Do You Consider Yourself Mentally Ill?

[StellaBlue]

I am currently transitioning to a new therapist to work on gaining specific skills. The process has not been easy as I am/was very attached to my current/old therapist, so there’s some grieving going on. I’m also having to revisit my mental health “history”, which, on paper, makes me look like a pretty unstable puppy.

The thing is, with all of the different diagnoses I’ve had, including the PTSD (which makes the most sense), I’ve never considered myself mentally ill. Even when I’ve been hospitalized (and there have been more than a few of hospitalizations), I’ve not considered myself mentally ill. I’m not sure why this is.

Do you consider yourself mentally ill?

 

[mrsps]

I haven't really thought about it but would say no I don't consider myself to be mentally ill. I am lucky that I normally function ok just have issues from my past that hold me back which is what I am working on in therapy

 

[Barberian]

Mentally ill? Nah, just broken. ;)

 

[Friday]

Nope! And I've got 2 diagnosis: ADHD & PTSD.

The ADHD is a disorder, not an illness or affliction. It's just a different way of processing and storing information. Like being artistic, musical, analytical, deaf. There are things I like and things I don't like about it, but the same is true of my ass. I like being able to sit on it, could do with a little less space needed for that ;)

The PTSD is an injury* as well as a disorder. Some injuries have life long effects, others flare up from time to time, others heal up good. None are wanted. But it's what we've got to work with. I may be crazy, but I'm not sick. Just a wee bit broken.

* This was challenged in a meaningful way, and I have to agree, I was wrong. I still think of it the same way (I broke myself), which translates to injury in every other instance, but not this one... And it's a good distinction. Broken for sure, damaged maybe, injury no. Thanks @anthony.

 

[risingsun]

Honestly, no. I consider myself as "recovering from trauma." I think I want to coin it as a diagnosis of RFT. Prognosis very good. And with that, sure, there is anxiety and depression and the many other symptoms experienced while "recovering from trauma".

I had a therapist once say my "brain was diseased" because of the depression I was experiencing and I was out of there in a flash. I don't like labels because it almost puts a permanent status on someone I feel like. I'd rather say I'm experiencing depression rather than I have a major depressive disorder. In this respect, I don't live in the box of the disorder. Rather, I know that it will one day subside.

I have been hospitalized as well and never thought of myself as mentally ill. I thought of myself as "recovering from trauma" (RFT).

Labels box in people when life is too diverse to really box in anyone. Rising.

 

[Anarchy]

No, I don't consider myself ill.

With the possible exception of schizophrenia, I agree with the late Thomas Szasz, that the "medical model" is fallacious. All of the supposed "mental illnesses" (and I don't count PTS ammongst them) represent behaviours or features that are present in virtually all of the population at lower intensity. There are zero chemical tests, and there is zero post mortem evidence which can be pointed to to distinguish "mental patients" from the general population.

Even with genetics, studies like the Dunedin study in Kiwi land, found a genetic marker present in all of the extremely violent criminals, however, individuals who had that marker, but who hadn't been exposed to extreme violence in childhood, actually exhibited lower degrees of violent behaviour than the general population.

There are actual diseases of the brain, for example Huntingdons, Alzheimers, parkinsons, MS, and also damage, for example caused by physical injuries, stroke, alcohol poisoning. The effects seen with those patients are completely different to so called "mental illnesses"

Let's also remember that during the cold war both sides of the iron curtain - sympathy for the other side was considered a sign of "mental illness" and grounds for coercive hospitalization and "treatment".

 

[TonyG]

Well to be honest no I don't consider myself mentally I'll, some real shit happened in my life and it's locked into my memory, Like the birth of my child or memories of my mum and dad, Most things I remember make me happy and one event in my life makes me sad, I guess we are classed as mentally ill as its the only way to get treatment,

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Maybe. But then again, I don't know many people out there who are truly balanced and 100% mentally well. Instead of being an either/or black or white sort of issue, I think its more along a continuum. I know I have my issues, but at the same time I know I'm in a better place than a lot of other people. And then there are so many people out there who hide their issues and just pretend to be normal ....either doing so to save face to others or to deny their own problems in their own minds. I like to think of it more in terms of that psychiatric functioning scale....I can't remember what it is called, but its oftentimes part of an official diagnosis. Mine was around 59 a few years ago, and that was when I was constantly in and out of the hospital. I'd like to think its risen a few points since then!

 

[anthony]

Yes and no. I rationally accept I have a mental illness, but not that I am mentally ill, being a constant. I have good days, weeks, and bad days, weeks. During those times I have bad, then I am mentally unwell which creates the obvious physiological symptoms. I would say I am mentally ill when I am literally that way, but I wouldn't define myself as that in a constant view.

I have a mental illness, but that is only one part of me, not who I am as a person the rest of the time.

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

Yes, I do. I have PTSD and Bipolar and I am struggling with cleaning up the bipolar part right now.

Hopfully one day I can get into the mindset that @anthony shared above. I am hopeful.

 

[shell]

I used to get really angry at myself because of the PTSD label, and felt really broken and f***ed up because of feeling suicidal and would attack myself for being "mentally ill". I always believed my mother must have been mentally ill to try and kill me, and it felt like the worst thing to be labelled just like her.

After a while I came to realize the only person doing the labelling was myself and my mother, she was a sadistic mother whose opinion no longer concerns me, and attacking myself for suffering the affects of abuse is neither helpful or kind. Now I consider myself someone with disfunctional behaviours from my trauma that need adjustment, if I want to start living life without avoidance and fear.

 

[The Albatross]

I'm with Friday Jones. I too have ADD/ADHD and PTSD. I consider my PTSD to be an injury more than a disorder though I skitter, skip and slip at times depending on my stress level.