoughts. I still have trouble with it sometimes but I feel a lot happier and better than before because I've already overcame and faced specific problems head on.

 

[shadowmoon522]

So are you a troll or ...?

Personally, I think it's irresponsible to knowingly spread misinformation, but each to their own ethical standards, I guess.

i was trying to gain more information on susceptibility to emotions, beliefs &/or morals. i have yet to find anyone who is not swayed by at least one of these 3 things.

 

[Wicked3DS]

My problem is that I believe some kids get misdiagnosed at an early age with mental illnesses and it screws them up for their whole life. Part of my skepticism about medication is that there are many side effects to many of these medications that can actually make things worse or even cause new problems, which is what happened to me. They diagnosed me with ADHD because of me not paying a attention well in school...in 2nd grade. I personally think that's too early to be looking for those kinds of things since most kids are easily distracted at that age anyway (just watch them for more than an hour, you'll find out). So I took medication and was later diagnosed with Asperger's, which means I had actually developed more symptoms and this didn't happen until after I took medication.

I'm not saying that this always happens or that everyone should just stop taking medication. If that works for you, keep doing it, but I just have to wonder how much is actually being done right in the medical field. It's just something that bothers me as someone who has been given the run around because of it. It's also to see how hard it is for someone to get out of it when I've overcome it myself and yes, it was a challenge for me.

 

[Yukari]

Well recently I've learned that I have severe chronic depression and anxiety. And these things keep me from doing a lot of things I would otherwise. Oftentimes I just sit at the computer all day without doing anything on it because I don't have the energy or desire to. Hell I don't even play video games or write on it. I just stare at the screen and maybe talk to some people on Skype or browse PC for a bit. I often end up neglecting and/or procrastinating important things too- even things that I want to do. It isn't intentional, I just don't have the energy or the desire to actually do it. As a matter of fact a lot of stories I've tried writing or video games I've worked on ended up getting abandoned because I completely lost interest in it or I procrastinated doing anything.

The anxiety is just as much of an issue as it keeps me from doing a lot of things that I want, and causes me to worry about and overreact to everything. Like if I send someone a message on Skype and they are slow to reply I usually end up worrying that I might be annoying them or that I said something wrong. It's even worse if they don't reply at all. And it often gets really overwhelming. Frequently to the point that I have a panic attack or I just give up on what I was doing. The worst part is part is that it's usually about really insignificant things that aren't worth worrying about; things like just posting and creating threads sometimes make me really anxious.

Ah well, Sorry about the long post well long for me anyway considering that most of you guys probably don't care. But it was really cathartic to write this and get it out there.

 

[moon]

I used to have mild hypochondria/anxiety, in tandem. Could get really bad, but reading this thread I realize that it's not very unusual haha. Cool.

Nowadays I don't think there's much wrong with me in the ways that this thread wants to touch upon. I can still get bouts of anxiety when I'm alone or stressed up, which expresses itself physically rather than psychologically most of the time. It's really annoying and even though I've mostly learned to recognize when it's anxiety playing around with my body rather than actual physical issues, it can be pretty scary at times.

 

[GhostTrainer]

Other than ADHD which I was diagnosed with and treated for with medications in the past. I've known something wasn't exactly "right" with me mentally since I was about 16, but didn't really want to face the fact that I quite possibly have a mental illness, and knowing my family's history with depression I was really scared about it being confirmed that I did in fact have it. However, I did decide to get evaluated in late July, and was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and depression. My psychiatrist recommended me to go on anti-anxiety pills to help combat it, but I really don't want to go back on any type of medication. I don't believe nor does my psychiatrist believe that my depression is severe enough for medication

 

[Sableye~]

I've had some definite problems, but I'm making progress.

Anxiety has been an issue for me from a young age (probably something like 6-7 years old). It became worse with time and resulted in a suicide attempt around 6 years later. I've gotten a better handle on it since then, though, so I do well with it most of the time!

Something along the lines of depression found its way to me later in life, which still comes and goes a lot. I'm fine most of the time, but when it comes back, it does so with a vengeance. I really appreciate the help I've received from friends with this one, because it often is severe enough to spark suicidal thoughts. If we're friends, I very well might have used you as a reason to stay alive at some point!

Overall, though, I'm doing so much better now than even as recently as earlier this year. I actually want to live most of the time, which is huge improvement for me.

 

[Auticorn]

Well recently I've learned that I have severe chronic depression and anxiety. And these things keep me from doing a lot of things I would otherwise. Oftentimes I just sit at the computer all day without doing anything on it because I don't have the energy or desire to. Hell I don't even play video games or write on it. I just stare at the screen and maybe talk to some people on Skype or browse PC for a bit. I often end up neglecting and/or procrastinating important things too- even things that I want to do. It isn't intentional, I just don't have the energy or the desire to actually do it. As a matter of fact a lot of stories I've tried writing or video games I've worked on ended up getting abandoned because I completely lost interest in it or I procrastinated doing anything.

The anxiety is just as much of an issue as it keeps me from doing a lot of things that I want, and causes me to worry about and overreact to everything. Like if I send someone a message on Skype and they are slow to reply I usually end up worrying that I might be annoying them or that I said something wrong. It's even worse if they don't reply at all. And it often gets really overwhelming. Frequently to the point that I have a panic attack or I just give up on what I was doing. The worst part is part is that it's usually about really insignificant things that aren't worth worrying about; things like just posting and creating threads sometimes make me really anxious.

This sounds a lot like how I am. I pretty much worry over things that really aren't worth it at all. I don't have depression or anything, but I know have a lot of those tendencies. Most of which were brought on from constant overload due to the anxiety. I've also found it hard to write stories. I often lack the confidence in my writing, especially after discovering other people are 'better' at it than me. I feel as though my writing isn't good enough, like I'm just some horrible writer. That it's the reason why people have yet acknowledge my abilities with it.

It does have a lot to do with my anxiety. I worry too much about what other people think in terms of writing. It's truly out of character for me as well because I don't normally care. I still have a few anxiety issues that creep up on me. Some things I've done to try and eliminate it are really silly things. Actually, I'd say a lot of them are related to my autism. One example is carrying around this blanket I have. It just provides me with tons of comfort and security. :c

I do try to get rid of that anxiety by listening to music, especially favorite songs/bands. It helps some, but then my brain simply grows tired of it. I always have to try other methods to calm myself down. It feels silly sometimes because as I said before, I'll worry about stupid shit. Just things that most people can easily overlook as being no big deal at all. I often feel like I can be needy at times too. I've actually had people say I was needy in the past as well. I've been trying to work more on not being so needy, but I also realize that I need people in my life to distract me from my anxiety, you know?

It can be really hard. :c