If you don't have a mental disorder what do you have?

[FitChick]

"Specific mental illnesses are usually defined as having the specific symptoms that are spelled out in great detail in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Published by the American Psychiatric Association the DSM provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders.

 

"Thus if you have the symptoms for social anxiety or phobias as described by the DSM, you are considered to have those mental disorders. Many people, however, who have symptoms listed in the DSM, don’t want to be characterized as having a “mental disorder.” So they resist the idea of treatment, especially from a psychotherapist, one of those people who is known to treat clients with “mental disorders.”

 

The above was taken from this article.

 

Also today, I read another article about how vets with PTSD were being treated with EFT instead of drugs.

 

I have personally used both techniques mentioned in these two articles and they do work. No side effects either. So it sounds like people are waking up to the value of these alternative non-drug therapies. Progress!

[Leegh]

I'm glad they worked for you, and I'll read up on it with the info. you provided. I agree that a non-drug approach is the way to go.

[Ross MwcFan]

Mental normalcy?

[todreaminblue]

I havent had a psychotic break in quite a while....touch wood........i was part of the mental health system for years, still am i guess..i had an acute care team..i just dont go anymore...if got really bad....as in life threatening....i would go.....

 

 

 

 

but i really dont want ect again..i lost a lot........people ...places i have stayed.....conversations....my memories...

 

 

 

they have tried so many things...so many medications some with really serious side effects.......that still are affecting my hormones i produce colustrum when aroudn babies...........the medication made me put on masses of weight....that i am working off........meds made me into the walking dead......i prayed about it......my quality of life was horrible.....couldnt think...couldnt be creative found it hard to move was going to kill myself...head felt like cotton wool dry mouth all the time....medication is not for every one.......thank you for the info you gave its informative....and thoughtful...i wouldnt be here i guess if i hadnt taken it...but then when i did take it......life.....wasnt worth much to me...kept me breathing fo rmy family...................hugs..deb

[GorillaTheater]

Coulrophobia.

[tbf]

Umm...a mental disorder requires the list of symptoms (where the majority are normal behaviours) to be of sufficient magnitude to impact negatively on daily life, in an extreme manner.

 

This is what annoys me. When people negatively discuss disorders without bothering to figure out the base premise of what constitutes a disorder.

 

An example would be the difference between enjoying a bit of fantasy and being delusional. Or someone who gets annoyed quickly and someone who has violent manic episodes.

[FitChick]

An example would be the difference between enjoying a bit of fantasy and being delusional. Or someone who gets annoyed quickly and someone who has violent manic episodes.

 

And BigPharma has a pill for you in either case. I think the point of the article was that if someone was told they needed to change a behavior pattern they had they'd be more willing to go for help instead of being told they had a mental disorder.

 

People are so quick to slap labels on others or even themselves as if it somehow excuses their behavior and they don't have to do anything about it. Sexual addiction is one example. "Honey, I didn't mean to cheat on you with all of those women. I am addicted!" Oops, looks like they can't use that as an excuse any more.

[skydiveaddict]

And BigPharma has a pill for you in either case.

 

I see your point. But some of those pills really do work

[Maleficent]

Sigh...

When it comes to mental illnesses, meds attenuate symptoms.

Un many cases, they are a huge help - at least temporarily.

 

I don't think a lot of people here would go through rehabilitation of a broken leg without taking painkillers. Though the painkillers will not heal the broken leg.

 

It's kind of the same thing with some mental ilness. And I say some because in the case of illnesses like bipolar disorders and schizopheria, there is no way someone can live normally without meds.

[KathyM]

Some meds are absolutely necessary to treat mental disorders, such as Bipolar Disorder or Schizophrenia, as the poster above stated. Medication can be very effective in treating a variety of disorders, especially disorders that are caused from a brain chemical imbalance, in which case the medication acts to balance the brain chemicals that are creating symptoms. Many therapists nowadays use a bio-psycho-social approach to treatment, and address the symptoms from all three of those perspectives, because it is often all three factors that are contributing to a person's illness. For example, in the case of Bipolar Disorder, it is caused from a genetic predisposition, and stress can trigger symptoms in someone who has that genetic predisposition. By only treating the disorder with medication, you are not treating the stress that is triggering symptoms, and you are not treating the family dynamics that may be creating the stress. All three factors need to be treated, normally. The brain chemical imbalance, which is treated with medication, and the psychological and social factors that are contributing to and exacerbating the symptoms.

[FitChick]

I agree that the schizos you see talking to themselves, wearing filthy clothes and pooping in the street need meds to keep them from attacking people. Sadly, it's cheaper today to sedate them than locking them up for their own and the public's good.

 

That is quite different than people responding to life events in a reasonable way or who have bad habits.

[Art_Critic]

touch wood.......

 

... wood therapy

 

 

About all I have is a short temper... no medicines here but know people who use them and they work...

[pie2]

I agree that the schizos you see talking to themselves, wearing filthy clothes and pooping in the street need meds to keep them from attacking people. Sadly, it's cheaper today to sedate them than locking them up for their own and the public's good.

 

I find this to be an incredibly insensitive comment.

 

I'm thankful for the medical interventions that help alleviate debilitating conditions. I'm pretty sure most people, if confronted with a challenging or life-threatening condition (schizophrenia can be both, as can cancer, for example), would be grateful for whichever form of medicinal intervention would bring them back to stability.

[happydate]

I agree that the schizos you see talking to themselves, wearing filthy clothes and pooping in the street need meds to keep them from attacking people. Sadly, it's cheaper today to sedate them than locking them up for their own and the public's good.

 

That is quite different than people responding to life events in a reasonable way or who have bad habits.

 

Hmmm.. Your comment is a bit inappropriate here about Schizo. Perhaps you aren't aware of the side effects of the generally prescribed medicine which is Haldol for poor patients. I suggest that you study the issues of Schizo before making poor stereotyping remarks above.

 

Those are the side effects. More expensive medication like Olanzapine is more effective with lesser side effects. Unfortunately, governmental agencies are cutting on costs and in our country, the politicians had tried very hard to prescribe Haldol instead of Olanzapine because of the costs. We had fought successful to prevent them from doing so.

 

Many people that you see on the street are not being prescribed the best Schizo medication which if they were will make them behave like they are clinically sane. Which is why they looked drugged or tired due to the side effects. The support systems for treating and therapy aren't there to help them which cost money. Their families had long since abandoned them.

 

I am one that is supporting a close family member with the best therapy and medicine and who is suffering from Schizophrenia. If you look at her today, you will not know she's a Schizo. Certainly she does not dress with filthy clothes. She's on the chubby side (due to the medication), but otherwise can dress well.

 

I hope this will educate you that these people who you saw on the streets are simply making the best with their medication.

[happydate]

"Specific mental illnesses are usually defined as having the specific symptoms that are spelled out in great detail in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Published by the American Psychiatric Association the DSM provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders.

 

"Thus if you have the symptoms for social anxiety or phobias as described by the DSM, you are considered to have those mental disorders. Many people, however, who have symptoms listed in the DSM, don’t want to be characterized as having a “mental disorder.” So they resist the idea of treatment, especially from a psychotherapist, one of those people who is known to treat clients with “mental disorders.”

 

The above was taken from this article.

 

Also today, I read another article about how vets with PTSD were being treated with EFT instead of drugs.

 

I have personally used both techniques mentioned in these two articles and they do work. No side effects either. So it sounds like people are waking up to the value of these alternative non-drug therapies. Progress!

 

Sometimes, there can lead to quite a few mis-diagnosis.

 

For example, a young psychic or a medium (people who can communicate with the ghosts and the dead) hear voices and see images and feel thoughts. This can be easily mis-diagnose as someone suffering from anxiety disorder or worse Schizophrenia! I belong to the medium community and many medium are counsellors as well. When they were younger, they were being treated with medication and CBTs to rid of these odd and strange behaviours.

You will notice that some medium bios will take about their parents trying all sort of stuff to try and get rid of these godly gifts.

 

Many therapists today try to restore people into what they term as clinically sane and a normal person without taking into account that perhaps, some of these people are gifted spiritually. And that the anxiety disorder or BPD can actually be the manifestation of the gifts that you have but they don't want to be cast out as being a mutant, strange and odd so they repressed it.

 

I used to repress my gifts as a psychic, seer and healer and my therapists tried so darn hard with CBTs and Prozacs and stuff to treat and heal me for something that's been naturally gifted by god and that those professional don't accept who I am and what I am even today.

 

This is just a thought for you that you CAN'T LABEL anyone a loon unless you have a pretty good professional reason why.

[tbf]

And BigPharma has a pill for you in either case. I think the point of the article was that if someone was told they needed to change a behavior pattern they had they'd be more willing to go for help instead of being told they had a mental disorder.

 

People are so quick to slap labels on others or even themselves as if it somehow excuses their behavior and they don't have to do anything about it.

Your view is highly simplistic. Far too simplistic to attempt to overarch mental disorders.

 

Are there lazy people, mental hypochondriacs and too many drugs pushed? Yes.

 

Is there a portion of the population that need pharmas whether short or long-term? Beyond a doubt.

 

Is there a portion of the population where pharmas help for the short-term when combined with psychotherapy? Beyond a doubt.

 

To toss out the benefits for all, because of some, isn't in the least reasonable or rational.

 

Sexual addiction is one example. "Honey, I didn't mean to cheat on you with all of those women. I am addicted!" Oops, looks like they can't use that as an excuse any more.

My thoughts on this is that it's the first time sexual addiction has been tested using an EEG and P300 responses, where the sample size was 39 men and 13 women (a tiny study within one geographical location) with self-reported difficulties in controlling their viewing of sexual images. Nowhere does it state that these individuals were clinically diagnosed with sexual addiction.

 

Also interesting were the types of images used to attempt to evoke P300 responses. Strictly one man, one woman sexual images. Considering the spread of sexualities and paraphilias that have become near common place, resulting from the easy accessibility of Internet porn, this study wasn't properly controlled if you take into consideration what P3a and P3b (two subsets of P300 responses) test for and that's novelty and lesser probability hence greater novelty responses.

 

Even so, this was a worthwhile study where results need to be duplicated, prior to be taken seriously. P300 testing has been discussed as a possible lie detector.

 

I've personally wondered whether sexual addiction was a disorder or if it was indicative of other disorders considering the OCD and self destructive nature of it. That SSRIs and mood stabilizers can have positive impact on sexual addicts, might be indicative of other disorders.

 

A few underlying disorders of interest, might be OCD, NPD, BPD and bipolar.

 

My cheating ex-husband was clinically diagnosed with NPD and has been treated without pharmas of course, using CBT for many years. He has improved but it continues to be an uphill battle since it's a huge undertaking to rework unhealthy coping strategies and defense mechanisms.

Edited July 28, 2013 by tbf

[John316C]

an error in thinking process