The raw truth about mental disorders(They are not all the same)

I've been long suffering with a consistent mental illness: womental disorder. Women just drives me crazy!

But seriously, if you'd live in the 16th century with any undefined mental disorder, you would be considered as "possessed by the Devil" and casted away to some Godforsaken monastery dungeon in which monks would constantly pray for you and exorcise you to the T.

Paul and Philip Collins provided a great analysis on the true origins of diagnosing mental disorders on the basis of how the Catholic Church used a methodical guidebook to describe all behavioral aspects and associations of witchcraft, Satanism, etc. upon people who were suffered with mental or behavioral maladies, not commonly understood in the medieval and Renaissance periods.

Tom Sawyer- your character is very similar to mine except that I am extremely lazy on school and other boring activities.....

Great Thread

This isn't a typical topic for this board, and it's nice to see it being talked about.

anxietydisorder isn't just a user name, it's my reality. I've been trapped in my home for years now. ATS has given me a voice to the outside world.

As some have pointed out, not all mental disorders are bad. It just depends on how negetivley it effects your life. The love of my life has OCD and cleans all the time. Cleans the floors, walls, carpets, laundry, dishes etc..... I could probably wear the same underwear every day, because it just came out of the dryer again.

Every label on every item in the kitchen cupboards faces outward with the english side out, and my toothbrush is always sitting to the left of the tube of paste.

So the point I wanted to make was: OCD has brought order into our lives, and has been good for us. So what if you have to touch the wall seven times when you come down the hallway or tap on the light switches once in a while. The good always seems to outweigh the bad.

Originally posted by omega1
Tom Sawyer- your character is very similar to mine except that I am extremely lazy on school and other boring activities.....

Great Thread

I was lazy, but when i realized where laziness was taking my life, i decided that motivation was crucial. Now, i take pleasure in all aspects of my schoolwork and physical excercise. It wasn't easy to get this way either. I just had to keep telling myself that i would love the outcome of studying and excercise, and now i am in great shape getting decent grades.
Never let a mental disorder keep you from being the very best you!

Originally posted by anxietydisorder
This isn't a typical topic for this board, and it's nice to see it being talked about.

anxietydisorder isn't just a user name, it's my reality. I've been trapped in my home for years now. ATS has given me a voice to the outside world.

As some have pointed out, not all mental disorders are bad. It just depends on how negetivley it effects your life. The love of my life has OCD and cleans all the time. Cleans the floors, walls, carpets, laundry, dishes etc..... I could probably wear the same underwear every day, because it just came out of the dryer again.

Every label on every item in the kitchen cupboards faces outward with the english side out, and my toothbrush is always sitting to the left of the tube of paste.

So the point I wanted to make was: OCD has brought order into our lives, and has been good for us. So what if you have to touch the wall seven times when you come down the hallway or tap on the light switches once in a while. The good always seems to outweigh the bad.

It sounds to me like you recognized your situation and made the best of it. Anxiety disorder can be a very serious disorder, and has left many people 'trapped' as you said. Panic attacks really suck, but even people without anxiety disorder get them sometimes. You are lucky because your disorder is one to which many people can relate.
About OCD, (obsesive compulsive disorder) i have it. I literally drive myself cravy by intentionally leaving things disorganized. That is just one of the many ways that i refuse to let a mental disorder control my life.
As my friends all say
"you are doing it again"

"doing what?"

"Cleaning!"


Good luck, and any more questions?
-tom

Hhmmmmm......kind of slick how you put a link to this thread in your signature. Who am I to know, but it wouldn't surprise me if more people, rather than less on a board like this do if fact suffer from one or another mental disorder. Actually, "chemical imbalance" in most people is probably more accurate. Either way, it would naturally draw their attention (as it did mine) to click on the link in your signature, therefore bumping this thread a lot. Interesting. There's nothing wrong with it, just pretty sneaky, not to mention original. (Maybe original)

Anyway, I too have been diagnosed with a mental disorder. I am not ashamed of it, nor do I or have I ever considered it a disease. I have "Bi-Polar 1", which is not really the roller coaster that some of the other shifting, or rapidly shifting types (from manic to depressed and back again, etc...) are considered to be. BTW, Bi-Polar is just a euphamism for "Manic Depressive". Anyway, I tend to not get the depressive side of it very often, I mostly am up at all hours of the day and night. Have all kinds of projects either in mind, or started with no time to finish. I, of course also take meds. They help a lot. - That is, when I remember to take them.

Mainly, my mind gets to racing so fast, much faster than I can speak, or even consciously keep up with what it's thinking. Sometimes I am reminded that I need to take a pill, when I for no reason at all, I blurt out a thought that had raced so fast through my mind, that it accidentally came out of my mouth. A lot of you would laugh, but any of you who have the same, or similar condition would understand completely.

Anyway, I think that it is good that someone (Tom Sawyer) started a thread dealing with the realities of mental illness, because even with the majority of society becoming more open-minded about the subject, still, it is something that makes many people uncomfortable to talk about, whether it is them with the mental disorder, or someone that they are faced with talking to who has it. I believe that the members, on balance, of this online community tend to be more open minded than some others, therefore, it is a good place to have a forum for those of us who either have a mental disorder or know someone with one to be able to discuss it openly, and without emabarassment.

However, if you present yourself as an "expert", where people think that they can ask your advice and feel that they can take it with confidance can be quite dangerous. Oddly, years before I was diagnosed myself, I also took quite an interest in mental illness, especially Schitzophrenia - which turns out not to be even close to the Bi-Polar which I found out later that I do have.

Oh, I read every thing I could find on the subject (and this was before I even knew what an Internet was). So, I'm talking library books, documentaries on TV, etc..... I thoufht myself to be somewhat of an expert also. However, I would never encourage anyone to take my advice before seeing a trained professional. Sure, I might have said what I had read, but always knew that it would be danderous to actually give advice in the capacity of a professional.

I hope that you know this, also TS. Because if you make it clear that you are not a Phychiatrist, or any other sort of mental health professional, that you are simply one of us who has done some reading, then I think that it's great that you have opened up a forum for people who have such disorders to be able to open up and comfortably talk about them.

O.K. 'Nuff said.

Right now I don't have a comment too make that will benefit this thred in anyway shape or form. I just wanted to say that this thred has been a real eye opener for me, to the point where I will willingly now go off and read further into such things

Thanks.

[edit on 2-1-2006 by R1ghteous]

and now what? where's the rabbithole? oink? crazy stuff, never mind.

what the hell is this thing?sounds really messy.allright.

Well yeah, what the hell on earth, what the hell in my head? hahaaaaaaa
let's ride these cowboys. no going anywHERE; HAHAH? oink hehe this is really a bad ride man. what should I do. I hang on here.padang ahahahah, to wacked doped duded dadang get this thing on.where's the button??? hahahhahah hmm, hahaa?-\ i like this. qwoeoehoeeo this must be the end of the thread. padang. I like this planet, so #e d up, let's say, the buidlings then and all the okay

Tom Sawyer sez:
They are simply different. Their brain does function differently, but that is how they are, how they were ment to be.

But I don't buy that. One only has to look around the world and realize that it is vastly different than we're supposed to be used to, with way more stimuli. Some people don't retreat into their minds as much as they're supposed to, while others spend all their time there. What we eat and breathe and drink affects our health and our brain, and a healthy individual's brain tends to have more to work with and develop all the right chemicals and nerve sheaths. A good parent with their strong sense of empathy realizes that their child is a thinking, growing human being and as such, will always need that light touch that points them in the "right direction" and prevent them from getting "lost". The right nature and nurturing are essential for a healthy development.

Most of us don't know any better, so how can we coach our children on how to think healthily? Without any direction, children can experiment with or fall victim to any number of ways of thinking, and grow into them, developing certain parts of the brain more than others and leading to imbalances in general, not necessarily just chemical. Some cases of these disorders I believe could be a simple lack of the ingredients to solve this chemical imbalance. Given that our brain is constantly changing accordingly with the times, a chronic chemical imbalance quickly becomes more than just that, as the brain has grown and changed around this shortcoming.

Not everyone with a mental disorder has a rare talent. But I'll slightly agree when I say that those with these disorders can sometimes spend a little more time upstairs, thinking about their hobbies and developing those talents even if their bodies aren't always taking action.

The kind of understanding you wish people had for those with mental disorders would be a universal understanding for all if people would look into themselves and observe their own thoughts and behaviors. We are our best test subjects since we have full access to all the "data", and by observing ourselves totally (mentally, developmentally, chemically) we can apply our understanding to others and learn from the experience. People need to care about how people's minds work in general, understanding "you guys" would come with the turf, and communication with our angry neighbors would be much more effective since we'd all see where everyone is coming from.

However, I would have already given zero props for the lack of substance in your first two posts and responces. But for bashing the first person who posted seems to contradict the deep understanding of the human mind that you preach, and I must give you the Quest was giving us a glance at his mind, a gift, and you stomped all over it because of your opinion of who he was. I think your "accurate" description of him probably fits around 70% of the people in this forum, anyways.

[edit on 6-1-2006 by bigpappadiaz]

Originally posted by Tom Sawyer
eazy_mas:

No, you should find someone who knows how to do psychoanalysis and diagnose mental disorders. I can not do that, although i know alot about it.

Unfortunately you can't find a psychoanalyst that can prescribe the medications...they are not allowed to. The psychologist has to refer you to a psychiatrist who then prescribes ("based on the opinion of the psychologist").

The problem with that is you're not required to get an evaluation from the psychologist...you can go straight to the psychiatrist. And more often than not the person goes straight to the psychiatrist (MD) who is not really qualified to recognize mental "disorders". The psychiatrist literally uses a checklist of common symptoms to diagnose a person for a mental disease.

Realizing this is a serious problem legislature is underway to allow psychologists to diagnose and prescribe medication.

So...yeah. See a psychologist first. It's expensive though

[edit on 013131p://9u25 by Lucid Lunacy]

Originally posted by CyberKat

Anyway, I think that it is good that someone (Tom Sawyer) started a thread dealing with the realities of mental illness, because even with the majority of society becoming more open-minded about the subject, still, it is something that makes many people uncomfortable to talk about, whether it is them with the mental disorder, or someone that they are faced with talking to who has it. I believe that the members, on balance, of this online community tend to be more open minded than some others, therefore, it is a good place to have a forum for those of us who either have a mental disorder or know someone with one to be able to discuss it openly, and without emabarassment.

Because if you make it clear that you are not a Phychiatrist, or any other sort of mental health professional, that you are simply one of us who has done some reading, then I think that it's great that you have opened up a forum for people who have such disorders to be able to open up and comfortably talk about them.

Thank you kat, i am just trying to help. It sounds like you have done some research yourself, and you should feel welcome to give your imput whenever you feel. Also, thanks for bringing up the fact that i am not a profesional, and my advice should not be taken as though i were. I am just well read, and willing to share my knowladge.

Don't feel bad guys, i feel like i have every type of illness banging at my door. I used to have very strange dreams, very real while sitting at the table. And i would smell things that weren't there, very nasty smells, and i would see things move without them moving. And when that smell happened, everything that i was seeing looked different. It was very scary, i'll post more tomorrow, i gotta get off.

I am Autistic. More specifically i have Asperger officially only diagnosed as PDD-NOS but those who diagnosed me said that its very likely that i have Asperger but its just hard to find out at a young age.

My personal problems are: I am bad at social things, Im slightly scared of social things and I am a very poor writer.

Asperger does give me: above normal intelligence, different point of view than most people and i spot details more easily.

Originally posted by Tom Sawyer
It is known that people who have mental disorders have rare talents. Some are artistic. Others can be abnormally intelligent. It is always true that we take the good with the bad.

Not all people with severe mental disorders have a savant capability, like being able to count cards or spout out what day of the week January 19th, 2387 is. Most are just messed up with nothing good to show for it. Hollywood would like you to think otherwise. Not everybody who can't figure out how to go to the bathroom can compose a beautiful sonata. Most just end up with no song and crap in their pants.

I agree whole heartedly with your post. I'm diagnosed as having paranoid personality disorder, anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder, clinical depression, and bipolar; rapid-cycling, mixed state. I have an IQ of 158 and am physically, emotionally, and spiritually hyper-sensitive. I take my meds religiously because I came to realize that living "stable" is much easier to deal with than that of my former self. Granted, I'm less-sensitive, and life isn't quite as exciting.... but I grew tired of harming others and myself.

I was a "test baby" growing up because of exceptional hand-eye coordination, "irregular perception", and a rate of intuition that was off the chart, and bones three times denser than the average human (and by "irregular" I mean I perceive the world in a highly unusual way-- unlike the majority of the world's population). I had the same vocabulary level as my mother at the age of two.

As a child I never had any friends because I didn't like children my age. I much rathered the friendship of adults-- but, as you can imagine, it was not exactly easy for me to find adults that would like to hang out with an elementary school student. I pretty much gave up on anyone ever understanding me at a very early age. To this day, it's very difficult explaining thoughts and ideas when I'm excited because for others to understand what I'm trying to say, I have to think of how they would express these things from their point of view...


In any case-- I'll join you in your cause of the education of others in regards to mental disorders and the exceptional people who posess them. I've studied a great deal on mine in particular, as well as many others. Thank you for putting the word out there!

Most likely nobody on here will believe this. If just one person understands... well hey, that's awesome!

The DSM-IV is complete nonsense!

It was written by Illeiuminatee psychiatrists. i.e. Freud (Nazi)


Risperdal, Zyprexa, Seroqual, Geodone, Depakote, Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa, Wellbutron, Zyban, Remeron, Serzone, Effexor, Buspar, Adderall and Prozac....

They are ALL designed to destroy your mind. They are designed to make you fat and unattractive to the opposite sex so that you will not breed. They are designed to keep you as one of the sheep.
It's just like cigarettes and chemtrails. Another device designed to lower the world's population right under our noses. ALL of those drugs are EXTREMELY TOXIC... they are ALL designed to give you cancer or phuck up your organs in some way. They are designed to lower your lifespan.

It is a psychiatrist's job to gather information about you and then use it against you to "prove" that you are sick.

Oh? You stayed up all night a couple of times?
"Oh.... yeah... that's bi-polar disorder"

So you decided to make a peanut butter and jam sandwich with what?? With PICKLES??? ...Oh yeah.... that is without a doubt bipolar disorder! I've seen it a million times! I am an expert! (sic)

Oh... let me tell you about bipolar disorder! It is so romantic to have it. It means that you are charming and creative and artistic. Now here.... take these pills and these and those. And have 20 miligrams of halpripadol and valiuum too! There.... all better.... tee-hee-hee.

Anyways.... whatever.... that's getting silly.

Point is.... only you know yourself. These self proclaimed "experts" called psychiatrists will tear your life to shreds. DO NOT get involved with them. DO NOT be conned by them. They pick and choose who they help and who they destroy.... there is NOBODY policing them. They believe themselves to be gods.


THERE IS NO BI-POLAR DISORDER! And all the psychiatrists KNOW IT!
It is a very well kept secret.


Bush to impose psychiatric drug regime
reindeer.radioleft.com...



The reality of the Mental "Health" system

www.antipsychiatry.org...


Physics of Collective Consciousness
grandpierre.zenenet.hu...

Say No to Psychiatry
www.sntp.net...


Documented Proof that Psychiatry Shortens Lifespan
www.illuminati-news.com...

I was diagnosed several years ago with Post traumatic stress disorder, which is actually several mental illnesses caused by one or more events. I had chronic depression, social anxiety, panic attacks, dependant personality disorder, agorophobia, flashbacks and was disassociated. I isolated myself in my house for almost 7 years because I could not cope with the outside world. WHen I was younger they just labled it a behavioral thing. I couldnt deal with authority. When I got older, it landslided due to several factors, eventually destroying my marriage and forcing me like a fox being forced out of a hole into teh hospital where I went through some of the most intensive therapy you can get today. I am greatful for that because I walked away fully restored and back to myself, well, actually, its been a road of discovery, because the disorder overran my life from a very young age, and for many years I reacted and based all my life descisions on survival and avoidence. So it has been a road of self discovery since then, finding out who I really am.

I did pick up many skills though from all I went through, I have hyper vigelence, which means I know exactly where everything is within 50 feet of me, its like 360' awareness, and I can read peoples body language much better than most people, these were survival skills from the ptsd. I chose to keep these things as they are rather helpful in most situations. I also believe that some of my deeper skills came from my illness, as a child I had to blank out, just kind of like having the mind leave the body and become disattached to it, and as I got older, I foudn that the same ability I had to learn as a child helps with psychic awareness in general. I had to grow up very street smart, and because of that, and the survival instinct, I became very aware of not only myself, but people around me to a much higher degree than a lot of people ever get to.

I found, which was very disheartedning that the stigma that comes with being diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder follows you around. People do not understand it, and assume it means you are crazy.

A lot of people who have illnesses like this are highly intelligent, and are very much in tune with themselves.

IN my case, although my brain stores information and sorts it differently due to serious prolonged trauma, it has become an asset to me, because my thinking is unique. Its amazing how the brain works, and how information is stored.

Psychiatrists are little bitches ....... Nazis... end of story.

reply to post by Tom Sawyer



i have bipolar disorder, and I've always though my mind worked differently than others, and that i can see things other people can't get through too. not seeing things as in seeing physically with my eyes, but i understand things and figure out things most people wouldn't understand. but it makes perfect sense to me.
:]

beautiful minds
It is known that people who have mental disorders have rare talents. Some are artistic. Others can be abnormally intelligent. next test

This is very true. Most people who are deemed "disturbed," et cetera, tend to have high IQs. I personally have been diagnosed with having a borderline personality disorder, verging on having a "schizoid personality" disorder. Few really understand what either one of these disorders are, but here is a quick synopsis of both:

Borderline Personaliy
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental illness characterized by pervasive instability in moods, interpersonal relationships, self-image, and behavior. This instability often disrupts family and work life, long-term planning, and the individual's sense of self-identity. Originally thought to be at the "borderline" of psychosis, people with BPD suffer from a disorder of emotion regulation. While less well known than schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness), BPD is more common, affecting 2 percent of adults

Borderline

Schizoid Personality
Schizoid personality disorder is a condition in which people avoid social activities and consistently shy away from interaction with others. People with the disorder are generally loners with a profound inability to connect with others and form personal relationships.

To others, people with schizoid personality disorder may appear aloof, dull or humorless, and they are often ignored in social settings. People with the disorder show a flattened or restricted range of emotions, and can appear indifferent to what's going on around them. However, their inner life can be rife with a deep emotional need, sensitivity and confusion about the world around them.

Schizoid




[edit on 23-10-2008 by SpeakerofTruth]