What exact IS a “mental illness” anyway?

[4everHeartBroken]

1. Any disease of the mind; the psychological state of someone who has emotional or behavioral problems serious enough to require psychiatric intervention.

This definition doesn't sit well with me. So what exactly is a "disease of the mind"? It's not enough.

I can understand schizophrenia being a mental illness, where a person can be completely out of touch with their surroundings with delusions and visual or auditory hallucinations. I'm talking about what we consider the #1 most common "mental illness", which is chronic depression.

"You have chronic depression."
In THIS crazy world…… REALLY?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I read somewhere that laughing too hard or crying too hard can be considered momentarily "going crazy". I feel sometimes that "chronic depression" with suicidal thoughts is simply becoming more aware of reality. Like Jim Carrey said, "depression" is simply your mind taking a "deep rest" and becoming more aware of reality.

What if chronic depression (even with suicidal thoughts) is NOT in fact a "mental illness" as humans are currently labeling it as. What if mental illness is in fact, being so caught up in this weird 9-5 "life" that you never think about SU (a natural thought, in my opinion) and the people who think about death are actually the LESS "mentally ill" group because we are simply more aware of life EQUAL TO as frequently as we think about death? What if the current mentally ill or "depressed" people are actually the more evolved humans because we can think about life AND death equally, instead of pretending death doesn't exist and that we aren't supposed to think about it.

What if in the future, the mental heath field realizes that chronic depression is NOT in fact a mental illness but simply a person becoming more aware?

I don't think death should be considered scary as we make it out to be on Halloween. I feel death is just as natural as birth, but we favor life over……… that terrible terrible place called…… dun… dun… dunnnnnn…… DEATH.

I think it's strange that we consider it a "mental illness" or a "disease of the mind" if you think about the sad parts of your life too much… which in my mind, is a part of your life, especially if you've had a lot of trauma. I think if 90% of your life was sad that we're supposed to try to find the rainbows and butterflies in life and THEN we'll be considered "mentally healthy"?! That just feels opposite, unnatural and weird to me.

Perhaps depression is considered the #1 "mental illness" because maybe perhaps, most people who are diagnosed with depression are just simply people adapting to LIFE (our natural, crazy environment!) and it's not in fact a "disease of the mind"?! What if people who are simply depressed (even with suicidal thoughts) do NOT have a "disease of the mind" and are simply humans with minds that are adapting to and responding to their natural environment… which is f*ing depression in my opinion!

Sorry for the rant. I just really needed to get that out.

 

[WhatCouldHaveBeen32]

Mental illness varies, some cases there is trully a general imbalance in the brain , from neurotransmitters to chemicals that can cause schizophrenia for example but many doctors are sure to say that every single depression case is the same, as in , it's a chemical imbalance, this however just isn't true and them accepting this wouldn't make the cases where the depression comes from a chemical imbalance any less true than they are.

As you said, depression in our day and age varies and for some people it can truly be an incompatibility with modern life alongside other complications be it physical/mental that can come in many shapes and forms. But the doctors and the population will never accept this answer as truth because it would mean that life isn't worth living. So we are left with people who can never be truly treated by medication that suffer apparently from the same depression as a person WHO CAN be treated by medication, it's truly a mystery , right?

 

[Daenerys Targaryen]

Something only you have and only you know: the pain and what you're going through. Psychiatrists diagnose and label things even if they're unknown. They give you pills like candy. What works for you? Good, what doesn't? It doesn't matter if they fry your brain. The one that sticks to you and messes up your brain more than those of us who have it, better. But the only ones who know the suffering, the pain, and what we're going through are ourselves, the ones who fight and endure every day. No one can put themselves in your shoes.

 

[Worndown]

Think of it like a broken jukebox.
You put in your coin, make your selection and a different song plays.

 

[divinemistress36]

We are lab rats . Experimented on for something nobody really knows how to treat

 

[FuneralCry]

I understand, for me wanting to cease existing is a response to existence itself, I see existence as the true problem and I'd just always prefer to not exist than be burdened with this futile existence suffering all for the sake of it just to decay and die anyway, non-existence is all I personally see as desirable. I'd rather just cease existing painlessly to save myself from all future suffering in this existence I never would had chosen than die in agony tortured by old age, I'd rather just not suffer at all in this unnecessary existence where there is no limit as to how much agony one can feel.

 

[sadsoni]

We are lab rats . Experimented on for something nobody really knows how to treat

One of my shrinks actually told me this: mental illness is very poorly understood and it's all experimental. While passing along my upteenth prescription.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I feel frustrated too with the very whoolly definitions and diagnoses. It seems to me like some conditions do indeed exist though. Conditions such as bipolar and PTSD responses, schizophrenia all have observable symptoms. So, it seems reasonable to say it is real. However, I agree- conditions like depression are harder to pin down. I think there are various severities for one.

Really though, anything that has become debilitating is a problem. I think maybe that is the best guage. Is whatever it is we are experiencing screwing up our life? That can go for a whole number of things- social anxiety, limerence, eating disorders, compulsive disorders. When they start to dominate our life then- maybe it is fair to call whatever it is- an illness.

One of the guages I suppose is comparison. Have we changed? Have we lost or gained in our appetite or sleep patterns? Sex drive, interest in hobbies etc? That's really not so different to physical illness. Why can't I breathe through my nose? I usually can breathe through my nose- maybe I'm coming down with a cold! I think noticing that we have no energy, no appetite, can't sleep, can't get out of bed easily is obviously a hint that something is wrong.

I do also agrew with you though. There's an awful lot to be miserable about in this world! Many people live very difficult lives. How 'normal' is it to feel all that comfortable in a world like this?

The more challenging issue for things like assisted suicide are whether we can still be respected as being mentally competent despite these things. I really wish they would sort that one out.

Plus, I want them to acknowledge that some people do seem to be treatment resistant. I get the impression people have to leap through more hoops of fire to prove they have suffered mentally compared to physical illness.

 

[RadiantNumber]

I sometimes think if this wor was coined to push us more drugs which are not working, I have "depression" and was treated with all types of drugs even psychotherapy and it didn't work

 

[SilentSadness]

Yes, mental illness is one of those terms used to control and categorise others. Many people use explanations like "chemical imbalance" and "dysfunctional body" but in reality the term is just used to describe people who are not liked. It's similar to how "scam" is a term used interchangeably with "purchase one does not agree with". The truth is that, while some mental illnesses impact the person's functions in a way that hurts the person, many "mental illnesses" are just mental states people do not approve of. In fact there are many deviations from the mental normal that are not classified as mental illnesses. Aphantasia is a condition (spectrum) where someone can't visualise anything in their mind, meaning they have no imagination. But it's not considered a mental illness, because even complete lack of creativity and reasoning skills are seen as acceptable in this society. However, suicide and depression aren't.

 

[depressedinsomniac]

What a post! So mental illness is totally due to chemical levels being out of whack totally! Can they be rebalanced? Hard to say. Can it be done with meds? Again hard to say. I guess for some people it works. But yeah I agree with divinemistress36 we basically become lab rats many times. Which is terrible. Sometimes we get lucky and the prescription fits. Sometimes it leaves us much worse off. Which is pretty much terrible. I LOVE THE JIM CARREY QOUTE! And remember folks. He is filthy rich! The modern day problems really don't affect him in my view. Least not much in terms of hunger/needing to be a wage slave. He could live modestly and be good. But he too gets caught up. You could smoke pot or booze up but those type of things catch up to you. Same with harder drugs. It's wild! What a system. Yeah I gotta agree once you become aware of it at a certain point it's depressing. It just is. I can't help but think that folks who lived hundreds or thousands of years ago had a more natural existence. Albeit harder. A freer one. They also hard much shorter life spans so there's that. Modern life! It will really wear ya down!