How Teenage Rebellion Has Become a Mental Illness

Suddenly it is a mental illness if you do not agree with your government.

Strangly - it happens in America.

Thinking for yourself is a mental disorder?

And you need to get some pills to get better?

Remember Drapetomania?

Well this is not far from it.

AlterNet

Big pharma has some new customers. Not complying with authority is now, in many cases, labeled a disease.

For a generation now, disruptive young Americans who rebel against authority figures have been increasingly diagnosed with mental illnesses and medicated with psychiatric (psychotropic) drugs.

Disruptive young people who are medicated with Ritalin, Adderall and other amphetamines routinely report that these drugs make them “care less” about their boredom, resentments and other negative emotions, thus making them more compliant and manageable. And so-called atypical antipsychotics such as Risperdal and Zyprexa — powerful tranquilizing drugs — are increasingly prescribed to disruptive young Americans, even though in most cases they are not displaying any psychotic symptoms.

Many talk show hosts think I’m kidding when I mention oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). After I assure them that ODD is in fact an official mental illness — an increasingly popular diagnosis for children and teenagers — they often guess that ODD is simply a new term for juvenile delinquency. But that is not the case.

Young people diagnosed with ODD, by definition, are doing nothing illegal (illegal behaviors are a symptom of another mental illness called conduct disorder). In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) created oppositional defiant disorder, defining it as “a pattern of negativistic, hostile and defiant behavior.”

When in doubt - give them pills!

Works everytime!

Instead of thinking and critical young men and women, let's have a nation of dope-up slaves, who do not question authority, but just do what they are supposed to do;

OBEY!

Very insulting. There are a lot of reasons why young people lash out so much. One of these is that popular culture tells them to, and another is that many are under too much control. In the old days young people were able to develop more responsibilities at a younger age, and so could therefore have more choice.

It makes much sense that someone with a tight leash would want it to loosen up. That reminds me of an old saying that goes something like: To control a cow one must give it plenty of marsh and roaming space.

Defiance can be very healthy.

[edit on 30/1/2008 by Nyorai]

Originally posted by Nyorai
That reminds me of an old saying that goes something like: To control a cow one must give it plenty of marsh and roaming space.

Damn Right!

I do not think they need retina scans and tazer guns and fingerprint scanners and internet control and camera surveillance and biometric ID passports and RFID chips - just to name a few.

So why do they rebel?

Geee - I wonder...

Interesting topic.

Its something I've been watching over the past five/ten years - the gradual separation of children from family group to state handling/labelling and processing. Its happening in the UK and it seems to be happening in the US too.

The big thing that gets me is the obsession over in the US - and increasingly over here in the UK - with ritalin and its use in suppressing kids with "ADHD" - a convinent label for anything from mild autism right the way through to severe learning difficulties and psychopathic tendencies.

The notion of family is not good for government. A proper family sticks together, supports itself and grows. Its much much more easier to control something that is fragmented, split apart and labelled.

Originally posted by neformore
Its much much more easier to control something that is fragmented, split apart and labelled.

...And Drugged-up.

If they do not like it - increase the dosage.

And when the chemical balance in the body is finally thrown off, then they start to loose it; well then it is time to throw them in one of the many instituations.

Problem solved.

Interesting indeed, Souljah...

As you say, certain behavior is classified as a mental illness...So we have a pill that can fix that....You take said pill, maybe it works for a while,maybe it doesn't...

It seems the end result of taking said pill is you end up having the same or "worse" mental illness, then its time to take you out of society...

Hidden away, drugged even more....One by one...

Thankfully we don't have institutions large enough to lock a lot of us up, but some of the people throughout history it has happened to suggests those who show the most dissent seem to be the one's targeted

Good OP and other opinions on this thread, folks

EDIT -- coz i caint spel

[edit on 30-1-2008 by Rilence]

reply to post by neformore


You are 100% right, Nefer...Destruction of the family unit leaves those most vulnerable without support...And without support, in the world today, all it takes is one unfortunate happening and you're screwed...

You commit a minor crime, or end up homeless, etc, etc...then you're in the "system" for good...

So sad

they have been calling criminal and anti-social behavior illness since forever. In "Mismeasure of Man" by Stephen Jay Gould, he covers the topic in depth (within a different context).

Oh yes,. just another step in the huge plan to have everyone medicated, starting with our youth. Granted some of the teen problems/rebellion may be mental issues, the rest is a normal part of growing up. Oh yeah, isn't it widely known/studied to a conclusion that the teenage years are your closest point to being insane? Wrongly prescribed Adderall could be a future influence whether one might grow up to have a Meth addiction-on the account they cannot obtain the drug, thus going for the street version?

reply to post by dreamingawake


Yes and ADHD drugs are actually amphetamines... what used to be sold on the street as 'speed'.

Kids are put on these drugs because they are having reactions to common food chemicals like msg, food colorings, aspertame, etc. There have been tests proving that getting kids off of processed foods and feeding them a healthy diet with plenty of omega fatty acids actually improve their behavior so that they don't need to be on these medications at all.

It's a horrible scam designed to get as many people on meds as early as possible. Being on them for extended periods of time causes permanent changes in the brain. Once that happens, it's even harder to get off of them.



[edit on 2-2-2008 by annestacey]

Originally posted by Souljah
...And Drugged-up.

If they do not like it - increase the dosage.

And when the chemical balance in the body is finally thrown off, then they start to loose it; well then it is time to throw them in one of the many instituations.

Problem solved.

don't forget the death camps, Souljah, the death camps for those who fail to contribute to the misery.