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tyg10Nov 3, 2010
I imagine that stigma will always remain with a segment of society.
macbookformeNov 3, 2010
seconded
kc0jsfNov 4, 2010
thirded...try to remember its not the GOP's fault, god told them to hate!
prometheansparkNov 3, 2010
I understand that H1N1 or leprocy is a disease and not the person's 'fault', but that still doesn't mean I want to associate with someone with it because it can affect me too. However, once they're cured or get over it, then there is no stigma. The only reason people with mental illness are stigmatized is that their behavior harms the people around them as well. One could argue that more effective treatments are reducing the bad experiences that the rest of the population has with people that have mental illness, making it less of a concern. Still, as long people are having bad experiences with the mentally ill, there will always be a stigma attached.
mashow13Nov 4, 2010
That's bulls**t. Most mentally ill people are not dangerous and won't harm you - that belief is all part of the stigma. In fact, you probably know someone with a mental illness and you don't even know it. Growing up, I had no idea that my father manic depressive until his first suicide attempt. He was a prideful man and refused to let anyone help. When he was suffering from depression, he would disappear. Maybe he wanted to protect us from it. But I'm sure he was ashamed of his illness. I'm sure he stigmatized his illness just like the rest of society, believing it was fault and that he should have been able to control his emotions. I guess he believed that he was a pariah on this planet and he should make space for healthy people like you who feel threatened by the mentally ill. It's a good thing he killed himself. Now he won't have to make you feel uncomfortable!
prometheansparkNov 4, 2010
I beg to differ, my wife has acute bouts of depression and it definitely has negative effects on those around her. It's not that she's labeled 'depressed' that makes me uncomfortable, it's that she abandons her responsibilities and says hurtful things to me and other family members, and does major impulsive or obsessive things that harm the family. She may not be responsible for her condition, but she IS responsible for the effects it has on others. I would be tickled pink if she was willing and able to manage her illness to minimize it's impact, but as it is I'm considering divorce. If it comes to that, well see if the the judge considers mental illness and resultant behavior a 'stigma' in determining custody of the children.
All I'm saying, is people will always be judged on their actions, and labels that are associated with certain actions will always carry the stigma of those actions. To eliminate the stigma, the actions must be eliminated. Fortunately doctors have a fair amount of resources to help in this regard, and things are bound to improve over time.
glitch82Nov 4, 2010
I agree with you, but only if you're referring to serious mental illness. For example, even though technically ADHD is classified as a form of mental illness, some of my friends who were diagnosed with this are perfectly normal people and I would not group them with schizophrenics and delusional types.
glitch82Nov 4, 2010
Furthermore, I really have to rant about this culture of "forced tolerance" that exists in some aspects of our society. We live in a competitive world, and I see no reason that I should make exceptions for others based on inherited traits and other factors. I'm not against welfare, but I'm against welfare being used as an unsustainable crutch with no long term vision or solution. Mental illness is similar in the sense that I support research and government subsidies for those suffering from terrible diseases, whether it affects brains or hearts, but I don't agree with the notion that healthy people in society are obligated to financially and emotionally sustain the lives of those who are not able to contribute actively. In a perfect world, a disabled person working as a store shelf stocker would be paid less than a healthy person because their overall productivity is lower. The reality is that our society has deemed such natural economic solutions as unethical.
If you think about it, hiring a handicapped person earning less for the same job might be an incentive for an employer who may not have vast resources and doesn't mind the slightly lower productivity for a given job. Because we enforce the same level of pay, however, an employer might use questionable ethics to ensure that his $15 an hour goes to a healthy worker instead of the same rate for a slightly less productive worker.
mashow13Nov 4, 2010
You don't expect someone in a wheelchair to walk up a set of stairs and you don't punish them if they can't. You build a ramp for them.
But if they're mentally ill, you accuse them of not being able to walk on purpose and shun them.
To judge someone entirely based on their actions without context is clearly ridiculous. You can't hold someone suffering from a bout of acute depression to the same behavioural standards as a mentally healthy person.
return2workmomNov 3, 2010
Needs to trickle up. Little kids totally get it; 'they're sick, there brain is broken,' I've been told by elem kids. But administrators, no go there. The discrimination is blatant unless lawyers are brought in. Isn't that sad?
glitch82Nov 4, 2010
"But administrators, no go there."
What that mean exactly?
return2workmomNov 4, 2010
in my experience, if disability illness isn't visible, usually not recognized. Plenty of accommodations for blind student; none for depressed. Plenty of assemblies on recognizing depression, but even with MD dx, higher ups seldomly follow thru as mental illness not often visible. in MY experiences....
jboitnottcomNov 3, 2010
At least we're having the discussion. It's a start.
nairebisNov 3, 2010
> A major theme of these campaigns is that mental illnesses and addiction are
> biological, brain-based, sometimes-genetic illnesses that are each "a disease
> like any other."
Well, that's the problem. They are NOT a "disease like any other". Some mental illness is biology based, but not all are. Computers make a good analogy. If I have a bad video card, I can replace that, and be reasonably certain the problem is solved. But if I have some sort of fuzzy, weird software problem, sometimes upgrading a driver will fix it -- and sometimes it won't. Sometimes the problem will go away for awhile, and sometimes it will come back.
Many mental illnesses are a brain software problem. You can't fix them with meds. It's a core problem that the neurological wiring is just screwed up. Maybe it can be fixed through behavioral modification, but sometimes a psycho pedophile is a psycho pedophile, and they can't be fixed.
ofoarheffinsakeNov 3, 2010
And what studies and/or educational background do you possess to back up this belief?
nairebisNov 3, 2010
Uhhhhh... are you suggesting that ALL mental illness is biology based, and there is no such thing as a psychological mental illness? So the child that grows up with constant abuse and becomes an adult with major psych damage, it's all a biology problem that can be cured by a pill?
anarchy2465Nov 4, 2010
seconded nairebis.
thoughtsonthisNov 3, 2010
FTA "Public attitudes matter," they wrote. "Attitudes can translate directly into fear or understanding, rejection or acceptance, delayed service use or early medical attention."
tlong831Nov 3, 2010
because retards are annoying...
canyoucountNov 3, 2010
How much mental illness is a brain disease? How much addiction is it before it's a disease? The stigma, IMO, relates directly to this question : how much agency do we have in the face of "brain diseases"?
There are clearly many people who have a genetic predisposition to be alcoholics and do not drink, for example.
dralezeroNov 4, 2010
stigma from mental illness? sorry but i cant work with someone that repeatedly wont perform the job i ask because of their mental illness. even taking their mental illness and all that i have researched on it and trying to baby them they just dont listen or even try. even though we both have an understanding.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
angelbunnyNov 4, 2010
According to my 5 year old abnormal psych book: 51 to 52 percent of all US citizens have at least one abnormal disorder (mental illness).
Also, the brain is an amazing thing. It is constantly dieing and constantly being reborn. As in, cells are always dieing and new cells are replacing those old ones. Those new cells are made depending on what the brain wants/needs. So if you do a lot of math your brain will literally make more cells that will aid you with math in the future.
This leads me to believe that most, if not all, mental disorders (and addiction) are essentially created in the brain because of ones surrounding. Sure, you still have to have said gene to have that disorder to begin with, but what I'm saying is just because you have that gene doesn't mean you will have that disorder.
When looking at it that way therapists learn that mental disorders can be treated, if not sometimes completely fixed. However, it may take years to fix, if it is even posible. Also, in the 1940's psychedelics where being studied by therapists and where found, when used in the right conditions, to be the best medicine when dealing with mental illness. Extreme situations like schizophrenia where sometimes permanently removed from the patient. Today, fixing such a serious issue is considered nearly impossible. Also, the navajo indians have alcohol addiction classes today that revolved around mescaline based drugs. Apparently they have around an 80% success rate too, which is quite amazing.
/rant
nazuelNov 4, 2010
That fact is slightly skewed. About half of the population will have a mental disorder at some point in their lives with anxiety being the most common closely followed by depression. That is completely different than half of the population having a mental disorder. Many of those who do have a condition have an acute variant that is due to a traumatic event in their life and with a bit of therapy or some short term medicine can resume their lives.
Also your brain doesn't make more cells to 'make you better at math' or for anything else. It makes new *connections* which improve efficiency. With the exception of glial cells brain tissue does not regenerate. Also the genetic argument is ridiculous too. Some people have what you might call addictive personalities. No one knows if it is biological or socially learned, and while there might be some correlation to my knowledge there is no 'ADD' or 'Bipolar Disorder' gene. The fact is even today there is not much known on *why* there are disorders only that neurotransmitters are involved.
I am not going to comment on your Native American anecdotal testimony, Please stop spreading quasi-truths it only distorts the picture and makes it worse. And yes I do have a Psychology degree.
frostekNov 4, 2010
Having been on Youtube I can attest to this fact.
angelbunnyNov 4, 2010
@nazuel
You're right. I was talking about overall not only severe issues.
Since i know little to nothing about the brain I'll take your word on that too.
quakeislifeNov 4, 2010
It only means we have become more cynical since 1997!
glitch82Nov 4, 2010
Translation: Even though people are aware that mental illness isn't a behavioral problem, a culture exists that discriminates against those afflicted. It's human nature really, why should people be forced to tolerate others because of an illness? We discriminate against healthy people all the time. Why should we make exceptions for people who aren't healthy?
jad2121Nov 4, 2010
This is harmful for any number of reasons. Schizophrenics are at double the risk of preventable medical illness than the general population. This is partly a result of non-compliance to meds and lifestyle factors (98% of schizophrenics have a history of cigarette smoking) but also because health care providers often don't take their physical symptoms seriously. They often don't get the same care as the rest of us.
But the danger of the general misunderstanding of mental illness is not limited to the severely mentally ill. Commonly, people will not seek treatment for depression or anxiety no matter how debilitating it may become for themselves or their loved ones because of the stigma of mental illness as well as the sigma of psychiatric medication. They do not understand that untreated mental illness, even depression or anxiety, is extremely harmful to the body as well as the mind. SSRI's have been proven to help depression and anxiety with limited side effects (Most common are erectile dysfunction, and GI upset-which often resolve after a few months. If they do not resolve, doctors often switch to a different drug which may not always have the same side effects). Electroshock therapy, which has been so misrepresented in the media and in pop culture, is actually the most effective treatment for intractable depression and catatonic schizophrenia. Despite what you may have heard, the patient is not awake for the procedure and does not feel any pain. The only side effect is temporary retrograde memory loss (which means loss of a few minutes to hours of memory preceding the procedure). People need to know the facts before they rush to judgment.