On a more serious note

[maisetofan]

:squintyface:

Mental issues and mental illness
Where would we be without them?

does anyone know anyone with depression or anxiety or schizophrenia or bipolar or social phobia???

or one i have not mentioned

i do, lol me

anyone else here

[redpheonix]

i feel crazy sometimes but i dunno really
* i say i have an alter ego * mmmmmmmmmmm

i feel for ya though *hugs*

[maisetofan]

thank you and Jswigg, you have had depression and anxiety too?
yeah same here *hugs*

[maisetofan]

hell yes definitely i would have most likely finished a degree by now and my books which i have only just started, depression puts everything on hold by about 5 years

and its the worst cuz people just cant understand they way we feel
its not that i want sympathy i just want people to know that i may need a little more time with things since my main focus is about getting better at the moment. Like someone who is involved in an accident who needs time to recover, we too need time and support you know?

[Sechmet]

I suffer from panic disorder, but it's not so bad anymore. I learned to live with it.

[TaiCat]

I was diagnosed with social phobia.
Because I was bullied for 1,5 year and intimidated earlier
I tried to fight it and I won as I'm very friendly person and I meet people easly but still when I join bigger parties I keep alienating after I notice bad tension and I'm usualy the only person sitting on the couch when rest sit in dining room and talk together.I can't help it

Also one of my friends sugested I may have manic depression but recently I feel better.I could cry on every occasion and when I get insulted or someone shouts I may burst into tears...
But then when I get better I feel like nothing happened.

[maisetofan]

28 WOAH you dont look it :)
Aw taicat i understand what social phobia feels like, i had it at high school cuz of the bullying too

[HolyShadow]

does anyone know anyone with depression or anxiety or schizophrenia or bipolar or social phobia???


Well, for depression, you could count everyone between the ages of 14 and 17.

[narutostarwars]

I suffer from social issues, but that's common.

HS: Have I even been showing depression?

[HolyShadow]

I suffer from social issues, but that's common.

HS: Have I even been showing depression?
No, because you're somewhere around 12.

[narutostarwars]

I'm 14 almost 15 you moron.

[HolyShadow]

I'm 14 almost 15 you moron.
Really? I thought you were 4.

[narutostarwars]

Really? I thought you were a 40 Year Old virgin who lives with his mom.

[HolyShadow]

Really? I thought you were a 40 Year Old virgin who lives with his mom.
I can't be a virgin, silly. Don't you remember our wonderful night of passion together?

[Apple]

No, because you're somewhere around 12.


it effects anyone of any age so thats a harsh stereotype

[Ishikawa Oshro]

I can't be a virgin, silly. Don't you remember our wonderful night of passion together?

LAWL
I have to say it
C-C-C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!!!!!!

As for me. Well I dunno. If theres a disease for being super happy the majority of the time then thats what I have.
My teachers tryed to say I was ADD but I proved them wrong by remaining quiet for a couple school days. And a friend calls me a schizophrenia because I often role play things in real laugh for a good kneee slapper. Or I can be found conversing with myself.

But I hear all special people talk to themselves O.O

[AdmiralAwesome]

I confess to the first two on that list, anxiety which results in depression

It sucks ultimate donkey balls

[maisetofan]

only the most creative and intelligent talk to themselves :)

It totally sucks Admiral especially the depression but ESPECIALLY the anxiety
and having them both is utterly annoying, one day you wanna go out and get on with your life, the next you cannot even get out of bed, followed by crying and head aches and weight loss then gain and round and round the vicious circle it goes

[AsteriskRocks]

LAWL
I have to say it
C-C-C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!!!!!!

[QUOTE]As for me. Well I dunno. If theres a disease for being super happy the majority of the time then that's what I have.

That's what Oath has.

[maisetofan]

well thats just wonderful for him then

[Spoofs3]

The first message is me in a nut shell...
i have Depression, Anxiety, Schizofrenia AND Social Phobia...
Either way, I find it more interesting to live in this world than to be normal

[maisetofan]

wow thats alot of mental stuff to carry around, i know the feeling :(
and you are so right, being normal would be so boring you would rather die anyway lol

[aaaaaaaaah]

I've been diagnosed with Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder
people have been telling me that I'm a perfectionist

[DANMAN]

does autism count?

then again, I guess I'm okay since I'm able to get help in college.

[GcarOatmealRaisinCookies]

Without Bipolar disorder, I'd be normal...


IMO, there is not such thing as normal, only guidelines for what normal behavior is. Nobody falls completely within the boundries of normal.

[maisetofan]

Without Bipolar disorder, I'd be normal...


IMO, there is not such thing as normal, only guidelines for what normal behavior is. Nobody falls completely within the boundries of normal.

so very true and Danman thats pretty awesome that you are able to go to college with autism, i know a couple of people who wont leave their houses that have it

[redpheonix]

I agree i for one am not normal, i get told im a weird girl all the time !
lol

shocker :eek:

[maisetofan]

yah same here red, but you are awesome though :)
i get told i am bonkers

[maisetofan]

I feel alienated from others, but I don't really know if I'm the one alienating myself from others, or the other way around. Either way, it makes me feel different.

yup same, do you feel like you do not fit in?
i feel that i dont really fit in anywhere, like once maybe when i was over seas i felt part of things but thats it yup feeling different can be good but its usually pretty lonely :(

[AdmiralAwesome]

I suggest just acting like yourself around others, you will find the group that you fit into

[maisetofan]

Its kinda funny because I have good friends that accept me for who I am. Yet, even with them, I don't necessarily feel like I "fit in." Needless to say, when I'm around people who don't know me...well, perhaps thats how it is with everyone. I don't mean to complain about it, but yeah, it can get lonely sometimes.

im with you there. Even with friends that accept you its still really difficult
cuz you feel like they are still not quite on your level

being yourself is good admiral and it can work, but not always

[KawaitaSakebi]

Its kinda funny because I have good friends that accept me for who I am. Yet, even with them, I don't necessarily feel like I "fit in." Needless to say, when I'm around people who don't know me...well, perhaps thats how it is with everyone. I don't mean to complain about it, but yeah, it can get lonely sometimes.

I feel kind of like that sometimes, too. ^_^

[maisetofan]

*hugs*

[redpheonix]

yesh totally feel the same way peeps

its kinda like never feeling completely part of the group,
i always feel like im on the outside looking in

feeling somethings and not all

[maisetofan]

yep same red, it sucks constantly feeling on the outside, but we get along well :)

[revolverslev]

2 of my sisters and my mum take anti depressants...so i guess that makes them depressed?

im trying to stay high-on-life but i'll probably go the way of the family eventually :p

[Titan50]

I haven't been diagnosed with any disorders like that myself, though two of my friends have varying depressions. One of them has attempted suicide 4 times, and the other has incredible mood swings (last Tuesday, she was fine and dandy, few hours later and she nearly threw herself in front of a train).
I gues spart of the problem is that they both idolise Ian Curtis and Kurt Cobain respectively

[Fat1Fared]

The only thing I can diagnose from this thread, is that I am most sane person here :confused:

Be afraid, very afraid

Point making here, is everyone is insane, just some are better at hiding it than others, and though I have never been diagnosed with illness, this probably because never bothered to check and I do know about mental Illness, as though I have"NEVER" had any, my family has a history of it!!!!

-but I have always just laughed things off and tried to have fun, and if things get on top of me, I step back, reogianze myself, have a day relaxing and then start challenging things one by one

It may sound corny, but positive thinking does work

[KawaitaSakebi]

A trivial problem to you may be dire to someone else, you should try to keep that in mind.

Truer words were never spoken. ^_^

[maisetofan]

Just because people have some mental and/or emotional problems or disorders doesn't mean they are insane. I could just as easily argue that you are like the rest of us, just delusional. But that is not what I'm saying. I have never been diagnosed with anything, but I know I have been depressed, had anxiety, and can sometimes be withdrawn in social settings. Don't assume that other's situations are the same as yours. I agree that positive thinking is good and can work, but some problems can't just be laughed off or brushed aside. I know you are just trying to give some helpful advice, and everyone appreciates it, but you should realize that everyone's different, and that we all handle situations differently. A trivial problem to you may be dire to someone else, you should try to keep that in mind.

yes i could not agree more :)
insanity is different to a diagnosed mental illness or a depressive state of being
while insanity is related to certain disorders, it is not best to generalize and say that insanity is Mental illness

[sumbuddy]

Without Bipolar disorder, I'd be normal...


IMO, there is not such thing as normal, only guidelines for what normal behavior is. Nobody falls completely within the boundries of normal.
there is no such thing as normal because there AREN'T any guidelines for normal behavior. everyone is different and you can't really say anything is normal, just that the majority of people seem to do that. since nobody is completely normal, there is no normal.
at least, i think so. does that make sense or do i need to wake up?

[Fat1Fared]

Just because people have some mental and/or emotional problems or disorders doesn't mean they are insane. I could just as easily argue that you are like the rest of us, just delusional. But that is not what I'm saying. I have never been diagnosed with anything, but I know I have been depressed, had anxiety, and can sometimes be withdrawn in social settings. Don't assume that other's situations are the same as yours. I agree that positive thinking is good and can work, but some problems can't just be you may be dirlaughed off or brushed aside. I know you are just trying to give some helpful advice, and everyone appreciates it, but you should realize that everyone's different, and that we all handle situations differently..

JS, read my post again mate, you have missed the point it was making, everyone has has mental disorders (seeing as you want to be pedantic about word use) whether they are officially, diagnosed or not, you said, I may call you delusional, like I said in that post, I am delusional, I far from mentally stable, but so is EVERYONE, as there is no mentally stable and everyone has at lest one thing which is UnBalanced, (shell we say about them) some are just better at controlling themselves than others

The point, I was making was the reason I almost always, seem happy go lucky, so to speak, is because "I NOW" watch out for when I'm going into a spiral of depression and not because I haven't had problems or because I am naturally resistance to world, no I just stand back, take break and then deal with it, (Great thing about problems of mind, is that they can be beaten by the mind, my sister works in this area and tells me of poeple with deliousal problems (know term, but can't spell as my spelling of deliousal proves.) who have learnt to tell difference between reality and the illusions of their mind, it is rare, but possible

Personally when feel world is getting on top of me, just think of people in some 3rd world county, who's parents are dead and has 12 brothers/sisters to look after by age of 12, no matter what if they can handle that, I will have to handle my SMALL PROBLEMS,

So I wasn't saying I was sane and everyone was weak or anything like that, I was merely saying that everyone is mentally lost in some way and my own personal view on it and how I deal with it.

A trivial problem to someone, may be major problem to someone else, you should try to keep that in mind

Now added this as second part, as this just narks me, it is one of those all or nothing statements, which tries to sound WISE, without actually having any real bone to it, yes some poeple can deal with life better than others, me and my sister are 2 examples, I came out our childhood, lot better off than she did, in terms of mental disorders, yet if follow this example, who was happier in our childhood, in terms of social life, till I made a choice to turn my life around, in social terms, she was lot happier and had lot more friends than I ever did, as though I wasn't officially mentally disordered. Unlike her, I wasn't a nice person in way shape or Form.

You want to know who I think is happiest person in world, my best friends bother, he is mentally disabled, and though 15, has mental of someone who is about 4, yet he is happy as he has though has problems, he has no unstanding or caring for those problems or the problems of world. His is a life without worry, now know he is lucky, in the fact he has two parents who love and care for him to high standard and lives in country, which will try to help people like him, and if wasn't for that he would be in real trouble, but point I making is, he has problems, and no real way to deal with them, yet because he doesn't know he has problem, he doesn't care, (will he has depression, no he doesn't even know what depression is) and think that is the ultimate irony, to this thing we call mental stayability and life

[maisetofan]

yes a trivial problem to someone may very well be a major one to someone else and fat thinking of the horrible state of the world only adds to the depression and such immense guilt

[Fat1Fared]

Mai, I have no guilt for anything which isn't my fault, and the state of world isn't my fault, now don't get me wrong, I try to do small things, like not over eat, give to SOME charities and walk instead of drive...etc

Hell, I want to become politician, so in a position to try and change world, but overall, I still know that the world isn't my fault, so won't feel guilt for it, but will try to make it better, as no point, everyone just looking after their own mistakes, if better for group to deal with it (blame in end gets us no where, just helps our vindictive anger at problem)

What I would feel guilt for, is if I didn't deal with my problems, even though there is a person somewhere, lot worse off, dealing with theirs, because that is my own fault, and if they can deal with it, so can I

As for depression, well like I was saying, nothing gets done, if just get depressed, if makes you sad, do something about it, even if even small thing,

[Turtlicious]

I am bipolar and deal with it in more creative ways
see council comics

but i feel for you mai

and no your not alone

well you probably are

but not on the internet

[maisetofan]

I am bipolar and deal with it in more creative ways
see council comics

but i feel for you mai

and no your not alone

well you probably are

but not on the internet

thank you :)
i know a few people with depression and alot of teenagers with anxiety, just different to me

[Fat1Fared]

Fat1:



I did what you told me and re-read. I get your point now, and the first time I did not understand the purpose of the be afraid quote. What I thought was an insensitive statement was actually a joke about if you are the sanest person, then we should "be afraid, be very afraid." Right? In my haste, I erred, and for that I apologize.

However, I don't see your point about the last line of my post. All fanciness aside, it simply means to just be considerate of others personal problems. It's not an argument or a statement of fact, it's just something I think inconsiderate people should do. But now that it has been established that you weren't being inconsiderate, I take it back.

yer, that is pretty much it, (lol you summed it better than I did)

and yer, sorry I can be overly fancily at times, because I try to explain my points to perfection, it makes them harder to understand, unless really read them, it is one of my failings and reason I am crap teacher lol

And I suppose I was being harsh on your statement, as it is true, we must accept other poeple and their problems, this something I believe myself, but I do think, they too have to be willing to accept their problems and ready to battle them, whether it will be easy or not. Not to go back to her, my sister told, you pretty tell who you can help and who you can't, as no matter how good you are, if someone REALLY doesn't want to help themselves, their is nothing you can do.

Anyway, back to my original point lol, I just dislike sweeping statements unless they are explained, so I was being pedantic with it, to make a point, I did actually understand what you meant, just wanted to be ass and show failings of those kinds of statements

[maisetofan]

well i have alot of sympathy for people with mental illness, well more empathy cuz i have been there, in and out of hospital and no sometimes you cannot just "snap out of it"
my flatmate who suffered depression really badly made an awesome point when he said to me "would you tell someone with cancer to just get better?" "or someone in a wheel chair to "stand up?" no off course you would not, unless you were being very cruel or joking in that case it would not be funny, and just because something is not physical does not mean it doesnt hurt a hell of a lot and narrow minded conservative bull crap about "smiling" and pushing past it is not what me or my friends who suffer with all sorts of phobia and anxieties need to hear

[Apple]

yer, that is pretty much it, (lol you summed it better than I did)

and yer, sorry I can be overly fancily at times, because I try to explain my points to perfection, it makes them harder to understand, unless really read them, it is one of my failings and reason I am crap teacher lol

And I suppose I was being harsh on your statement, as it is true, we must accept other poeple and their problems, this something I believe myself, but I do think, they too have to be willing to accept their problems and ready to battle them, whether it will be easy or not. Not to go back to her, my sister told, you pretty tell who you can help and who you can't, as no matter how good you are, if someone REALLY doesn't want to help themselves, their is nothing you can do.

Anyway, back to my original point lol, I just dislike sweeping statements unless they are explained, so I was being pedantic with it, to make a point, I did actually understand what you meant, just wanted to be ass and show failings of those kinds of statements

You fail to miss the point fatfared, alot of people with depression including my very close friends would do anything to be different and i feel for them
giving them pity is not what i am saying, understanding is the best way of helping people with any type of condition, be it mental or physical and maisey you are right, you would not tell someone in a wheelchair to stand up or a cancer patient to just "get well" its the same with someone mentally ill being told to "snap out of it and get over it" and yes that sort of talk added to a close friend of mine back in kent taking an overdose and ending up being hospitalized for 6 months :(

there is a commercial in N.Z about depression which says
"the only barrier against recovery, is discrimination"

That is all :)

[TheRealTristan]

Wow, you certainly know how to make a person feel less alone in the world.

I've been diagnosed with depression and have been hospitalized twice because of it. I mainly blame myself for it. It started as soon as I entered high school. I was completely unaware of the fact that my friends from junior high school would treat me like a piece of crap once going into ninth grade.

I let their opinions get to me, and therefore started in a downward spiral. Although, I have to admit, at the hospital, the girls and boys that were there seemed the least likely to be suffering from mental illnesses.

Well, I guess you really cannot judge a book by its cover.

Also, pity is the last thing I would've wanted. Support is probably the most important. Without someone there to help me, I would've just resorted back to my old ways.

I think this is another reason why I love the internet. I can tell everyone whatever I want, I'm still a faceless person. And they're an impartial third party. Which I find to be a very good thing.

[maisetofan]

yeah tristan i agree with you fully, being able to express views online is good.
School often adds to or creates depression and anxiety, i was so anxious at school that on the weekends i could not go out, cuz i was terrified of seeing people in my year (grade) who would yell at me or make a scene, or even just say "hi"

Yeah pity is bad, but people telling me i was making it up was infuriating, or saying "that girl aint right" well ya think einstien??? thats not aimed at anyone here its idiots in my extended family and doctors who should not be doctors

Support is the best and thanks apple for that saying, yeah i have seen that ad

[DarkPhoenix]

I might have chronic depression but idk...I'm 16 and quite frankly to young to diagnose but I have Empathy which causes me to feel what others around me feel and I have it so bad that I can feel it from people online...which is bad cause then my chest hurts I get anxious and the shakes oh and I get insomnia badly.

There's this one girl online who got dumped because she and her BF now live to far away but it was partly due to this guy's sisters which were actually two his Ex's that he now lives with manipulating him, well he finally found out but won't get back with her and she was okay until all the people at school started bulling her mentally and emotionally and her parents tripped her down the stairs and other things she went to the police and they don't believe her...so now I'm sitting here unable to do anything which just makes the physical strain worse...and yet a small part of me thinks she's making most of the shit up and that makes me feel worse...>_<

[Sechmet]

Fortunately, I haven't been diagnosed with depression, but still, I can go from good mood to bad mood in a matter of seconds.
The only mental illnes I've been diagnosed with is panic disorder, like I stated on the first page. It used to cause havoc to my social life, bacuse when I get the panic attack I can't control the way I act properly. I used to pace a lot, rub at my chest and take deep breaths. It helped to calm me down along with reminding myself that everything is alright and there's no need to worry. If you would watch me, you would probably think I'm crazy. *sigh* Well, I learned to handle it better, not to pace so much and so on, but the first phase (when I didn't know what was wrong with me) was simply horrifying. I couldn't concentrate on anything else except for the horrible thoughts that went through my mind. I don't want to experience that ever again. *shudder*

[Kanariya674]

I have been diagnosed with depression that has been going on since about sixth grade. I started taking anti depressants around tenth grade, because I was raped in ninth. After that incident, it just brought more awareness and so here I am going to a psychiatrist and therapist.

But I think I'm doing pretty well. The effects of that incident still haven't quite left yet, and I think about it from time to time, but it's definitely better compared to about a year ago.

Life definitely gets perkier. I hate medication with all my being, but hell it can help. I also recommend acupuncture for anyone who needs treatment with their own disorders that create stress. I get that done from time to time, and every time I feel a bit better.

Disorders definitely can put you off course, delaying what you want to do in the future, and you'll have your downs. But to everyone here who has one, just remain strong. Don't let that stupid stuff get you down.

[Not every teenager is a depression victim, whoever made a stereotype in an earlier post. Every problem is just maximized to them, because of their lack of experience.]

[maisetofan]

you poor thing its good to read that you are doing better. i could not even begin to imagine how horrible that incident must have been for you.

Medication is not something we like to take and willingly accept but it does help alot, imagine not being on it

[Kanariya674]

Medication does help to an extent, it's just up to the user to use it properly and be willing to get better.

I mean, yeah there's still a bitter taste. The person that did it was a teacher at my first high school, and that's the area where I live around. Everyone basically knows who he was, and they blame me for getting him fired. You know, he had the 'good guy' reputation and all that jazz. So sometimes it's difficult.

Him getting the 'not guilty' verdict I think made me angrier than anything he did. People sometimes are just really stupid.

But you know, there are lots of others out there just like me, and we all just have to move on. I guess, putting it simple, shit happens.

[maisetofan]

what he as declared not guilty? he must have had a damn good lawyer or should i say liar to get him off with that charge, thats just wrong :(

[Kanariya674]

what he as declared not guilty? he must have had a damn good lawyer or should i say liar to get him off with that charge, thats just wrong :(

Biased jury. His lawyer deemed me 'insane', and the jury didn't think a sixty-year-old man should have deserved to go to jail at such an older age.

But the judge believed me. That's good, haha

Okay, enough about me, shit

My brother, he is schizophrenic. He's been living with it for about sixteen years, and because of the meds he's doing well. I can't imagine having schizophrenia, and props to the people who live with it and handle it well.

[maisetofan]

wow thats sooo harsh, i mean the judge should have ruled
what country are you in?
i know in most once the ruling is made, the charges cannot be brought up again unless you appeal

[Tristan's Voice]

I has(Has was put purposley) Azpergers

I'm not very social and offended easily.

I hate how Kate Perry makes money off of Bipolars with the song "Hot and Cold"

[maisetofan]

yeah i know it can be seen as offensive
but then again you can always relate to certain songs, like "unwell" by matchbox twenty
there is a line i relate to

"dodging glances on the train"
"and i know, i know they've all been talking about me, i can hear them whisper and it makes me think there must be something wrong, with me" "out of all the hours they can" "somehow ive lost my mind"

but im not crazy im just a little unwell i know right now you cant tell

[Kanariya674]

wow thats sooo harsh, i mean the judge should have ruled
what country are you in?
i know in most once the ruling is made, the charges cannot be brought up again unless you appeal

United States. And bingo.

[maisetofan]

ah i see :(

[LuZu]

I have lot of friends that suffers from many diffenrent kinds of mental problems like Depression, anxiety and panic disorders etc.

I suffered from the two first and from low self esteem as well, but thats kinda natural.
But trough time and with some enviroment exchange, I got over it.
Mine started at the age of 14. And ended about at the age of 17 teen. After that its been long way recovering, the worst is over of course, but sometimes the "pain" feels overwhelming.
Its long way to recovery. But I have to say that all my experience had made me stonger and that makes it easier to help others.

I am a youth worker and it pains me to see depressed youth. Its really common these days and it feels like nobodys doing anything to help them. They just keep speaking about it.
It makes me really mad.
Because of my own experiences of depression, and seeing others suffer, I chose my future career as a youth worker ^ ^ So something good came from it.
Thats how I want to see it.
Hoping I could save someones life.

[Insane]

I think that the world wouldn't be the place it is without mental disabilities, many of the greatest geniuses of all time had a mental disability of some kind, for example, Einstein had dyslexia and he was arguably one of the most intelligent men who ever lived...

And on the topic of depression and such, I and two others I know suffer from chronic manic depression. It's not good, but I think it allows you to mature more as a person. It has helped me understand more of the worse things in the world. I have had this depression for 2.5 years and counting. Some things are really bad in it, I have considered suicide on two or three separate occasions but, obviously, never gone through with it. During depression I have realised some really bad things, but with them, the good have helped me pull through so far.

And LuZu, I really admire that, congratulations on your job choice, I would hope you will save a live, but I hope it never comes to that.

[LuZu]

I think that the world wouldn't be the place it is without mental disabilities, many of the greatest geniuses of all time had a mental disability of some kind, for example, Einstein had dyslexia and he was arguably one of the most intelligent men who ever lived...

You?re right about that btw.:D
All the best were the most bizarres.
They say that Mozart had Tourette's disorder.


And LuZu, I really admire that, congratulations on your job choice, I would hope you will save a live, but I hope it never comes to that.

Thank you so much ^ ^
I hope that too.

[Gargoyle]

Alright, so I saw this topic and looks like this will be my first post :o

I know people who suffer from mental illness- actual diagnosed mental illness, not someone who wiki'ed up stuff and diagnosed themselves.

I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder when I was young, as well as a severe dissociative disorder and a slew of "lesser" problems- a good friend of mine shares a similar diagnosis, although he is also schizophrenic.

I'll never be "perfectly normal" because I was born into a situation that has scarred me forever. I don't know what it is, to be "perfectly normal".

I'm a lot "saner" then I used to be, mostly thanks to therapy and medication. I can speak up for myself and sleep at night. Life is a struggle but I've made it this far- might as well keep going.

[maisetofan]

yeah same here, good ol meds and therapy
gargoyle is that mello from death note in ur pic?

[HolyShadow]

Looks more like Matt to me...

I'll never be "perfectly normal" because I was born into a situation that has scarred me forever. I don't know what it is, to be "perfectly normal".
Sorry, but this made me laugh.

My father lived in Cuba for 11 years before his family was claimed and he (legally) came to America. Because of his limited knowledge of the American education system, he was placed in 4th grade. Until he was about 19, he knew barely any english.

THIS is a situation which isn't even CLOSE to perfectly normal. Yet did he cry, saying the world is too tough for him? No, he got up. He worked. He's 52 now and makes good money, has a good house, a daughter, a wife, and a son who's going to college in the fall. He's retired, as well.

He never knew what it was like to be normal. It's the will of the individual that's meant to crush the will of the world around him and claim victory. Forgive me if I think that medication is the easy way out of things. You can live in the past or you can live in the now for the future. If you live in the past, you will never claim victory.

[Gargoyle]

It's Matt :)

I don't think my mental illness is a laughing matter, perhaps I'm too serious about it.

Good on your father for what he's accomplished, but there are some medical disorders that won't be cured. One can learn to live with them and have a good life while having them, but that's not really perfectly normal. I don't live in the past, but I've accepted I will never be 100%. I'm not taking any 'easy way out', medication is something I need and I continue with therapy and I will for a very, very long time.

Don't think I'm self-pitying here on moping on the floor. I get up every morning, I have a job, I have a life, but some scars from the past don't ever really heal. Doesn't mean I can't live a fine life now, but I'm just saying- I don't know what it is to be 100% and I'm sure I never will.

[HolyShadow]

Good on your father for what he's accomplished, but there are some medical disorders that won't be cured. One can learn to live with them and have a good life while having them, but that's not really perfectly normal. I don't live in the past, but I've accepted I will never be 100%. I'm not taking any 'easy way out', medication is something I need and I continue with therapy and I will for a very, very long time.

As a child of about 8, I believe, I walked into the most gruesome sight anyone could ever see. I have explained this before, I believe, but I will again. (Placed in spoilers)

My 5 year old cousin covered in blood, skin peeled off, brain matter exposed. His eyes were empty and tears came out. His mother cradling him in her arms, sobbing like a baby, asking God why this had to happen. I talked to my cousin a mere 5 hours before this, if only for a moment. His mother had to make the decision to end his life because of the extensive brain damage he received. I'd like to say that I didn't cry, but after the shock wore off, I realized I would never see him again.

I'd like to think this was the end of it, but it wasn't. Not by a long shot.

His father disowned his oldest son for not watching the child, despite the father and mother being so irresponsible as to let someone borderline-retarded watch their youngest son, as opposed to being home, which they really should have that day.

Even worse is that they filed a lawsuit against the company that drove the truck that caused his death. They testified that they were at home, watching their child, when they clearly weren't. The father eventually won the lawsuit and grew extremely paranoid, beating his wife and threatening to kill her family members if they come close to him, after a few years.

Recently they got a divorce.

How does this relate to me? It doesn't. I'd like to draw your attention to their middle-most son. He's one year younger than me. He never had to take medication despite his family being torn asunder right before his eyes. He never had to have therapy. He was seven years old when his little brother died and he witnessed the same things as me. Traumatic much?

Another example is with my other cousin, being raped by his (male) teacher. Never needed medication or therapy.

Don't think I'm self-pitying here on moping on the floor. I get up every morning, I have a job, I have a life, but some scars from the past don't ever really heal. Doesn't mean I can't live a fine life now, but I'm just saying- I don't know what it is to be 100% and I'm sure I never will.

There's no such thing as being perfectly normal, but medication is useless, in my opinion. Therapy's the same way. Why would you pay for someone to tell you, "I'm sorry, but you're different than everyone else, so here's some happy pills"?

[Gargoyle]

I have a close schizophrenic friend and I know medication helps him. Not for everyone, sure, but I've seen him lock himself convinced he's the king of his own world, convinced he's a god, strangle himself with his own hands, convinced it's someone else strangling him.

Great that your cousin never needed medication or therapy, to each and their own. I'm a survivor of severe abuse, both as an adult and as a child, which lead to my problems- and therapy DOES help. I've had idiot therapists and I have a good one right now who doesn't just ply me with medication, we talk through flashbacks, talk about life, discuss the past and the present and the future and I do EMDR.

Someone with a severe physical illness would probably take the recommended medication for what they have- why should it be different for a psychological illness? Not saying anyone has to, but without a doubt, medication can help greatly. Certainly not a cure-all but a much needed help for some of us.

[HolyShadow]

I have a close schizophrenic friend and I know medication helps him. Not for everyone, sure, but I've seen him lock himself convinced he's the king of his own world, convinced he's a god, strangle himself with his own hands, convinced it's someone else strangling him.

...Do I know you?

Great that your cousin never needed medication or therapy, to each and their own. I'm a survivor of severe abuse, both as an adult and as a child, which lead to my problems- and therapy DOES help. I've had idiot therapists and I have a good one right now who doesn't just ply me with medication, we talk through flashbacks, talk about life, discuss the past and the present and the future and I do EMDR. Like my parents. My mother only takes medication for physical stuff that would literally kill her if she didn't take said medication. When she drinks, she gets uber depressed, convinced that everyone hates her. She doesn't take anything to help that and she's strong enough not to. She's said several times that she would never let some pills make her happier. She'd rather live free from that sort of thing.

Someone with a severe physical illness would probably take the recommended medication for what they have- why should it be different for a psychological illness? Not saying anyone has to, but without a doubt, medication can help greatly. Certainly not a cure-all but a much needed help for some of us.It's different because a psychological problem isn't likely to kill you. Just make you want to kill yourself. In the end, it's will that makes the real difference.

[Gargoyle]

...Do I know you?

Wouldn't that be a shocking twist to this conversation!

It's different because a psychological problem isn't likely to kill you. Just make you want to kill yourself. In the end, it's will that makes the real difference

Ultimately, I think it's unrealistic to expect will alone to overcome huge psychological problems for the majority of people. Being plagued with flashbacks, plagued with bad thoughts, etc could drive some of the strongest people to kill themselves.

Nice to see good, intelligent discussion on these boards, glad I joined up :)

[CHERRYBBY ?!]

i've been suffering from depression for a long time now, as well as an anxiety disorder. i've been bullied all my life, mainly through adults, and while i refuse to place the blame on them, i still believe there is truth in the fact that what had happened during my school years had something to do with it.

i'm not going to lie. i have terrible self esteem, and i can barely bring myself to walk down the aisle of a store. i hate talking to new people, and i always walk with my head down and slumped. i think poorly of myself. it's a terrible social phobia, and i link it to my depression and anxiety disorder. when i sit down and think about it, a lot of how i feel about myself connects to the things that have happened to me. but at the same time, i know that it's my own personality doing that. for example, i had been molested by my now ex-boyfriend a few months ago, back when i was in school. since then, i've been absolutely terrified of anything to do with sex, touching, and whatnot. there are people out there who, after going through similar things, become obsessed with sex. there are people who can still keep their head up high and go on living their lives. it all depends on who you are.

you don't become clinically depressed because of other people. depression is what causes you to be affected by those people.

or something. i can't explain myself. my words are all jumbled up and blah. sorrrry. <3

[Mokuba Kaiba's Girl]

for 3 years i had depression, once; i have a phobia of doing something before anyone else, a phobia of phone(cuz im scared of dailing the wrong number, or being msitaken for someone else). perhaps i have a Social phobia. idk. i think i may do have one, cuz ive retreated to talking to ppl on the interet

[Insane]

And yet, you have friends here who see the best in you

[Mokuba Kaiba's Girl]

O.o

[Aninamar]

It is kind of funny. I'm a 15 year old guy whose life, for now, was pretty meaningless in the great scheme of things, and even in those little schemes I only won a couple of school tours. I do not often stand up to the standards people try to set me on, and I've gone through a string of disappointments this year. And yet I was never depressed. Yeah, there were times where I was like "The world hates my guts", but they were short and I always overcame them.

On the other hand, I started developing some crazy hallucinations and misbehaviors lately, quite similar to ADD. I'm not on drugs, but I'm also living a really unhealthy life and I don't sleep much.

[Mokuba Kaiba's Girl]

Well, Im an 11 year old (that shock u?) half black, half puerto rican girl that spends most of her time on the computer, almost never goes outside unless necessary, never had a friend stay the night once in MY LIFE, and is random but cant write humorous stories

[redpheonix]

i can be honest here right, i have a pretty damn hard life, nothing ever comes out right, i like people generally but am super suspicious of others in their actions, i too was made fun of in school it was awful, because of a multitude of things i strive to be happy and be different because i would hate to be just like all the people that ruined my life, all of those who are just alike.

meh

[Turtlicious]

16 in a foster home and cant stand it moms in rehab dad cant support me and the family i do have by blood despises everything i am... i smoke weed to deal with the pain and sadly it can only numb iti go to an innercity school called dorsey high and im still the only white kid there an outcast and yet i do everything i can to struggle by

[Mokuba Kaiba's Girl]

O.O

[Turtlicious]

yeah...

kinda sad really

[Mokuba Kaiba's Girl]

*hugs and gives treats*

[Turtlicious]

thanks

[Mokuba Kaiba's Girl]

WELCOMES~~~

[Turtlicious]

heh

[Mokuba Kaiba's Girl]

LOLers~~~~~~~~~~~~

[maisetofan]

16 in a foster home and cant stand it moms in rehab dad cant support me and the family i do have by blood despises everything i am... i smoke weed to deal with the pain and sadly it can only numb iti go to an innercity school called dorsey high and im still the only white kid there an outcast and yet i do everything i can to struggle by

aw thats really sad turtle

[nikz]

I have OCD but i believe it helps keep me sane.

[geminigirl]

I has(Has was put purposley) Azpergers

I'm not very social and offended easily.

I hate how Kate Perry makes money off of Bipolars with the song "Hot and Cold"

I also have asperger's syndrome...but it it not a mental illness...it is considered to be a disability.

and some of my friends think I have Bipolar.....but I don't and I think it is just my sometimes lack of and sometimes just plain odd facial expressions from having Asperger's that causes them to think that.

[maisetofan]

i also hate how asperges is perceived in television shows as a person to be over the top, wacky insane and unsociably blunt and rude.
there is a show on here at the moment and the woman is acting as someone with Asperges all wrong, in fact its an insult to people who suffer from it
just like when someone with depression, bi polar or anxiety is portrayed on a show, people assume that we are all insane, rude and purposely un sociable GRRR

[geminigirl]

i also hate how asperges is perceived in television shows as a person to be over the top, wacky insane and unsociably blunt and rude.
there is a show on here at the moment and the woman is acting as someone with Asperges all wrong, in fact its an insult to people who suffer from it
just like when someone with depression, bi polar or anxiety is portrayed on a show, people assume that we are all insane, rude and purposely un sociable GRRR

It annoys me as well....although I do not consider myself to suffer from it...I consider myself to have it. Yes it makes me different and yes I find somethings harder to do than other people because I have it....but I also strengths that I believe are caused by me having it which is why I am celebrating Autistic Pride Day on the 18th June.

APD is all about trying to get people to realise that autism does not always = emotionless person, angry person or person who can not function at all as so many people believe. It is also about celebrating the strengths of people on the autistic spectrum.

[ashleyisdabomb]

I have resently suffered with depression and I think I still have social phobia... I've been bullied for years and I'm an only child with a single mother so I got pretty loney, got use to it though. But since I swiched from a private school to a public school I was able to meet a crap load of different people who I can get to know without them being spoiled and stuck up

[Tristan's Voice]

I (the real person, not Tristans voice, I am out of character) have a mental illness/issue, and it doesnt help on the internet. i might open up more if people are nice to me here on this site. The internet gives me depression sometimes.

I already left this site once because a certain someone advertized a forum game on my forum game, which I found as an insult. and I WAS NOT going down THAT ROAD for THE FOURTH TIME

[maisetofan]

really? yes the internet can worsen depression especially if you are on a forum and get into disputes with other users, it makes u feel unpopular well it does to me and i just don't want to deal with that, there's enough confrontation in the real world to deal with

[Fat1Fared]

I (the real person, not Tristans voice, I am out of character) have a mental illness/issue, and it doesnt help on the internet. i might open up more if people are nice to me here on this site. The internet gives me depression sometimes.

I already left this site once because a certain someone advertized a forum game on my forum game, which I found as an insult. and I WAS NOT going down THAT ROAD for THE FOURTH TIME

Tristan, I saw what those poeple put, and I feel they were being very hard/unfair on you, but at same time, I think you miss understood their ogirnal point, it wasn't meant to offend you, they were just saying, game was little to similar to game already on site. If it wasn't for fact that I just missed you at time, I would have said that at time.

I would also say, you don't need to let them bully/scare you away, as in end when you left, they won, because you lost out on fun side of this forum (which there is, I promise :D ) and they wouldn't feel they had lost anything, sometimes, you need to just take things like this on chin and move on, not everyone will say and do things you like, and when this happens, too many poeple let it get to them, I say:-

"Laugh and Grow FAT" :D:D:D

I understand, there will always be times, when something really gets you (one user, manged to really anger me with his unneeded conduct when talking about others, who where not even there to defend themselves) but on whole, I try to just not let other poeples actions get to me, as makes life lot more fun and relaxing

as mental illness, well I have already made my feelings their known and so won't bother stating them again:-

[Xanadu]

i have a few mental health problems, been a bumpy ride threw life...
especially as a kid
now my only problems are getting a girlfriend...probably should stop playing childrens card games lol

[Kanariya674]

I have OCD but i believe it helps keep me sane.

OCD isn't bad, as long as it doesn't really interfere with your daily activities on a day to day basis. At least I don't think so.

16 in a foster home and cant stand it moms in rehab dad cant support me and the family i do have by blood despises everything i am... i smoke weed to deal with the pain and sadly it can only numb iti go to an innercity school called dorsey high and im still the only white kid there an outcast and yet i do everything i can to struggle by

I have a friend like that, too. His mother is completely out of the picture, and his father beat him. He doesn't talk to his family, and he lives with his ex-girlfriend because he has nowhere else to go. He smokes, but he's recently quitting. He's legally an adult now, and he knows he can't live there forever. He has to learn to support himself, and that means getting a job, and for his problems he keeps them in but when he needs help, he talks. I think you should, too.

And guess what? He was one of the few white kids at his high school. I don't know where you live, but I live on the line of Baltimore City MD, and he does too. And if you live around here, it can get bad. Yeah, he's gone through racism, but in the end it made him stronger.

[Xanadu]

I also have asperger's syndrome...but it it not a mental illness...it is considered to be a disability.

and some of my friends think I have Bipolar.....but I don't and I think it is just my sometimes lack of and sometimes just plain odd facial expressions from having Asperger's that causes them to think that.

wow...I have AS too

I see it as my personal shame and I never tell anyone

[Xanadu]

I (the real person, not Tristans voice, I am out of character) have a mental illness/issue, and it doesnt help on the internet. i might open up more if people are nice to me here on this site. The internet gives me depression sometimes.

I already left this site once because a certain someone advertized a forum game on my forum game, which I found as an insult. and I WAS NOT going down THAT ROAD for THE FOURTH TIME

man I have left so many forums, deleted so many contacts
to give you an idea I had 120 MSN contacts last year, I have 14 now lol
people aren't nice, for the most part-you gotta get a few good people you really like to be near and enjoy your time with them, don't worry about the large masses of people who don't know you.
Just because you think a different way doesn't mean your any worse then anyone
trust me-I know what I'm talking about lol

[KuroStarr]

Arithmophobia- Fear of numbers.
Harpaxophobia- Fear of being robbed.
Geniophobia- Fear of chins.
Dutchphobia- Fear of the Dutch.
Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth.
I suffer from all of these.

But seriously, I know a chick who has paranoia.

[KaibaBoi]

i used to be very very shy in real life lol although its not that bad anymore but it still takes me a while to talk to new ppl :)

[Arbaal]

I have aids

[EdBat]

without mental illness people would have to take responsibility for their actions.

[Fat1Fared]

without mental illness people would have to take responsibility for their actions.

LOL, unless I have misunderstood you, I think your about to get told off by lot of users (Look how much I got told off, for just sayying that mental illness can be beat, if person is willing to fight it)

[Insane]

Nah.
We can't tell Ed off...

He'll kill us.

[Insane]

Arithmophobia- Fear of numbers.
Harpaxophobia- Fear of being robbed.
Geniophobia- Fear of chins.
Dutchphobia- Fear of the Dutch.
Arachibutyrophobia- Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth.
I suffer from all of these.

But seriously, I know a chick who has paranoia.

Harpaxophobia isn't a phobia.

[EdBat]

LOL, unless I have misunderstood you, I think your about to get told off by lot of users (Look how much I got told off, for just sayying that mental illness can be beat, if person is willing to fight it)

I have "mental illnesses," Bipolar, depression, ADD. I went through five years of therapy so I can tell you exactly what a load of crap a lot of this stuff is. That being said, there ARE legitimate mental illnesses that can't be "fought off" like schizophrenia.

[Fat1Fared]

I have "mental illnesses," Bipolar, depression, ADD. I went through five years of therapy so I can tell you exactly what a load of crap a lot of this stuff is. That being said, there ARE legitimate mental illnesses that can't be "fought off" like schizophrenia.

indeed, are you calling me full of crap (if so fair enough,) or therapy, (depends which kind, as more than just the freudain ones, however my sister would know which ones are better and worse more than me lol, I barely passed it at A level lol)

However I do have valid reasons for my beliefs in this area, my family has history of it, throughout our past (though I never had one or lest don't think I did lol) and because of this, lot of my family now work in NHS Mental departements (mother works as PA to my area's cheif of sericty and is fully trained Carer, Sister is Nurse, Aunt is Carer....etc, even my gran worked as cleaner lol)

So I know some first and second hand knowledge on it, and though my family had problems, poeple like my sister are living proof that it is real but you don't need drugs...etc, to beat it and that a lot of it is in mind (which why mental illness, lol well suppose some poeple get it from defects in their body's balance of different intural drugs but...etc)

She also proved you can make a succuss of yourself and you don't need to lock youreself away or hate outside world (unless maybe got the one which is fear of outside world, <facepalm>) as well


So I may come off as being overly harsh, but I think that lot of poeple can give up too easy in this area or think have illness before know (and not saying all here.) My Sister said to me, you know who you can help and who you can't, as there is only so much she can do, lot of it is down to patient being willing to get help (now I am on about things such as depression, and addiction, poeple will have to have lot of help for most serious of them)

[EdBat]

I'm also not on meds.

[geminigirl]

I have a friend who has schizophrenia and I think a few other mental illnesses and when he doesn't take his medication he does/says strange things....like getting kicked by a kangaroo when he tried to surprise it, setting a room on fire, talking about fighting a crocodile etc.

I have another friend who has bipolar and is currently in a mental hospital for threatening a boy at my school with a knife after he had a go at her for being bipolar - I haven't seen that friend since.

I also have a distant cousin with bipolar but he - as far as I know hasn't done anything strange things - apart from the mood swings obviously.

[maisetofan]

yes that sounds common in bipolar, well my depression has flared up pretty badly at the moment, i guess its just things i have not dealt with, and this may sound ridiculous but since M.J died, it brought out grief in family members i have lost and sadness in me that is still not resolved. Im so depressed at the moment i am physically ill, and that only happens when either my anxiety disorder is out of control OR the depression comes flooding in, usually with the meds i am on i am fine, better than i was five years ago but right at this moment, two days before my bday i have never felt more alone in my life and i hate it, im throwing up and tired and cannot sleep and hate the taste of food and wish everyone would go away but then i cry for no reason and stress out about my life amounting to nothing

ahh its a cycle of viciousness i tells ya

[M.P.]

*prays* Oh, God. Oh, holy father. I have climbed the tallest mountains and crept under the lowest valleys. I looked under every rock, looked behind every tree, and still I struggle to find the main reason of why you give us sadness and depression and mental illnesses more than anything these days. You let skinny people starve and let obese people eat as much as they wish. You gave pretty much every country an unfit leader who pretty much led their corresponding nations to waste. You allow the rich people to end up winning the lottery. You give us uncurable mental illnesses. Please, answer my call and tell me why. Why. Amen.

[hiddencry~]

I had anxiety when i was younger, but i eventually got over it with some help from some annoying phsychiatrist woman. People have told me that i have depression, but i don't believe it. I've just been incredibly stressed recently.
Where i live, a lot of people kind of brag about having depression and how they're "different" and that somehow makes them cool or whatever. I find that really insulting to people who actually have depression. They're also the type of people who have told me i have depression. no. they just make me miserable.
I'm a bit nutty compared to most, but i like it ^^
I tend to like people with mental "problems" better than "normal" people tbh. I have a friend who has a very mild form of autism and he's awesome. People who class themselves as normal often try to hard to BE normal. It makes them boring >.<
I'm a very strong believer in just being yourself. I can't stand people who pretend to be something they're not, especially those who use a non-existant mental condition to get pity -.-

[Umbrella Man]

One of my friends has depression, but she never acts like it.

[Chelsea_Dagger]

im bipolar :/
no meds.

[DoubleEdgeSword]

I have a serotonin deficiency, and since I'm unable to produce enough of it, I'm on Prozac to handle my anxiety and OCD.

Some mental illnesses actually have a science behind it. After trying to go off my meds after over a decade of taking them, I thought I was fine until six weeks later when my panic attacks and OCD came back with a vengeance. I did some more research to manage it, and learned more about serotonin deficiency. I was born with it, and I'm unfortunately dependent on serotonin stabilizers for the rest of my life. My only worry with this is later on when money will become a main issue for prescriptions after I'm on my own.

So now I manage my levels with diet, exercise, sunlight, and Prozac. I'm doing very well though I'm still a bit anxious every now and then.

[HolyShadow]

I maintain that the entire world is insane except me.

Does that mean I'm insane?

[musigal]

my grandpa was bipolar; he's dead now. I think my aunt has it too.

[Cocyta]

I have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder.

[Lauren]

I wouldn't say I had a hard life growing up, but I don't know what it's like to be in a loving environment at home. I'm going to be open and share a part of my life with you guys:

I have been physically and emotionally abused as a child. In fact, I am still called fat, bitch, etc. for having the courage to stand up for myself. My parents and I fight at least two times a week, usually over tiny mistakes I have made, such as waking up a few minutes after I'm supposed to, or taking a shower for over 10 minutes. Because of the way I have been treated, I feel a need to be accepted and wanted by everyone. By nature, I am extremely shy; however, I have become paranoid to approach someone and talk to them. I also panic if I am not around my definition of "perfect."

I have plans to move out and I've been looking into going to therapy, but there's not a lot of places I can go for free or without my parents knowing. As for a mental illness, I don't think I can be classifed as having one; although, I believe some can be managed with medication.

[HolyShadow]

Obviously, you should murder your family.

[Jansson]

Obviously, you should murder your family.

I strangely agree

[Galactik]

Mmm I don't have a mental illness but my mum's depressed. She's been depressed for years and I didn't even know, I felt sh*tty when I found out, depression can lead to a whole lot of crap, so I feel for all the people who have it. Tbh I don't think i'm entirely right in the head, I sometimes spend days sobbing...it's probably just low self esteem (bullied mhmm). All you people who are living with mental illnesses I respect you all enormously :)

[Aninamar]

I have been physically and emotionally abused as a child. In fact, I am still called fat, bitch, etc. for having the courage to stand up for myself. My parents and I fight at least two times a week, usually over tiny mistakes I have made, such as waking up a few minutes after I'm supposed to, or taking a shower for over 10 minutes. Because of the way I have been treated, I feel a need to be accepted and wanted by everyone. By nature, I am extremely shy; however, I have become paranoid to approach someone and talk to them. I also panic if I am not around my definition of "perfect."

http://assets.knowyourmeme.com/i/3374/original/Cool_story_bro_.jpg

[fairywings]

I maintain that the entire world is insane except me.

Does that mean I'm insane?

No, but it could mean you have a delusion if that thought interferes negatively with your life. ;)

[Roseleaf]

I know quite a lot about the subject of mental illness, because my mom works with mentally retard people.

Really, I think it's sad how some of them are treated. D:

[EdBat]

silly edbat

[Fat1Fared]

I'm bipolar, that's why I'm not a full mod FYI

you can sue Face for Decimation now :thatface:

And the fact your woman, means the courts are even more likely to take a chivalrous stance with you, Yay to Positive Decimation and Sexism for Greater Good (wait.....what)

[HolyShadow]

I'm bipolar, that's why I'm not a full mod FYI
I think it's because of your creepy display image.

[Cocyta]

I think EdBat's avatars are cute.

[HolyShadow]

Because you want to fuck her.

[greymagick711]

One of my Psychology text books stated something like it could be said that everyone has some sort of personality disorder. (I'll find the actual quote when I have the actual book in my hands.) But from what I remember, the authors implied that with the so many people who never get diagnosed, along with those that have the money to simply be analyzed, most of the time people have some sort of problem.

Nothing serious, mind you--just like little quirks in the way an individual functions that can potentially become something serious.

But true mental disorders (diseases?) are something else. We've come a long way from the terrible asylums of the 19th century and from the 1940s frontal lobotomy hype to treat such impairments. Psychological therapy, and/or drugs really are the only way to help people.

I'm just glad mental disorders are finally getting as much attention as much as physical damage...especially when it's not just the person's fault. External triggers, such as bullying, abuse, substance abuse, pressure, and trauma, are just as important as the individual's gene affinity for the neurotransmitters that make them predisposed.

Among mental disorders such as schizophrenia, OCD, and major depression, one slightly minor one hits home for me.

The summer of 8th grade to HS freshman marked many changes: new books, new haircut, new track team, new school...I was perfectly content. The same couldn't be said for a very good friend of mine.
It started in July, when her parents--good, hardworking, ordinary people--went away on some trip. I started noticing how tired she was, but then at the same time, how she always seemed to have the energy to run on her own.
She started to lose weight dangerously fast. Second week of July I could see every vertebrae, saw the temporal wasting, brittle hair, could see the arteries pulsing against thin skin. I knew something was wrong at this point and confronted her. She denied everything, and I was just a scared and worried 14 year old at the time.

So, I picked up some dusty medical books from my parents’ study. I had a guess as to what she might have had, but the text confirmed it: this was anorexia nervosa. This wasn’t just the fast-dropping diets that you see celebrities doing just to be thin—she wasn’t willingly starving herself out of vanity. She was wielding her will over the basic bodily function of hunger to kill herself just as a person with depression might slit his or her wrist.

Immediately, I showed her the book and its accompanying charts, along with additional information. I remember almost everything from that book: After three days of starvation, the body switches to fat deposits, hunger decreases. Once reservoirs have been depleted, gluconeogenesis in the liver occurs, cannibalizing the muscles into energy to support the viscera. The organs begin to shut down: liver from exhaustion, kidneys from protein-waste acidity. Coma occurs at 65% healthy weight, death at 50%...plus or minus 10lbs.
Looking back, it probably wasn’t the best thing to tell her in her emaciated state. She was a smart girl, and probably calculated how many days it would take to drop x amount of pounds to reach that 65%. Anyways, she just kept on deteriorating. I don’t even remember seeing her SWEAT when working out, her body was trying to conserve everything.

I tried my best, or at least, the best I could think of at the time. For some very stupid reason, I didn’t tell my own parents about it. This was her problem after all, and even as her best friend, I thought I didn’t have a right to intrude. Believe me, I tried to get her to eat. But damn, was she clever with hiding that food and lying.

To conclude, she died after falling into a coma though sleep. This was couple days before her parents were supposed to return, too. Which sucks for them. But hey—though good people, they could have been a bit more responsible. (Or a bit less confident of their daughter’s ability to take care of herself.) If only I was socially smarter back then as well and called a clinic or something. Wasting away only took her three weeks, can you believe that?

Truly, I’m baffled by what the mind can do to the body. As her best friend, I couldn’t help her because I wasn’t a trained psychiatrist. I didn’t know what to say or how to say it to get her to eat—or to just make her feel better. I’m pretty sure I gave her plenty of attention. She just…her mind…jeez, it’s such a powerful thing to deny the body its fuel.

And if you’re wondering, I’m pretty much over this incident. I have some regrets about I couldn’t do, but now I know what I’ll do if someone needs help. It never hurts to ask someone if they need help, and from all the reading I’ve done, ALL the text books say caring-styled notice is a good first step. But serious cases really do need the professional help and drug therapy to help buffer the chemical brain imbalances.


I suppose it’s like…blah. I can’t think straight after remembering all that. :P Mental issues gets me more mad than sad. :squintyface:

Like, why can’t there be an easy solutions to these problem? Well, at least more people are getting diagnosed and treated early. There are all these articles about ‘increase in diagnosing depression in adolescents’. No shit Sherlock, and thank goodness they are trying to be diagnosed early like all the other ‘real’ diseases out there.

[Also, apologies for any typos. I'm kinda tired and didn't bother to re-read.]

[maisetofan]

I know quite a lot about the subject of mental illness, because my mom works with mentally retard people.

Really, I think it's sad how some of them are treated. D:

Mentally retard?:rageface: i think you mean retarded but that is still a nasty
thing to post, they are not retarded, they cannot help the way their brain works

Well i have had serotonin issues since i was a kid, but the meds i am on now seem to help and my main problem is Anxiety
Generalized anxiety disorder and paranoia, thats why i will never be a mod haha i complain and whine too much but i have a reason

[Underling]

Mentally retard?:rageface: i think you mean retarded but that is still a nasty
thing to post, they are not retarded, they cannot help the way their brain works


It's a legitimate medical term, retard.

[maisetofan]

Did you just call me a retard or say that the legitimate term is retard
actually i thought it was Retardation?
Well in this country its a big no no anyway
It is not P.C and so forth

[JesusRocks]

Did you just call me a retard or say that the legitimate term is retard
actually i thought it was Retardation?
Well in this country its a big no no anyway
It is not P.C and so forth

A shortening of which is "retard"

Calling someone metally retarded sounds like you're calling them stupid, however, that's just because of the misuse given to the term to describe stupid people as metally ill.
In this overly PC world, however, even a legitimate medical term like "mentally retarded" or "mental retardation" is frowned upon, and alternatives such as "metally ill" or "metally unbalanced" are preferred.

[Turtlicious]

That's retarded

[greymagick711]

A shortening of which is "retard"

Calling someone metally retarded sounds like you're calling them stupid, however, that's just because of the misuse given to the term to describe stupid people as metally ill.
In this overly PC world, however, even a legitimate medical term like "mentally retarded" or "mental retardation" is frowned upon, and alternatives such as "metally ill" or "metally unbalanced" are preferred.

The for those who don't exhibit natural growth patterns in the brain, that is slow or cessation, it's "mentally disabled" or "developmentally disabled" or "mentally handicapped" now.

"Chemically imbalanced" is the most correct for depression, schizophrenia, and OCD.

"Mentally unbalanced" refers more to minor personality disorders, but can be categorized with "chemically imbalanced."

[MrsSallyBakura]

Calling someone metally retarded sounds like you're calling them stupid, however, that's just because of the misuse given to the term to describe stupid people as metally ill.
In this overly PC world, however, even a legitimate medical term like "mentally retarded" or "mental retardation" is frowned upon, and alternatives such as "metally ill" or "metally unbalanced" are preferred.

That's retarded

lmao

[maisetofan]

yeah make fun of a serious thread
people who have never suffered from anxiety or depression will never understand so they laugh instead

[church]

I have PTSD and no you do not get an explanation.

[maisetofan]

PTSD is no laughing matter
My grandfather suffered that after coming back from europe after the second world war, what he saw during the war was horrific and he suffered post traumatic stress disorder from it

[church]

PTSD is no laughing matter
My grandfather suffered that after coming back from europe after the second world war, what he saw during the war was horrific and he suffered post traumatic stress disorder from it

No its not, its a serious issue that affects more than just people that have been in wars and more than just the people that have it. It is a lot more widespread than most people know aswell. Not to mention its easy to trigger.

[MrsSallyBakura]

people who have never suffered from anxiety or depression will never understand so they laugh instead

That's not a very fair judgment call to make.

I'm pretty sure that I've been depressed. I'm not mentally retarded (at least, not in the technical sense :P) but I do know that certain jokes make certain people upset so it's best to avoid them when around other people.

See, I doubt that there are any mentally retarded people on this website. I have a habit of calling something 'retarded' but I never say it around people who actually suffer from retardation (and those moments are rare, anyways).

There's a time and a place for every joke.

[CELTIC]

My wee cousin has autism. It really does drive me round the bend but I stick up for him as he gets bullied alot.

[MrsSallyBakura]

My brother is autistic too, but it's asperagers.

I think he even calls things retarded.

[Sunnylore]

I have A.D.D. all subcategories which includes hyperactivity and depression. I also suffer from post traumatic stress disorder and mild obsessive compulsive disorder as well as anxiety. I've lived through some really bad situations and there have been times I didn't want to live at all but I got through it and I've learned to cope for the most part.

I wasn't always Sunny but I turned out that way! <3

[LordZorc]

I have A.D.H.D. and Aspergers.

[maisetofan]

I have A.D.D. all subcategories which includes hyperactivity and depression. I also suffer from post traumatic stress disorder and mild obsessive compulsive disorder as well as anxiety. I've lived through some really bad situations and there have been times I didn't want to live at all but I got through it and I've learned to cope for the most part.

I wasn't always Sunny but I turned out that way! <3

AWW :D
Are you on or have you tried medication?
the common drug for Attention deficit disorder is Ritalin am i right?.
And there are some decent antidepressants out there that do not have the harsh side effects that the old ones like the tricyclic medications used to
I am on a newer kind of antidepressant along with a Benzodiazepine but they can be misused by kids wanting a good time as they are a sedating hypnotic as well as an anti anxiety pill so for people without anxiety it can cause euphoria and apparently "speed" like symptoms and they are really addictive, i have been on most of them for social and general anxiety like Diazepam (Valium) Cloanzepam (klonopin) Ativan (lorazepam) Alprazolam (Xanax) and so on

[MrsSallyBakura]

My roommate has ADHD and she takes Ritalin and... something else, can't remember off the top of my head.

There are people who believe that stuff like ADD and ADHD aren't real... and I laugh at them because when you're around my roommate when she's not on her meds, she's about 15 times more nuts than usual. And she knows it.

[maisetofan]

My roommate has ADHD and she takes Ritalin and... something else, can't remember off the top of my head.

There are people who believe that stuff like ADD and ADHD aren't real... and I laugh at them because when you're around my roommate when she's not on her meds, she's about 15 times more nuts than usual. And she knows it.

She could be on something to sedate her, possibly an Antipsychotic which is given to people with anxiety, ADHD, even nausea so the name is off putting but they work in such a way that they induce sleep and calm the body
the side effects of antipsychotics are very bad though

Is she on something that ends with "zine"
Seroquel? Risperodil? Quetaipine ?

[GcarOatmealRaisinCookies]

I take Seroquel and it sucks.
It's not doing what it's supposed to, and it's making me mean.

[maisetofan]

I take Seroquel and it sucks.
It's not doing what it's supposed to, and it's making me mean.

Sweetie i know all about that S**T
its horrible terrible stuff that doctors hand out like candy
it made me tired, fat and hungry, seriously the weight gain was horrendous and the dry mouth and the dizziness and sleepiness was chronic, i felt like someone had purposely drugged me or i was stoned or something because i
could not function on them :/ I was on 100MG and that was enough for me, i started on 25MG and i only went up because i was not sleeping then i stopped taking them altogether, they are lethal, please stop Gcar

Ask for Zopiclone, a sedative that has no side effects except for the usual dry mouth and thirst and they help you sleep normally :)

[Draconia Dominus]

Hm... as for me, I used to suffer from depression. I'm feeling better now because of distractions. In my current mental state, I'm half thinking I need to see a psychologist... but seeing I'm a teenager, having an odd mindset all the time may be normal.

A psychologist actually told me that I have some symptoms of Asperger's. I feel very little, if any, emotion. And I have a little bit of trouble socialising. It's nothing overly impairing, though.

I think that mental illness needs to be taken seriously like any other health condition. However, I think teenagers (and people in general) should be educated on what is and isn't mental illness... I used to think I have a heap of disorders I don't actually have. And my situation in present proves I either don't have those disorders, or I'm incredibly good at defying mental illnesses.

[GcarOatmealRaisinCookies]

Sweetie i know all about that S**T
its horrible terrible stuff that doctors hand out like candy
it made me tired, fat and hungry, seriously the weight gain was horrendous and the dry mouth and the dizziness and sleepiness was chronic, i felt like someone had purposely drugged me or i was stoned or something because i
could not function on them :/ I was on 100MG and that was enough for me, i started on 25MG and i only went up because i was not sleeping then i stopped taking them altogether, they are lethal, please stop Gcar

I got all the side effects BUT sleepiness, which is why my quack thought it'd be a good idea to prescribed it to combat my Bipolar. I'm not taking anymore.
My doctor is an idiot.

[maisetofan]

Hm... as for me, I used to suffer from depression. I'm feeling better now because of distractions. In my current mental state, I'm half thinking I need to see a psychologist... but seeing I'm a teenager, having an odd mindset all the time may be normal.

A psychologist actually told me that I have some symptoms of Asperger's. I feel very little, if any, emotion. And I have a little bit of trouble socialising. It's nothing overly impairing, though.

I think that mental illness needs to be taken seriously like any other health condition. However, I think teenagers (and people in general) should be educated on what is and isn't mental illness... I used to think I have a heap of disorders I don't actually have. And my situation in present proves I either don't have those disorders, or I'm incredibly good at defying mental illnesses.


thank you for your warm contribution
awesome and very mature post :bearface:

[Draconia Dominus]

Thanks maisetofan :)

This is a little unrelated, but I feel that corporate greed and the negativity of the media is partially responsible for mental illness.

I recently viewed several news articles which talk about mental illness and body image, amongst other related issues. Something of note (here in Australia, anyway) is the growing trend of discrimination against overweight people.

Also, this is from a current affairs program I watched tonight... there's children's fitness equipment... for very young children. This connects to the TV and they use it when watching TV. According to a psychologist, this is setting children up to be overly conscious of their body image. She also explains that it isn't that good for their physical health as it is not a good substitute for going outside for 'playtime.'

Yet this type of equipment is very popular.

The rest of those news story escape me at this time... but does anyone else feel that society, in a way, is responsible for negativity in people?

[TheOcean]

I got all the side effects BUT sleepiness, which is why my quack thought it'd be a good idea to prescribed it to combat my Bipolar. I'm not taking anymore.
My doctor is an idiot.

Try Depakote. It helps me, if it makes me a little listless. It is prescribed typically for seizures, but rapid-cyclers like myself are usually ok on it. As I can't have a kidney metabolizing drug and it goes through the liver its also one of the only ones I can take.

[maisetofan]

Memantine is said to be amazing, its used in Alzheimer patients but in the states if you have an "understanding" doctor this medication is meant to be amazing for social anxiety, bi polar and any form of mania and anxiety that creates mania

Benzodiazepines are addictive but they are the only legal medication that are safe for your insides and that actually combat social anxiety and help you sleep and they do not have side effects, the reason they are so restricted is because of their addictive personalities

[GcarOatmealRaisinCookies]

Try Depakote. It helps me, if it makes me a little listless. It is prescribed typically for seizures, but rapid-cyclers like myself are usually ok on it. As I can't have a kidney metabolizing drug and it goes through the liver its also one of the only ones I can take.

this is the same quack that prescribes me heart medication because my MOM had a heart attack.

My doctor's worried that I'll spin out of control if I enter a manic phase. I manage the Manic phases through techniques and coping skills that I've learned when I was in therapy. I can handle my manic phases no problem, It's my depression phases that will kill me, and I work even harder to battle and cope with them.

[Draconia Dominus]

As far as I have read from pamphlets, Benzodiazepines are 'depressants' due to the fact they slow down your brain or something. Therefore, they do have side-effects such as the slowing of reaction time. But I understand what you're getting at: some of the other medications you mentioned are actually pretty harmful over time... I research random stuff in my spare time.

Just out of curiosity, has anyone here tried exercising to combat or alleviate symptoms of mental disorders? It worked wonders for me.

[GcarOatmealRaisinCookies]

To my knowledge, Seroquel was prescribed to my dad for his schizophrenia. and I repeat, My doctor is an idiot for prescribing it to me in the first place.

[TheOcean]

Gcar, I recommend a different doctor then, as he seems to be the problem. If you can't really change your doctor's mind then that's pretty much the only answer. Though I'm sure parents make that difficult.

I was unlucky enough to not be diagnosed bipolar till I was 24. My early 20s were, an interesting time as some would say.

Also yes, exercise does wonders for combating depression. I force myself to clean the house when depressed. The more you move the less you want to curl into a ball in your dark room and hide from the world.

[Draconia Dominus]

What I find most effective in combating a poor state of mind in general is exercise you actually want to do. Forcing yourself just doesn't yield the same results as willingly doing it. It's just like school subjects: You tend to be good at the subjects you want to do. However, I understand not everyone enjoys exercise.

(This is going just a little offtopic)

Does anyone here think that mental illness is being overdiagnosed and/or exaggerated in teenagers? Or do you think social factors are contributing to the statistical rise in mental disorders in teenagers?

[GcarOatmealRaisinCookies]

Gcar, I recommend a different doctor then, as he seems to be the problem. If you can't really change your doctor's mind then that's pretty much the only answer. Though I'm sure parents make that difficult.

I was unlucky enough to not be diagnosed bipolar till I was 24. My early 20s were, an interesting time as some would say.

Also yes, exercise does wonders for combating depression. I force myself to clean the house when depressed. The more you move the less you want to curl into a ball in your dark room and hide from the world.

I'm poor and can't afford a good doctor.
But, I'm not taking this medication anymore.
As for exercise, I walk two hours straight, monday and tuesday, and a half hour a day the rest of the week.

[TheOcean]

(This is going just a little offtopic)

Does anyone here think that mental illness is being overdiagnosed and/or exaggerated in teenagers? Or do you think social factors are contributing to the statistical rise in mental disorders in teenagers?

I think that it is a cross between two different things actually. I think there is some over diagnosis, but there is also the simple fact that we've made more medical and scientific breakthroughs in the last century than we did in the last millennium. I think these two things being shoved together has made emotional problems through genetics much more noticeable than in the past.

[Draconia Dominus]

I agree, a combination is probable. There is a huge rise in the knowledge about mental disorders. Also, the stigmas are lowering. This means people are more willing to get help about mental disorders.

However, when it comes to teenagers in particular, there may be an over-inflation. Because of hormones and all the stuff associated with adolescents, people of this age tend to suspect they have mental illnesses, methinks. When they describe their symptoms to a psychologist/counsellor, they may exaggerate their feelings... and boom, we have a misdiagnosis. I almost exaggerated my conditions in the past too much 0_O

[GcarOatmealRaisinCookies]

http://www.nami.org/
Nami is an organization that is designed to educate the public on people with mental disorders. They have been known to combat the Media that give people with mental disorders a negative view.

[Fat1Fared]

I think the problem is that everyone is so willing to say their mentally ill and then take whatever drugs are thrown at them, even though most psychological studies and groups say their worse way to deal with mental illness, problem is the drug companies also ones who fund most of this area and so force through this way of living to make more money, that is why have mass illness now days, because we are told to be ill so someone can sell drugs that poeple don't need and I can say this, because my sister is mental health nurse who rejected drugs for her own problems for this very reason and you know what, yer it was hard for her, but she was better for it in the end and this was reason I followed her example and rejected the drugs they offered me and never rejected doing it once,

=you want to get better, stop taking drugs and face your problems

=Shame only person who will agree with me on this is Edbat, because she had same problem and got banned

-PS also Retardation is not a mental illness, it is a physical deficiency, massive difference

[TheOcean]

I think the problem is that everyone is so willing to say their mentally ill and then take whatever drugs are thrown at them, even though most psychological studies and groups say their worse way to deal with mental illness, problem is the drug companies also ones who fund most of this area and so force through this way of living to make more money, that is why have mass illness now days, because we are told to be ill so someone can sell drugs that poeple don't need and I can say this, because my sister is mental health nurse who rejected drugs for her own problems for this very reason and you know what, yer it was hard for her, but she was better for it in the end and this was reason I followed her example and rejected the drugs they offered me and never rejected doing it once,

=you want to get better, stop taking drugs and face your problems

=Shame only person who will agree with me on this is Edbat, because she had same problem and got banned

-PS also Retardation is not a mental illness, it is a physical deficiency, massive difference

While typically I do agree with what you've said there Fared, some things really do need drugs to even out. I went through a very long time not medicated, then medicated, then not medicated (because I thought that if I just toughed everything out it would be fine) and I can guarantee you that I am much saner, and safer to be around when on medication.

I could go into the things that happen when I have a severe swing, but I'd rather not as its very personal.

[maisetofan]

I do not agree with everything Fared says
For one if you have a chemical imbalance in your brain and are unable to change that
Then its like being physically ill, i mean would you tell someone with Multiple Sclerosis to stop taking their medication or "snap out of it"? no you wouldn't. (well i hope you wouldn't)
As with all illnesses there are ways to combat it such as therapy and exercise

Again if you have never had social anxiety or phobia then you will not understand or if someone in your family has never had severe major depression which does cause physical problems and anxiety which can lead to all sorts of disorders such as MS, Irritable bowel syndrome and skin irritations.

I have several physical ailments, not huge but they were all brought on by anxiety and now i need surgery so that sucks

With me, the depression and anxiety is also hereditary and there is a chemical imbalance in my brain, something to do with serotonin levels and dopamine receptors, but yeah i was tested and the psychiatrist could see straight away I was not making it up or just feeling low at that time.

Never be skeptical of mental illness, it can affect one in 5 people

And benzodiazepines work on the GABA receptors in your brain, they have never been proven to cause any brain damage or neurological problems. They would be the safest drug to take as they do not freeze your body and if you take one too many you will not end up in the ICU like you would if you take too many antidepressants or antipsychotic medicine

[Underling]

yeah make fun of a serious thread
people who have never suffered from anxiety or depression will never understand so they laugh instead

hurr durr
i had to drop out of school because of clinical depression
i'll laugh all the fuck i like, you self-righteous prick

[Draconia Dominus]

=you want to get better, stop taking drugs and face your problems
This, I highly agree with for many cases. I may sound like a cow for saying this, but if it's something purely mental, deal with it. Use coping techniques, and get support from friends. Just don't take drugs while you're at it.

If it is reliably proven if there is a chemical imbalance in someone's brain, then medication can be of help. However, I think it's important to maintain a balance between medicine and psychological/social help. Relying purely on medication isn't the best idea. I know I'm no expert on this matter, though.

About benzodiazepines... I never knew that. I previously thought they could cause permanent damage. As I said before, though, it probably isn't a good idea to purely rely on medicine to solve your problems.

Also, for those who are flaming, please, this is the serious discussion forum. Everyone has an opinion, and has the right to express it. That doesn't mean you should target and flame people, though. Express your opinion in a sensible way. (flaming bores me)

[Fat1Fared]

=Yes, I know I was woefully arbiterty and I am horrid person with no pity.....etc, but fact is we all have sob stories and all have times when felt like rubbish (people thought I had depression, but no one actually knows because I refused to see anyone and dealt with my own problems, and any attempts to give me drugs were met with 2 fingers)
=but fact is, I stand by what I said, the legal drug trade that is psychological field doesn't help you, nearly as much as have you believe because 99% of actual mental illness (IE proper ones, not self diagnosis off internet or ones where not actually mental illness, just misbelieved to be one) come from problems with you and your life mentally and so though those drugs may give you a nice little high, they do nothing to deal with the problem at hand and in many cases only feed the problem

[GcarOatmealRaisinCookies]

Fared, It's good that you were able to overcome your issues without the aid of medication but there are some that require meds to function normally on a day to day basis.

I'm lucky to be so high functioning to be able to manage my symptoms with therapy and coping skills and other helpful techniques. Even then I still have an occasional meltdown.

Depression is a vicious disease with vicious consequences. I know of a few people that got so depressed they attempted and succeeded in suicide. I attempted suicide, once, and came close to making a second attempt September 21, 2005. I am fortunate to still be around to post to this day.

[TitanAura]

I think a major problem in the community of medical science (or rather the ENVIRONMENT surrounding it) is how the media portrays statistics. As of late, the diagnosis of mental disorders has been on the rise like ADD, ADHD, aspergers, and varying forms of mental retardation. But the media makes this out to be something of an epidemic, WHICH IT ISN'T. Doctors are simply more knowledgeable of the symptoms more than ever and can spot the problem earlier and more easily, thus causing the number of children being diagnosed early on to rise, NOT that bullshit accusation of vaccines. Over-diagnosing is a problem, for example I was diagnosed with ADD but was fine without my medications regardless because I didn't have ADD, I was just a kid who was fucking bored but it's better that they throw more kids into the treatment bucket than miss a few of the ones that actually need the attention. The media has this obsession with "causation and correlation" but have a hard time telling them apart from one another because logic is hard.

As for depression, now more than ever, it is starting to become a self-sustaining drug business because more and more, those drug commercials on television are literally trying to convince us that we are depressed and that all of our problems can be solved by paying out the ass for their product. Supposedly, these drugs failed in other countries at first.... that is until they started educating the people about depression, then suddenly "BOOM!" depression has infected these previously unaffected countries. Aren't we generous? It sickeningly reminds me of how our ancestors gave the Native Americans small pox infected blankets.

[MrsSallyBakura]

I half-agree with Fared because there are definitely people who make sob stories out of their lives and assume that because they feel depressed for a few days it means that they need medication. And it's very true that medication won't solve real-life problems. I have some pretty awful days sometimes because of a grand scheme problem or two in my life, but I know that medication won't solve anything in the long run, so I don't run to a psychiatrist and demand some medication from them. Don't have the money for that anyways. :P

But if you have ever been around my ADHD roommate without her meds, you would want her to be on them very badly. When she's not on her meds for whatever reason, unless she's about to go to bed, I try to stay as far away from her as possible because she drives me insane when she's not on them. She would love to overcome her ADHD with will-power, but it's physically impossible for her to do so.

Also, maybe for the people who are depressed because of grand scheme problems, medication will help them get through at least a portion of it to help their self-esteem and to help them move on with life. Someone like me probably wouldn't benefit from medication in long run, but there are those who would. It just depends on the person.

On another note:

I recently viewed several news articles which talk about mental illness and body image, amongst other related issues. Something of note (here in Australia, anyway) is the growing trend of discrimination against overweight people.

There's discrimination against overweight people in America, too. Anytime you see an overweight person, it's very easy to assume that they ate too much McDonald's, when that's not necessarily the case.

The last time I saw SuperSize Me, I remember seeing a medical professional of sorts mention that we started cracking down on cigarette smokers, so we should be doing the same thing to fat people. That's actually a terrible thing to do because I know plenty of overweight/obese people who are that way due to medical issues, not because they ate too many Big Macs.

[TitanAura]

There's discrimination against overweight people in America, too. Anytime you see an overweight person, it's very easy to assume that they ate too much McDonald's, when that's not necessarily the case.

The last time I saw SuperSize Me, I remember seeing a medical professional of sorts mention that we started cracking down on cigarette smokers, so we should be doing the same thing to fat people. That's actually a terrible thing to do because I know plenty of overweight/obese people who are that way due to medical issues, not because they ate too many Big Macs.
Nation of victims. I wouldn't rely on their testimony too *heavily* if you'll excuse the highly inappropriate pun.

[MrsSallyBakura]

Nation of victims. I wouldn't rely on their testimony too *heavily* if you'll excuse the highly inappropriate pun.

True, but for some people that kind of weight gain is hereditary or a side-effect for a medication they need to take. It really just depends on the circumstances. Either way, it's still not a fair judgment call to make, although I do think that obesity wouldn't be a huge issue if people could cut down on the fast food and other fattening things.

[Underling]

The last time I saw SuperSize Me, I remember seeing a medical professional of sorts mention that we started cracking down on cigarette smokers, so we should be doing the same thing to fat people. That's actually a terrible thing to do because I know plenty of overweight/obese people who are that way due to medical issues, not because they ate too many Big Macs.

You're confusing the point.

You don't crack down on smoking by targeting people with lung cancer, but people who smoke.
You don't crack down on over-eating by targeting fat people, but people who over-eat.

I would assume he was talking about taxing fast-food or some shit like that.

[Fat1Fared]

like I said, I know I am not going to be supported in this view and that I generalising (sadly generalisation are way these things will go) but I stand by my view that generally, drugs are not what I consider a good way, to deal with your problems
-Though what is Grand scheme problems?????? (This is that some new buzz term????? not being sarcastic, honestly have no idea)

=As for being overweight, well I once weighed 14 1/2 stone, I now weigh just over 9 1/2, how did I lose 5 stone in less than a year, simple I put down the fork and got into a Gym, the reason you very rarely see fat poeple in Japan is being of the way they eat and the way their culture is set out and same about 100 years ago in western world, fact is we simply as eat too much now, notice how don't see lots of obscenity in places like Afician, because they cannot afford to be obscene, know some will gain weight easier than others, but still comes down to what you eat and like Ricky Gresvise (A fat person) said, it is not a illness, just eat too much, now that is not to say it is easy to overcome, I know that, I had to work bloody hard to lose my weight and even now I will not buy a lot of things but I cannot trust myself to have things like chocolate in my flat as I will eat it, but that is not illness.

[maisetofan]

hurr durr
i had to drop out of school because of clinical depression
i'll laugh all the fuck i like, you self-righteous prick

yeah thats not funny
even if you meant it as a joke

[Draconia Dominus]

I think there's a difference between genuine illness (both mental and physical) and perceived illness. People often don't know where that fine line is. Whilst people are being educated on what mental illness is, they aren't being told how to distinguish mental illness from a 'mood swing' or normal human emotion.

Mental illness is a controversial subject.

As I said before, if you can be certain that you need medication for an ailment, mental or physical, take the medication. If you aren't certain and haven't been diagnosed, don't jump to conclusions and leap on the 'bandwagon'.

"Deal with the problem; don't just sit there and expect it to go away"

[MrsSallyBakura]

You're confusing the point.

You don't crack down on smoking by targeting people with lung cancer, but people who smoke.
You don't crack down on over-eating by targeting fat people, but people who over-eat.

I would assume he was talking about taxing fast-food or some shit like that.

Maybe, it's been a while since I've seen the movie. I'll have to watch it again and get a direct quote.

Though what is Grand scheme problems??????

Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse you. What I mean by "grand scheme" problem is a kind of problem that's been going on for an extended period of time but is more-or-less buried underneath current situations. For example, say your best friend died in a car accident 3 years ago, but even though on the surface it seems like you're over it, grief still surfaces every once in a while. Does that make sense?

[Underling]

yeah thats not funny
even if you meant it as a joke

the fuck are you talking about, it was a statement of fact
i went on medication and returned 2 years later

[maisetofan]

You called me a condescending prick, i am a female for start
anyway i do actually agree with most of what you post believe it or not

[MrsSallyBakura]

OK enough fighting. Back to discussion.

[Draconia Dominus]

*Prepares to get shot*

Sometimes, people just want to blame other issues for their problems. And what better to blame personal issues on than mental illness?

But of course, that's not always the case. There are people with genuine mental illnesses, and I acknowledge that.

[maisetofan]

When i was your age DD i did not believe in depression and mental illness nor did i even want to acknowledge drugs for illness, heck i never drank or even took pain killers
but as the years go by, and you find yourself spiraling deeper and deeper into suicidal tendencies or feeling so anxious that there is no way out, then you tend to ask for help

in the 90's when i was at high school the counsellor told me to see the doctor and the idiot doc told me i was making it up so that only caused more suicidal behaviors and antisocialness

it was not until i saw a psychiatrist when i was 17 and left school, who diagnosed me with major depression and PSTD from what i faced at school as a child, bullying and witnessing some brutal things which would be considered illegal nowadays, that i agreed i did have a mental illness and wen ton meds, i was then tested for chemical imbalance which i do have and found that benzodiazepines work best for short term panic attacks and insomnia
they do not cause brain damage


i am on another forum for anxiety sufferers and some of them are med students and they know all about different drugs and what they do and the most dangerous tend to be the antipsychotics which are written out like candy to people with no signs of psychosis whatsoever and the side effects are brutal...
they are the worst, i have taken them to help me sleep and they gave me nightmares and sleep paralysis and weight gain because you cannot stop eating, sleeping and hallucinating and they kill your internal organs over time

some antidepressants actually work as depressants so you have to be careful with what diagnoses you have been given and i feel that only psychiatrists are qualified to make a clear assessment. I have a great doctor but he has prescribed some nasty stuff in the past and terrible anxiety can lead to physical things such as headaches, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome and stomach ulcers

[Draconia Dominus]

I wasn't trying to offend anyone with my post: I was just pointing out my opinion. Sorry if I offended anyone.

Also, about your story... that's horrible... Today, there's a lower social stigma around mental illness and there is more knowledge on the issue. That type of stuff is less likely to happen nowadays. In your case... what you went through must have been really painful. I sympathise with you.

As said before, mental illness should be taken seriously. People need to acknowledge it exists and respect those who have it. At the same time, people should be sure they actually have a problem and check with a qualified professional(s) before they receive therapy or medication.

No, self-diagnosis doesn't count as 'professional', I made that mistake before. *facepalm*

[MrsSallyBakura]

No, self-diagnosis doesn't count as 'professional', I made that mistake before. *facepalm*

I agree, definitely doesn't count. You may feel like crap but that doesn't mean that you know anything about mental illnesses.

Also in the 90's, for some reason it was acceptable to give 5 year old children ADD medication that should only be prescribed to adults. I know 2 people who went through this, and it's just awful.

[TitanAura]

Also in the 90's, for some reason it was acceptable to give 5 year old children ADD medication that should only be prescribed to adults. I know 2 people who went through this, and it's just awful.
*points to self*

HOWEVER, my brother was a legitimate case that it worked wonders for MURDERTHEINNOCENT so I forgive them for making that mistakeBLOODOFAVIRGIN.

[maisetofan]

Pfft over here in the 90's it was "all in your head" and we were told to "snap out of it"
no wonder suicide was so high

Off course self diagnoses is a bad idea, a decent assessment from a trained psychiatrist and regular sessions with psychologist is more effective in determining what is really wrong.

If its just school or work getting you down then that is perfectly normal
its if you feel so bad, or low that you cannot get out of bed, are terrified of leaving the house or constantly anxious that someone or something is out to get you and kill you

That or you are so anxious of the world that you want to scream and cannot cope

[Draconia Dominus]

When I was much younger (10 or so) I think I remember almost committing suicide and didn't get help. I'm glad (beyond words) I didn't commit suicide. Thanks to a heap of trauma, I'm now kinda numb to emotion. It's not helpful when it comes to social situations.

At that time, I was genuinely to the stage which I trusted nobody and felt like suicide was the only way out. I had no friends whatsoever, and the only company I had was books. Oh, and the voices in my head. I didn't have any good friends.


When I first entered high school (middle school and high schools combined in American terms), I was still pretty miserable. Having friends helped alleviate a lot of that, though. It wasn't till 2008ish I decided to get help. After that, I went with self-diagnosis, and it got nowhere. *facepalm* I was a 13-year old back then.

In 2008, I was feeling rather hopeless. Got help from a counsellor, and over a long period of time, my parents stopped being abusive. But I still continued with the self-diagnosis stuff. It caused a 'vicious cycle':

Thinking I have disorder --> panicking about it ---> lowered self esteem ---> boredom ---> more self-diagnosis.

Then, my friends told me that self-diagnosis = stupid. I see why now.

At the moment, I feel that my mind is almost okay. Almost. I feel alexithymic, but that's about it.


If you really want to know what type of stuff I went through... well, a caning for every single little mistake I made was common. EXAMPLE: my father once shattered a wooden chair on my legs a long while ago. It's good I walked away from that unscathed (except for a bruise)

FYI, my parents are divorced.

Just posted the above to let you know my story about mental illness and fail self-diagnosis. Initially, I wasn't serious about mental illness and/or didn't know it existed. I'm glad I didn't die. Later, I was going crazy with self-diagnosis. That was almost as bad as not knowing about mental illness.

[MrsSallyBakura]

Well, abusive parents can still do a lot of trauma. It may not necessarily cause mental illness, but it's still pretty awful. :/

[Draconia Dominus]

It was pretty terrible for me because they were being abusive both physically and psychologically/verbally. Even now, my self-esteem isn't very good. I think I'm mentally unwell, but don't have a major disorder.

[redpheonix]

I hear ya, ( sorry i am out of the major loop, been gone awhile ) but i understand that Draconia Dominus, I have been through that type of thing, it makes it hard for me to socialize though, i may not have a major disorder but i believe i am a wee bit insane

[greymagick711]

Off course self diagnoses is a bad idea, a decent assessment from a trained psychiatrist and regular sessions with psychologist is more effective in determining what is really wrong.

Yeah, now-a-days there's practically tell-tale symptoms of different disease/disorders that make them easier to diagnose and treat. Too much/ not enough dopamine, lesions to the frontal lobe, too little/too much serotonin, rotting hippocampus...

It's great that mental issues are getting more attention than they used to, and having a mental problem isn't just being 'crazy' or 'retarded.'

Not really relevant...but if I were to get a tattoo, it'd probably be a wire frame structure of the serotonin molecule with a smiley face, just to remind me to stay content.
http://rlv.zcache.com/serotonin_sunshine_card-p13775149613711382830sg_400.jpg
[Yeah, I'm a orgochem nerd. ]

[maisetofan]

AWWW cool post GREY :D
I agree with you.
I also agree with Sally that abuse in the family can have major post traumatic effects in later life, I Also believe that "peter pan syndrome" exists. For adults who never had a childhood or girls who became pregnant at a very young age and chose to take care of the baby on their own and had to forgo their teenage years, often the result is a second childhood and the child is disruptive and unable to relate to kids her own age because her mother was so young when she had the kid. My cousin is a prime example of this, she had a baby at 15 and now her daughter is 12 and cannot relate to kids her own age. She also believes she is the adult in the family and her mother relies on her for things more than she relies on her mother.

We have a commercial on mental illness over here and its says the biggest barrier to recovery is the Stigma of being labelled "sick, ill, mental, retarded, freak and so on"

[AdjacentOrigin]

I remember the part of the movie 'Borat' where the eponymous character, Borat, was speaking with a comedian and he told Borat that it's not funny to make fun of people with mental retardation and then some mother in law jokes crept in :) But I digress, I don't know much about the medical causes of mental illness other than there are many external and internal factors to it. I've always been interested in Cognitive Dissonance, which is a psychological term for anxiety arising from holding two or more conflicting beliefs/ideas in ones head.

[Aninamar]

I know that this post has barely anything to do with the topic, but it's the most fitting and I want to save myself enough dignity to be at least 1% less of an attention whore that I would be if I made a separate topic just to bitch around.

I'm pretty much hanging on the balance. Falling off means I will take the first sharp object that lies around the house and make a sincere attempt to off myself with it.

Yes, I'm as screwed up in real life as it appears in many of my stupid posts scattered around mostly Serious Discussions. I'm writing this here because in this community I have the most degree of anonymity, seeing as how all you know is that I'm a 16 year old Polish troll.

Let's say that the obvious signs of any such low-life individuum have all manifested upon my persona. All I did there was stupid commentaries, wrote half-assed opinions and passed them off as facts and offended a ton of people who express more worth than a thousand people like me. Just to compensate for the fact that my mother appears to hate my guts and decided to take on the role of tormenting me, once fulfilled by my brothers (said tormenting went from playful teasing to complete mental torture).
As a reason, I never had any proper self-esteem. When I was in my Primary, I was more appalled at the fact that there are so many stupid people out there, and I'm the cyclops in the land of the blind - no one exceptional, just enough to be better than everyone else.
Or was I? Their lives have their own quality. I met those people once again. And they are happy.
I am not. The amount of disappointment that resides within myself, the grudges I have towards myself... I'm just a miserable piece of crap whose words should never be heeded in any serious way.

I don't know if I will make it; there's no one I can rely on and aside from people on the internet, I have no friends, no colleagues and no other way to get stuff off my chest except whining. Most of you probably don't care, but that's okay. I deserve being hated, because my persona here and myself in real life don't differ much - we're both shameful dicks with nothing better to do in life other than being jealous of more talented people.

But I'm trying now. I'm trying real hard to be the shepherd.
Or... I was trying.
Because at this point I haven't even gone to High School, yet I feel that there's no point in going there, given how my life has, so far, been one giant repetition of torment and being finally dumped by my "friends", possibly from being fed up with the fact that I'm such a socially awkward, disgusting nolife.

I don't see any hope in life. So far, I'm crying myself to sleep every night, ever since 2 years ago I realized that I'm a disappointment, an underachiever and a jinxed, jinxed boy who is doomed to a friendless life, hanging around with people who then proceed to betray him. But do they really betray me? No - I'm just not Gregory House, only a wannabe. And nobody wants to buddy with a miserable prick who never says anything true, funny or interesting.

And a hypocrite, too. Remember this (http://forum.yugiohtheabridgedseries.com/showthread.php?p=1076684#post1076684) post? (Probably not, because it has the same shit value as every other) I don't respect my parents anymore, given that my mother outright stated I'm useless and both parents don't care, unless I please them with something I managed at school - five minutes of their pride followed by giving me another reprimand over the simplest screw-up. Or sometimes even something I haven't done. Or whenever it flies her fancy. In my mother's eyes I'm not worth shit, and talking to her about my problems only incited a reply along the lines of: "You are an ungrateful rat".

tl;dr: I hate myself.

Since it's not too unlikely that I'll manage to go to hell before anyone replies, I will just do the honors and say that Sechmet, grimfang and all the other people I've offended in the past on the forums deserve my utmost honors and sincere apologies. And I'm not worthy of anything, given how this post is, obviously, a retarded way of making myself the victim and gaining attention.

... I'm sorry.

[Chiru]

The first post asked how many people I knew, not to *ahem*cough*cough*point*point* divulge my life's story to everyone, so I'll give you the numbers.

Schizophrenia - 3 (one hospitalized, one released, one dead)
Major Depressive Disorder - 2 (one is recovering)
Bipolar Disorder/Dissociative Identity Disorder - 1

I don't consider ADHD or ADD mental disorders (to half heartedly join someone's conversation). Although they are certainly disabilities, I don't believe them to be that serious. Actually, the current medication doctors prescribe to children often causes drug dependency, basically making the disability much worse than it could have been. The fact is, a lot of times ADHD/ADD starts as mild (such as children squirming in class, not paying attention to authority, typical behavior inherited by children with a Y chromosome) but after years and years of medicine, the brain has a hard time coping without it, and it becomes a lot worse. And the fact that ADD/ADHD has magically had a climb in numbers, around the same time that parents are starting to....well, not parent, makes it awfully suspicious. (The whole "let your kids have creative freedom" movement going on now really bugs me. <--I'm a traditionalist. Don't ask, "Why, Bobby?" Just spank the kid and say, "No!") Also, according to the statistic in my crappy beat up Psychology book, 97% of ADD/ADHD kids are boys. I think that explains a lot. (Most boys have a hard time paying attention as children, while most girls don't. Which explains the high boy statistic, but the low girl statistic. Which is why I don't think ADD/ADHD kids should receive special treatment.)

I won't delve any deeper, because well, I doubt anyone agrees with me so it doesn't really matter. xD (Although I think I explained it enough...)

[Aninamar]

(The whole "let your kids have creative freedom" movement going on now really bugs me. <--I'm a traditionalist. Don't ask, "Why, Bobby?" Just spank the kid and say, "No!")

I approve! That is very true, like, ehmigawd. =) It pains me to see dialogue like this:
Kiddo: Fuck.
Mommy: John, my boy, are you feeling cold?

Tradition rocks in that case.

[Fat1Fared]

-Can I ask why this website logs you out while your posting, it is really really annoying

=Anyway, Chico you will probably find a lot agree with you, but maybe not for right reasoning, now with this (following your example of ADD) there are several problems:-

1=The first is that, it is not a mental illness, it is a mental disorder, massive difference, however many poeple do not realise or tend to forget that mental psychosis is not 1 set field, it is split into a higherachy, starting with things like Abnormalities and moving all way up to major things like psychotic personalities.
-Now because poeple forget this, they tend to look at all mental psychology with the same erroneously allegorising eyes and therefore when see people with disorders like ADD getting extra help, see it as liberal pandering, because it is not something major like Manic clinical Depression....etc
-This is unfair, I mean just because something is not major problem, does not mean it is not a problem and should be ignored, I mean disorder are basically things which may not be dangerous, but are certainly unhelpful and counter-productive to persons life

2=However this all being said, there maybe a problem in this area, because like many area's, it sells drugs and yes I know I am drumming an old beat here, but that is what this comes down to, there are many cases, where simple extra help and psycho-training could easily sort problem, but doctors instead over deisognoising them and then sell them lots of drugs and as Chico alighted to herself, this is normally not massively helpful and even in some cases, counter-productive and so this is why you get children on these drugs when they don't need them, it is actually pretty scary thought
-As for the whole free movement thing, well I think probably overstating that, because the corrulation link works just as well with raise in drug based treatment, however that movement simply is not that big, I mean it is there and probably something I disagree with (depends on how extreme parent is) but its actually ideology is generally not well accepted or used by many parents, but won't go onto it any further

[MrsSallyBakura]

I don't consider ADHD or ADD mental disorders (to half heartedly join someone's conversation). Although they are certainly disabilities, I don't believe them to be that serious. Actually, the current medication doctors prescribe to children often causes drug dependency, basically making the disability much worse than it could have been. The fact is, a lot of times ADHD/ADD starts as mild (such as children squirming in class, not paying attention to authority, typical behavior inherited by children with a Y chromosome) but after years and years of medicine, the brain has a hard time coping without it, and it becomes a lot worse. And the fact that ADD/ADHD has magically had a climb in numbers, around the same time that parents are starting to....well, not parent, makes it awfully suspicious. (The whole "let your kids have creative freedom" movement going on now really bugs me. <--I'm a traditionalist. Don't ask, "Why, Bobby?" Just spank the kid and say, "No!") Also, according to the statistic in my crappy beat up Psychology book, 97% of ADD/ADHD kids are boys. I think that explains a lot. (Most boys have a hard time paying attention as children, while most girls don't. Which explains the high boy statistic, but the low girl statistic. Which is why I don't think ADD/ADHD kids should receive special treatment.)

I won't delve any deeper, because well, I doubt anyone agrees with me so it doesn't really matter. xD (Although I think I explained it enough...)

Heh, I would like you to meet my roommate. She is almost 23 years old and has a pretty serious case of ADHD. When she's not on her medication, she acts like she's drunk, steals her housemates' food, doesn't stop talking, and can hardly make herself do anything besides, well, do nothing. And it really, really annoys the crap out of me. I can't stay in the same room alone with her for more than 10 minutes without fuming on the inside if she's not medicated.

I do agree with you that ADHD isn't that serious of a mental disorder when compared to bipolar or schizophrenia, as in, it is much more easily treated and doesn't affect their social lives as much. But to claim that ADHD isn't a real mental disorder is being pretty ignorant of what it actually does to people. True that it's over-diagnosed and that people just kind of slap the ADHD label on little boys, but that doesn't mean that it's not a real mental disorder. Saying that it isn't is an insult to those who actually suffer from it, and an insult to the people who have to tolerate living with people with it, lol.

I challenge you to go meet a young adult in your personal life who is currently medicated to treat ADHD, and get to know them really well. You will change your mind about all that in a few months.

As for ADD, it's a mental disorder, but not as bad as ADHD. I don't believe that children below the middle school age should be medicated for it unless it's really, really serious. And even by that point, you don't have to be medicated. I know several people who aren't, and some people who are. And that's a personal decision to make. Some people who have a less serious form of it can receive therapy as an alternative to medication.

[TitanAura]

Heh, I would like you to meet my roommate. She is almost 23 years old and has a pretty serious case of ADHD. When she's not on her medication, she acts like she's drunk, steals her housemates' food, doesn't stop talking, and can hardly make herself do anything besides, well, do nothing. And it really, really annoys the crap out of me. I can't stay in the same room alone with her for more than 10 minutes without fuming on the inside if she's not medicated.

Sometimes my 24 year old brother (ADHD as well as Aspergers syndrome) is kinda ridiculous where it feels like I'm disciplining a dog on occasion. I recall situations resulting in me saying "stop it" every 20-30 seconds while he obliviously spasms his hands or won't stop jumping up and down, all the while being a 6'4" 200 pound man, which immediately results in the entire house shaking like a 5.0 magnitude earthquake. He also obliviously wanders into the basement to see what I'm doing regardless of the many other distractions around him (like the 9 video game systems we have set up around the house) and this can get awkward when I have to entertain him with: "Hey, I'm watching South Park," and allowing him to watch it over my shoulder for several episodes, all the while hiding my true objective two tabs over reading "this is totally not porn."

[greymagick711]

As for ADD, it's a mental disorder, but not as bad as ADHD. I don't believe that children below the middle school age should be medicated for it unless it's really, really serious. And even by that point, you don't have to be medicated. I know several people who aren't, and some people who are. And that's a personal decision to make. Some people who have a less serious form of it can receive therapy as an alternative to medication.

^Agrees.

I remember when I was in middle school and one day one friend came to school...all different. Turns out, he was taking medication for ADD. I'm glad his parents stopped making him take it at such a young age. That, and it turned out he didn't need it in the end.

[KlawedFlaw]

I have depression, severe anxiety, ADHD, and my mom believes I have OCD. I'm always washing my hands. @_@ I also have Asberger's.

I have about at least one anxiety attack a day. I just live with it. Though, they get worse by the occurrence. Now they can make me feel like vomiting. >_> My depression started when I was 13, sorta was off and on. My ADHD... I was probably jumping in the womb as a zygote...

[Yuuki Kuran]

I think I have OCD. I'm always looking at my hands to see if there's anything there and I freak out whenever my sisters "pick at themselves"...Its disgusting. I always double check to see if everything is turned off and locked up every night. <---this has drove me insane to the point where I can't even play my PS3 at night anymore. Also, my mind is filled with a whole bunch of stuff that I can't seem to make it go away. I haven't told my mom this because she might think that I'm insane.. I don't think I have anything else though.

[Fat1Fared]

:rolleyes: you guys do know that it takes more than mini freak outs and being very vivid washer to be considered a suffer of OCD

[Kanariya674]

:rolleyes: you guys do know that it takes more than mini freak outs and being very vivid washer to be considered a suffer of OCD

Agreed. I think some people should say they have 'obsessive compulsive tendencies' versus having the actual disorder.

I have tendencies - I have a thing with even numbers. If buy a shirt, I have to buy the same shirt in another color so I have 2 shirts of the same type. I can't have 1 of the type because 1 is an odd number.

Another example - say there are 3 apples. I will take and eat an apple because that means the number of apples left is 2. However, if there were 4 apples, I would not take one because the number left is 3. I do not want to leave an odd number remaining.

Considering all of this, I still do not have OCD. It doesn't greatly interfere with my day to day activities in such a way that it is harmful.

[Mokuba Kaiba's Girl]

My mother suspects me to be depressed, and possibly schizophrenic.

She wanted to get me a counselor, once when I was little, and again a few months ago. :I

[MrsSallyBakura]

Well, do you think you're depressed and schizophrenic?

[KlawedFlaw]

I know it takes more than minor things to be diagnosed with OCD. I obsess over my mom's hands being clean, my hands being clean. There also this thing I do in RPGs when leveling up in which I go around in a very small area. You'd understand this one if you saw me in a game like Earth Eternal. I'm currently leveling my main to 48, and I will get angry if anyone does anything to destroy the order in which enemies spawn. I get mad if I do so, as well. It's kinda hard to explain.

My hand washing does make my days pretty hard, because I end up washing my hands just because I see soap or sanitizer.

I remember wondering if I was depressed I knew I was, but felt no one would believe me, so I did some strange stuff to let my mom know, like make it worse. It was stupid, and I wish I never made what could have left worse, but I gotta pay for my mistakes now. She would never believe me when I said I had a problem, and needed help. She just told me, "Oh. It's just because you're 14."

>_> Hey mother, thanks for getting the message after I had an anxiety attack in school.

I've had therapist for my ADHD when I was younger. My first one just said, "Oh. She is mentally challenged." Thankfully, my mom knew I wasn't. It took awhile until a doctor told my mom I did have ADHD and needed to be medicated. Before that... I was a mess. I was bouncing all over the place. I'm on Concerta now, and am doing well.

[Mokuba Kaiba's Girl]

Well, do you think you're depressed and schizophrenic?

Possibly so.

[KlawedFlaw]

Possibly so.

I thought I was schizophrenic once, but I doubt I am. I just have a vivid imagination. XD I talk to myself because I'm more interesting to talk to than half the people I know in real life. No one really wants to talk about things that I like. My intelligectial level is higher than a lot of people, too. My IQ is 128, so I have trouble finding anyone who actually has interests in talking about stuff in a less on the surface light.

[Xanadu]

personally I think I am completely insane, but quacks and such assure me I'm not (I do know I am OCD)
if they only knew, I had them wrapped around my finger
they thought I was below average intelligence when I was young, I got an IQ test, 150
I donno if I'm that smart, it doesn't matter since I don't care about education at all

[KlawedFlaw]

I got told I was mentally challenged by a doctor when I was very young because I failed at this:

*shows picture of dog with a collar that looked like a belt*
"That dog is wearing a belt."
"It's a collar."
"No, it's a belt!"

Here's a funny thing from that same visit:

"Do you hear voices in your head?" - Doctor
"Mom, do I?" - Me
"No." - Mom
"No, do you?" - Me

After the visit was over, the doctor basically was saying, "Keep her away from me!" in a nice way.

I still laugh about the story. :D

The dog wearing a belt idea I had stemmed from my grandma putting belts on her dogs. This made me think it was no big deal.

[Xanadu]

doctors are stupid, they cause more mental health problems then they cure

[KlawedFlaw]

This doctor made for the best story to tell people ever, at least. Knowledge of mental disorders in the 90's sucked, anyway, so no surprise the doctor thought I was retarded.

[Xanadu]

as long as you have something to say

[drakebro]

i have ADD not as bad as ADHD but still annoying to not be able to concentrate well.
also causes me to get bored and lose interest really fast.

[KlawedFlaw]

i have ADD not as bad as ADHD but still annoying to not be able to concentrate well.
also causes me to get bored and lose interest really fast.

Story of my life. I drink coke and coffee to make me concentrate better.
>_> I need to lay off it a bit. I'm gonna become immortal before I can lose my mind by the age of 80. Do not want.

[Wickedgarden]

personally I think I am completely insane, but quacks and such assure me I'm not (I do know I am OCD)
if they only knew, I had them wrapped around my finger
they thought I was below average intelligence when I was young, I got an IQ test, 150
I donno if I'm that smart, it doesn't matter since I don't care about education at all

I think you mean an IQ of 015....
But I think you kids feel too sorry for yourselves and should stop discussing your woes stories about your "problems" to other (real life) attention seekers.
It just proves how sheltered you are in our society.
kthnxbai.
:furrysmile:

[AllisonWalker]

You said what many were thinking but too afraid to say.
:p

[MrsSallyBakura]

Knowledge of mental disorders in the 90's sucked

This is true. Our knowledge of mental disorders has definitely increased and people are actually being diagnosed with them correctly, for the most part. People complain about how ADD and ADHD are overdiagnosed or whatever, but I'm not really sure if that's even true anymore.

I think you mean an IQ of 015....
But I think you kids feel too sorry for yourselves and should stop discussing your woes stories about your "problems" to other (real life) attention seekers.
It just proves how sheltered you are in our society.
kthnxbai.
:furrysmile:

To be fair, there HAS been good discussion in this thread. There's a difference between sharing your mental problems with people to be informative and sharing your mental problems because you want people to feel sorry for you.

But you are right. Life sucks for everyone at least at some point in their lives. Sharing them on public Internet forums doesn't necessarily do any real good.

[Fat1Fared]

I think you mean an IQ of 015....
But I think you kids feel too sorry for yourselves and should stop discussing your woes stories about your "problems" to other (real life) attention seekers.
It just proves how sheltered you are in our society.
kthnxbai.
:furrysmile:

lol, I think your my new hero <_<
-joke, I would not put it as strongly as this, because are things i have read on here, which I think is informative and think their story deverses our regard (Edbat is good case of this)...etc, but I have read too many comments which stink of self-defeat and acceptance, maybe I sound overly critical, but like you said, we all take shit on layer cake of life, its what you do with that shit which counts, some will turn the shit in compost which use to feed seeds of better tomorrow, others will lay in it and make big smell

This is true. Our knowledge of mental disorders has definitely increased and people are actually being diagnosed with them correctly, for the most part. People complain about how ADD and ADHD are overdiagnosed or whatever, but I'm not really sure if that's even true anymore.


They are, pure and simple, I mean the fact this is a personality disorder leaves it on shaky ground from start (not saying is not real, just personality disorders very different to other mental "illness" (use as umbrella term here)) and USA is the worst for this, I read in one study (though not sure how reliable it was) that something like 15% of children under 9 in US are being given drugs for mental illness's of varying degree's, including bed wetting, seriously WTF, I know that you are on about ADHD, but point is all these "minor” deficiencies are getting over obversed and this is just under 9's, even worse for teen's
-lets face it, I know living in western world doesn't make life perfect, trust me, I do know, but it could be a lot worse for us and those who deal with that worse in many cases, do so in way which can only be admired. So have responsability to deal with our problems, as they do with there's, my Mum may not be perfect, but least she is alive and trying, rather dead and leaving me with 12 siblings to look after
-humans are lot more robust than we give ourselves credit for


To be fair, there HAS been good discussion in this thread. There's a difference between sharing your mental problems with people to be informative and sharing your mental problems because you want people to feel sorry for you.

But you are right. Life sucks for everyone at least at some point in their lives. Sharing them on public Internet forums doesn't necessarily do any real good.

=I think for me, it depends on how they present themselves, some seem to present themselves like having a mental "illness" is badge of honour or fashionable, others seem to present themselves as in rut of self-pity, this have must admit do annoy me (many will not like me for believing this, but I honest about what I believe)
-however there are some who just state their stories to add an interesting point or because want actually just want someone to listen to them and these are ones I will listen to with more caring ear, because everyone sometimes needs to let off things and doing it to faceless internet users be lot easier than real person

[MrsSallyBakura]

They are, pure and simple, I mean the fact this is a personality disorder leaves it on shaky ground from start (not saying is not real, just personality disorders very different to other mental "illness" (use as umbrella term here)) and USA is the worst for this, I read in one study (though not sure how reliable it was) that something like 15% of children under 9 in US are being given drugs for mental illness's of varying degree's, including bed wetting, seriously WTF, I know that you are on about ADHD, but point is all these "minor” deficiencies are getting over obversed and this is just under 9's, even worse for teen's
-lets face it, I know living in western world doesn't make life perfect, trust me, I do know, but it could be a lot worse for us and those who deal with that worse in many cases, do so in way which can only be admired. So have responsability to deal with our problems, as they do with there's, my Mum may not be perfect, but least she is alive and trying, rather dead and leaving me with 12 siblings to look after
-humans are lot more robust than we give ourselves credit for

I've never heard of ADD or ADHD as personality disorders. I don't think that even makes any sense... my roommate has to take medication for ADHD and it actually works at making her focus. I'd still consider it to be a not-as-serious mental disorder, where you can function with or without meds depending on your circumstances and how severe of a case you have.

I do agree that children shouldn't be medicated under most circumstances.

...wait, bed-wetting? That happens because kids don't go to the bathroom on time or they drink too much water before bed, not because it's a mental disorder... ugh. People. Just put some pull-ups on them and they'll outgrow the bed-wetting eventually.

=I think for me, it depends on how they present themselves, some seem to present themselves like having a mental "illness" is badge of honour or fashionable, others seem to present themselves as in rut of self-pity, this have must admit do annoy me (many will not like me for believing this, but I honest about what I believe)
-however there are some who just state their stories to add an interesting point or because want actually just want someone to listen to them and these are ones I will listen to with more caring ear, because everyone sometimes needs to let off things and doing it to faceless internet users be lot easier than real person

Yes, this is pretty much what I meant by my post. It's really easy to tell which person is which, too.

[Turtlicious]

Well I was on medication that I didn't need but living in LA I turned it into a positive I got a medicinal marijuana card for an "Illness" I had since I was 12 on my 18th birthday like the same day... It was a really good day and cheap too only 45$ registration fee anyone want a card I have it...

so hurray for a totally screwed up system and My ability to take advantage of it!!

[KlawedFlaw]

I think you mean an IQ of 015....
But I think you kids feel too sorry for yourselves and should stop discussing your woes stories about your "problems" to other (real life) attention seekers.
It just proves how sheltered you are in our society.
kthnxbai.
:furrysmile:

Amazing. Just because we talk about our mental disorders on the internet, we are sharing woe stories, are sheltered, society is actually something that should make sense, are attention seekers, and have low IQs and are able to type correctly despite having a low IQ under 50.

Thanks. I know how mentally challenged and stupid I am, despite not having been stupid.

Guess what? I'm one of the kids here just wanting to talk about my mental disorders. I hate attention, and am talking about past occurances, not current ones. I am not sheltered. If I was, I wouldn't even know about mental disorder knowledge being horrid in the 90's.

You are telling the truth about some of the people posting, obviously. I do find it offensive from a less personal point of view. Many of us actually DO have problems. Try living my life. Try it. Try having anxiety attacks over nothing, and not knowing what to do about it.

Now I leave this post with something nice.

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[Fat1Fared]

I've never heard of ADD or ADHD as personality disorders. I don't think that even makes any sense... my roommate has to take medication for ADHD and it actually works at making her focus. I'd still consider it to be a not-as-serious mental disorder, where you can function with or without meds depending on your circumstances and how severe of a case you have.

I do agree that children shouldn't be medicated under most circumstances.

...wait, bed-wetting? That happens because kids don't go to the bathroom on time or they drink too much water before bed, not because it's a mental disorder... ugh. People. Just put some pull-ups on them and they'll outgrow the bed-wetting eventually.


=Well if actual serious case of ADD then medication is actually fair to use here, but there are so many cases, where they just throw the drugs around like confetti and it concerns me, because as Turtle shows, it is being a legalised drug trade (case point, Englands reaction to the bird flu, ok that physical illness, but the reaction was all economically driven, to support a drug grown and sold in UK legally, so could make money out of false pandemic)

=With personality disorder, I am sure it is, though will have to check when got more time as did that from memory at 1 in morning.
-Though my point about personality disorders is that they are personality traits we can all have quite easily, but taken to a level of extremity so bad that becomes a problem to their ability to function (unlike say a psychosomatic illness which is where mind is actually detracted from reality)

=Even Anorexia is a personality disorder.
-This is actually what I meant about them being on shaky ground, as generally because things we have, just extreme in nature it can make diagnosing them really hard, because the doctor has to basically draw s line between "normal" and "abnormal" and well how heck meant to do that o_0

=I also blame the internet here, because with the internet people have suddenly been given chance to read about this things and then because this are not physical but mental actions, it all based on subjective things, two of the best examples of this are:-

1=Parent or child believes have problem, though only real mild at time, so go on internet reads about something like ADD and then think I have that, but now because believe have it and more aware of the actions which innate to it, they begin acting worse and the self-fulfilling prophesy takes effect, so what would have never been even noticed by world before or just seen as child with active body suddenly becomes seen as an abnormality and problem

2=Demand characteristic's or hawthorn theory, take effect where believe know what doctor is looking for and though probably without any miss-intent they overly show these characteristic's

=These are just two examples of problems with diagnosing these things, this is not to say all cases are like this, but will be many and though i am over playing point of internet, do not think it is coincidence that these massive raises in this field coincide with the raise of internet (though these problems can appear in similar ways without internet)


Yes, this is pretty much what I meant by my post. It's really easy to tell which person is which, too.

=yer, was not really disagreeing with you here, just saying how i saw it

[KlawedFlaw]

=Well if actual serious case of ADD then medication is actually fair to use here, but there are so many cases, where they just throw the drugs around like confetti and it concerns me, because as Turtle shows, it is being a legalised drug trade (case point, Englands reaction to the bird flu, ok that physical illness, but the reaction was all economically driven, to support a drug grown and sold in UK legally, so could make money out of false pandemic)

I take Concerta, and have a pretty bad case of ADHD. I'm actually a quiet, calm person, but without my medication, you get this:

Me: *insert confusing babble about video games, coffee, and technology innards*

Yeah... Don't come near me during such times unless you want to learn about the inside of Chinese electronics, and what I think about Moombas over Moogles. My mom deals with it all the time. I even review everything to her for some reason. Ever since I got into the hobby of watching, listening to, and reading reviews, I've done my own to my mom. I even review my own feet... That's probably just a part of my Asberger's, as I have some strange fixations on the following:

The inside of anything I can take apart(awaiting the day the laptop I'm using dies, so I can look inside it)
Fictional characters, and the details we don't even need to care about them
Technology anything
Computer stuff
The need to make people get a better view on the subcultures I have interests in
Organization
Legos

My therapist, sadly, thought I needed anti-psychotics that can be used for autism just because I was playing with the toys in his office the whole time. I'm 15, and that's apparently weird... I just like toys, and those ones with the balls and stuff that are like a ball rollarcoaster, I can't keep my hands off those. They're a blast to play with.

I'm off that medicine, luckily. It made me tired. I'm taking Klonopin for my anxiety, and it's doing good, thankfully. My Ativan was starting to become a part of my system, which means it wasn't gonna work for long.

My body is quite used to strong medication, as I take 90 mg of Concerta when I can take it early enough. I used to take Zoloft for depression and anxiety, but... I had my mom get me off it the first or second day because all it did was make me very angry. I'm taking Lexapro now, and it actually works. Zoloft probably would make me one violent kitty... I'm scared just imagining.

I took a number of different ADHD/ADD medications before my parents settled for Concerta. One of the medicines caused me to think I was seeing bugs on my curtains, and I was ready to tear them off.

I should write a book on my childhood. The ADHD and really the first few years I learned to talk... would be the biggest sellers. My first word was one you shouldn't say if you live in a town populated by a lot of Asians. My sister liked to say it when my mom and her went out for Chinese food. Guess what? I picked up the word, and knew not to say it around my dad, but said it around an Asian.

[MrsSallyBakura]

My roommate takes Concerta in the morning and Ritalin in the afternoon.

It's really not a personality thing... she's still the most extraverted person in the world even with her meds, but without them not only is she the most extraverted person in the world, she won't shut up about anything and is literally unable to do basic routine tasks like getting ready for bed. When her meds have worn off, and she's not in bed yet, I literally have to start dragging her to bed - I feel like her mom or her babysitter, lol. If her meds haven't worn off by the time she starts getting ready for bed, she can get to bed all by herself like a regular 22 year old.

I can understand why people would think it's a personality thing, though... it's easy to say, "Oh they don't have a mental disorder, hyperactivity is just part of their personality." Well, that may be true, but you have to remember the Attention Deficit part as well.

[Fat1Fared]

My roommate takes Concerta in the morning and Ritalin in the afternoon.

I can understand why people would think it's a personality thing, though... it's easy to say, "Oh they don't have a mental disorder, hyperactivity is just part of their personality." Well, that may be true, but you have to remember the Attention Deficit part as well.

sally you do know that personality disorders are 1 of the offical forms of mental disorders, it is an actual medical term :wink:

[KlawedFlaw]

I can't sleep medicine or not. XD

[Xanadu]

I think you mean an IQ of 015....
But I think you kids feel too sorry for yourselves and should stop discussing your woes stories about your "problems" to other (real life) attention seekers.
It just proves how sheltered you are in our society.
kthnxbai.
:furrysmile:

thanks Rena

[PegasusJCrawford]

I just watched a Beautiful Mind, does that mean I can talk here now?

[fullmetal lover]

I was sexually assualted and it led to depression and panic attacks that I suffer from but I haven't told my family through