Do You Consider Yourself Mentally Ill?

[Ghostybear73]

A break is the layman term for fracture, they are the same same. You can't actually break/fracture your brain. The skull can be fractured/broken, but not the brain. Soft tissue is not breakable and breakable things cannot be bypassed.

I don't know, maybe my question was phrased wrong

 

[The Albatross]

I think you should read up on neuro pathways. I use what suits... I have evidence that supports the resilience of the body. I'm cool with that... except for the apnea thing. I was though Injured I was not born with a mental illness or disorder. By all accounts prior to 5 this is the case.

 

[Ghostybear73]

I understand what you are saying, I teach it. My question is why do people say they feel broken (the actual feeling itself) with mental illness. What word are they relating "broken" to. I'm not talking about fixing damaged neural pathways, which I understand you have. That is a physical problem that I can not imagine relating to and I'm sorry you are going through that, it has to suck. :(

 

[joeylittle]

@joeylittle, so you think of it as broken as opposed to let's say......fried or blocked?

Broken as in doesn't work as designed. Very very simplest definition of broken.

 

[Ghostybear73]

@joeylittle, thank you. It appears that simple is what I needed. That makes total sense!! Like saying a broken radio, even though it doesn't have any cracks or pieces torn off, if it doesn't work, we call it broken. Aha moment....my lightbulb finally went on!!!

:)

 

[Seasounds]

What does it mean when you say broken?

@Ghostybear73, I so appreciate your asking about the 'nuance' of the word broken, applying to a person or brain, when nothing concrete, like a bone, has been cracked, or split into parts.

I've found that one aspect of my PTSD has been noting when an illogical use of a term is used; I just wanted to understand, what people meant by the 'slang' use of the word, or how they got there. At other times, I've got locked into the literal use of a word (a childhood choice to try to not get confused by nuances); this prevented me from understanding nuances and even poetry. As I heal, I'm more flexible.

I like how many members explained their use of broken.

I don't use it much anymore, (had a therapist who was into Neurolinguistic Programing-use words as accurately as you can, because the mindbody will try to create what you tell it, it is) ; instead I say, "I'm overwhelmed.", "I'm not coping well."

 

[BlueOrange]

On bad days, I tend to think of myself as a mental patient. I've referred to really bad days in the past as 'mental patient days'.

Having now been off work for a couple of weeks (which is humiliating), I feel like a mental patient. I'm telling people "I'm recovering from an injury." In my better moments, I tell myself that, too.

 

[Barberian]

Why the nit-picking of a simple saying. Everyone is different, has different backgrounds, and is comfortable with different things. Accept others for this and life will be much easier. A question was asked, many replies were given according to the owners preference. Trying to make the link to another process as concrete and unfailable as science can make it is defeating the purpose of the OP I believe.

My two useless copper.

 

[Tanishq]

No, I don't. I love to be happy. I have my struggles to take care of. I don't know where I am going, but nothing will stop me from giving my best. I am human so I suffer like every human being, but I don't consider myself mentally ill.

 

[Tanishq]

@Ghostybear73 I mostly feel I am wobbling because I am not coping well.

Do feel broken from deep within. This disorder disrupts everything.

 

[Orglethorp]

Yes, I do consider myself mentally ill. I see it like any other chronic illness, mental or physical. Something has changed within me and I no longer function "normally," in such a way that it can and does affect my quality of life when not controlled. Like some other chronic illnesses, it also causes additional problems (severe anxiety, long periods of depression, irritable bowel syndrome). Also like many chronic conditions, it's invisible. It's not an injury that people can see and immediately understand. I also believe that mine is so invasive and persistent because I'm genetically predisposed to mood disorders, as they're quite prevelant on my mother's side of the family.

I believe I can continue to heal, that I'll eventually experience fewer, less intrusive symptoms, but I don't think I'll ever be "cured." I firmly believe that this is permanent, and that my focus should be on managing and understanding it rather than hoping for it to eventually be taken away from me.

Right now my greatest worry about my illness is how it will affect my future children, me as a parent, and my husband as a parent and partner, as this is all coming up quite soon.

 

[Ghostybear73]

Not uselsess copper @Barberian. This is exactly how I felt when I originally asked the question. Why am I nitpicking and getting frustrated over a word. You are so right, which is why I never asked as to how people used it in relation to mental heath before, which has been years.

I sometimes slow down my own process by dening specific words, like nightmares and torture (which I am trying hard to accept reality and start using them in relation to my trauma).

I just felt that maybe I was hindering my ability to heal once again by going into denial when I tell my therapist, "I am not broken" (in a petchulant child voice)

I think I was trying to understand for my own selfish reasons and @joeylittle put it in a way that I finally understood.

I think what you saw was my frustration and getting defensive because I wasn't getting my needs met. In relation to understanding. This seems to be common, at least with me, when the ugly ol PTSD comes rearing its ugly head.

As I said before in a couple posts, I apologize if my frustration was being directed at anyone, that wasn't my intention

:)