The Myth of Mental Illness

[white hyacinth]

I've grown a lot in the past few years, and I've realized a lot of hard truths about the world. I've always been honest enough with myself to see the world for how it truly is, even while others continue to lie to themselves and others. One thing I've realized is that this thing we call "PTSD" is not a mental illness or disorder at all. I'm not debating whether or not we all suffer, of course we do. I'm not arguing that what we suffer from isn't a physical, deterministic thing in our brains and bodies. But it's not an illness. It's an adaptation, and to call it an illness is disrespectful to ourselves. "Hyper"vigilance, flashbacks, avoidance, dissociation, etc are natural and necessary responses to being in danger. We are not "disordered" for being afraid in a dangerous world, our feelings are righteous and justified. I don't know about the rest of you, but life hasn't gotten less dangerous "post" trauma, and therefore these "PTSD symptoms" have not become less necessary.

The concept of mental illness is mostly used to scapegoat individuals who are negatively affected by social and environmental factors, which allows people who caused these problems in the first place to never be held accountable. Remember "hysteria"? The concept of mental illness is used as a tool of oppression; it allows society to scapegoat an individual or their genetics for what is really caused by a dysfunctional society, it allows the psychiatric industrial complex to make huge profit off of our suffering while doing very little to help us (if anything), it allows the state to control what we do with our bodies, and it allows abusive families to conveniently send away their undesirable members to mental hospitals. We all know that people with mental illness are discriminated against, even in psychiatric settings. There are Dead Link Removed that show just labeling someone "mentally ill" makes people more likely to be hostile to that person.

I can't condense all my new revelations on mental illness into one post, so before any of you respond with some half-baked snide remark I recommend reading Dead Link Removed by Thomas Szasz (which an old therapist recommended to me), he published an article also called The Myth of Mental Illness prior to the book. I also recommend Dead Link Removed by Johann Hari, who has talked about the contents of his book frequently and plenty of videos about it are available on Youtube, if you don't want to buy the book.

We must move on from this hateful idea of "mental illness", and recognize our distress as part of a bigger problem if we want to grow as a society. We must realize that problems caused by societal and environmental factors need societal and environmental solutions. Then maybe, someday, society as a whole can begin to heal.

 

[bellbird]

What societal and environmental solutions would you propose in the treatment of PTSD?

 

[EveHarrington]

"Hyper"vigilance, flashbacks, avoidance, dissociation, etc are natural and necessary responses to being in danger.

Yes, but you fail to see the “disordered” part in it all. A normal nervous system will return to baseline fairly quickly after the danger has passed. A ptsd nervous system may be jacked for days, or longer. The flooding of our system with fight or flight chemicals is far reaching beyond the here and now. It’s not normal to have a body that cannot regulate these important neurotransmitters.

We are not "disordered" for being afraid in a dangerous world, our feelings are righteous and justified.

Please, only speak for yourself. I’m not afraid in this “dangerous” world. My therapist says I’m an odd duck. I’m only afraid when people get close. Out there, anywhere, is safe. Home didn’t feel safe so to the road I went tonight. I think I’m maybe 3 hours from home? Maybe I’ll go further. Who knows. Strangers are safe. Strangers never hurt me. My family freaks out enough about my safety. I carry a whistle and pepper spray for them, to make them believe I’m safe.

I don't know about the rest of you, but life hasn't gotten less dangerous "post" trauma, and therefore these "PTSD symptoms" have not become less necessary.

I’m not even sure where you’re going with this argument...?

before any of you respond with some half-baked snide remark

Are you cutting off anyone who may disagree with you?

We must move on from this hateful idea of "mental illness", and recognize our distress as part of a bigger problem if we want to grow as a society.

The idea of mental illness is hateful?

Maybe to you.

To me, it’s not.

Mental illness is what it is.

Yes, the world can suck, but it’s up to us to carve out our own little niche, surround ourselves with people who understand and love us for who we are.

I’m not sure if you’re in denial....? Or maybe you don’t understand what this disorder is really about...?

"PTSD symptoms" have not become less necessary.

This makes me think that we experience the disorder in vastly different ways. I assure you, my symptoms are indeed, unnecessary.

 

[Neverthesame]

There are Link Removed that show just labeling someone "mentally ill" makes people more likely to be hostile to that person.

True. However, the label does have a function. Modern medicine has been working towards becoming a broad established structure reaching the world over, with the hope of providing a unified and consistent level of care to all.
While it certainly has a long way to go, as it stands there are more practitioners than can be reached by a single individual, made up of people from all walks of life and speaking a greater diversity of languages than any one person can learn in a lifetime.
The field itself is ever evolving, as science progresses so too does our understanding and treatment. As such, treatment protocols are established to provide the patient with the most consistent care possible in a field of study too broad complicated and nuanced to be figured out by looking at it.
Labels are useful for maintaining consistency of care for the patient. Punishing the patient for society's failings is not a very effective solution in my opinion.

I do agree that society does hold stigma towards the mentally ill, but that's hardly a good reason to dissolve an entire field of scientific study and practice.
Encouraging people to suffer in silence so as to be spared the barbs of society is kind of disgusting if I'm honest.
As is the idea of calling the mentally healthy people ignorant or sheltered. That's an unhealthy level of denial.

Societal views on mental illness won't be changed by burying our heads in the sand, or trying to shove other people's heads under it.

As an example, look at air travel. More people are afraid of flying than driving in a car. Yet air travel is proven to be far safer than driving. Should we ignore 60 years of documented evidence and declare air travel dangerous simply because of people's irrational fears?

More people are afraid of being struck by lightning than stung by bees. Guess which one kills more people annually? Yup, bees.

before any of you respond with some half-baked snide remark

Well, if the book is anything like the article, I refuse to give that person my hard earned money just to tell a one liner on a forum, so I'll offer a compromise.

I'll put it in a spoiler at the bottom of my post. That will just have to be sufficient.

Spoiler: One Liner

Turns out the Titanic didn't sink, it's actually a submarine.... Who knew? :rolleyes:

 

[somerandomguy]

I'm OK with being diagnosed with a mental illness. I'm OK with being labeled mentally ill. It's just one label of a thousand possible labels that apply to me, and just because there's a stigma around it doesn't mean that it describes me any less.

We're in the world of opinions here, and presenting yours in such a black or white way isn't likely to make you many friends. It might be interesting if you explored why you feel the need to reject this label so strongly. I'm sorry if people have treated you badly due to the stigma around it.

 

[Ronin]

In many ways, I am glad this is an illness.

Not a baseline nature.
Not a character flaw.
Not caused by something entirely powerful & outwith my control, that I will be punished for / by no matter what I do.

Quite a bit of a difference from the explanations of my youth / adolescence / some corners adulthood.

Talking about things as illnesses, hence worth medicine, & some way treatable?
Is actually very humane, & caring.

Edited>

@Neverthesame, your spoiler wins the thread. Succint summary, multi like.

 

[Ronin]

Having bad luck with editing right now:

I think you are taking Szasz wee bit out of context, if nothing else the historical one.

I have not read through his works enough to comment on them, but from the basics, he does not seem to be saying what you interpret him saying as. He is not denying the existence of mental illness, in the slightest.

He is arguing for not arbitrarily using stigmatizing language with *no basis* in evidence, & considers the social circumstances of the person mattering (ie. for ex., not labeling delusion what is lived experience of crime against self, just because the way of reporting it is unusual / extremely emotive.)

That does not suggest even he would believe MI is not a thing.
That suggests he argues it is very much a thing, & neurologically based... with additional factors the treating physicians have to keep in mind, as social circumstances.

 

[grit]

I agree with @lullaby19 to a point.

There are mental illnesses that are based on biological and can be diagnosed and treated by biologically. a lot of other "mental illness" we have in the west are diagnosed by observation, behaviour, symptom and are treated by biological ways which is IMHO suspicious. There are many of them in that special book.

However, PTSD is a very large condition and it can have many co-morbid conditions and it is acquired many ways so I would not put it all in one bag. I will give some leeway to each indiviual's make up and how their chemicals mix with their experience. I will not get to that too deeply because I truly cannot speak for others.

I will say for myself and in agreement with @lullaby19 the following things:
childhood PTSD is not mental illness for me. It is condition that whenever I recover a part or consciousness or function, I am no longer struggling what I did not learn as a child because I was busy dissociating from "I love you, you must love me and I will punish you either way mentality"
I only struggle as an adult for so long because I did not seek help/therapist/ or was not even aware the depth of my issues because again, there were not biological symptoms but more behaviour which as I came aware of could deal with then and there...so I lived an examined life and did not get to the decomposing levels of my condition.
because I have a relatively a very peaceful relationships today and I am not in a relation with my mother and other siblings that contributed or contribute to my condition past and presently, I do not have severe symptoms anymore...I have had them in the past but each recovery freed up some psychological aspects that were locked in fight/flight/freeze energy.
Now that I am in therapy, it is like a rope knot, as I unravel, the unraveling gets faster and faster because I am getting stronger and stronger and extremely becoming fascinated with the process as much as it is harrowing. To know for sure I am not in terror but was acting as if I am, it is eye opening experience for me. I wish (I truly wish) I went to therapy in my 20s. But then, I would have been too close to the fire (relationship and extreme symbiotic one too) with my mother. I do not think I would have been able to even understand any therapist. I actually think I would have been re-traumatized because I was that enmeshed with my mother then.

in essence, PTSD can be mental illness if it is mixed with other conditions/disease/illnesses and completely become unrecognizable by itself. For me by itself, I can say 100% it is like a blind (a parental and environmental blind) that I am unveiling every therapeutic session to see more of the reality that is peaceful and beautiful and wonder how this can be?

I can see how others may take this post but we are all a product of our environment and culture and sometimes we differ and other times we are so much alike. This post could be just one of those.

In terms of talking about Szasz and his ideas, another one that is more radical in this way of thinking is R.D. Laing. I love them both!

Peace out!

 

[Fadeaway]

What purpose does flashbacks have? I know what happened to me, why do I need to relive it, just because someone decided to wear vanilla body spray? Vanilla isn't going to hurt me.

What purpose does hypervigilance have when I am trying to read a book, but the sound of the rain drops hitting the window grates on my nerves like chewing tinfoil?

What purpose does fight or flight have when I have no reason to run but just end up freezing when I try to pour that energy into something productive.

What purpose does insomnia have besides making me so tired I can't function during the day but still can't sleep at night? Once again, it's not like I can get anything done.

What purpose do nightmares have besides causing anxiety and making my sleep deprivation worse?

What purpose does anxiety have when it has no decernable cause but leaves me wanting to claw at my chest in desperation wanting this awful feeling to go away.

What purpose does having tense muscels all the time have besides increasing sales of pain realivers for headaches, jaw pain from clenching my teeth etc.

Not trying to be snide, but when logically you know you are safe but your body responds as if it is in danger all the time, and your symptoms keep you from functioning on a general level, how is it a good thing? Honest question. I will read your reply with an open mind.

 

[frogthroat]

know you are safe but your body responds as if it is in danger all the time, and your symptoms keep you from functioning on a general level, how is it a good thing?

I don't think anyone is saying all of the symptoms of PTSD are "good" like "Wow, I'm so glad I have this condition! BEST THING EVER." I think what's implied is that it's good that they're able to have their clusterf*ck of symptoms grouped together into one diagnosis because that makes treatment options much more specific. No one here is glad they're traumatized. If your body didn't give you flashbacks, sleep issues, etc etc., you wouldn't have PTSD. What purpose does PTSD serve? It's your body going haywire and overprotecting you by keeping you physically and mentally ready to endure abnormal stress. That throws lots of other things out of whack over time. That's it. It's not mental deficiency. You can work on it just like you can do things to help stabilize your blood pressure or manage diabetes or any other illness.
Mental illness isn't an insult. People who have PTSD that decide to get help and begin managing it are strong people who are taking a step to better their overall health.

 

[Justmehere]

@lullaby19 - If de-pathologizing symptoms is working for you, cool.

Others find relief in finally knowing what’s wrong. I do think sometimes people overly connect an illness to identity, and while I don’t think the solution is to never call anything a mental illness, I can recognize some may find some value in not labeling everything as being sick.

I am actually a lot more safe than when trauma happened. My survival responses actually don’t always make me safer, sometimes less safe. Dissociating checks me out of the here and now and robust anxiety zaps my energy to respond more effectively to situations.

Societal reduction in trauma would be really awesome. I’m not sure it’s possible or going to happen anytime soon. No one in human history had been able to stop all trauma from occurring. It will happen.

I try to keep it in balance. I have a mental illness. It does not define me.

 

[Sideways]

but life hasn't gotten less dangerous "post" trauma

Is this a cognitive distortion?

If you are experiencing ongoing trauma, do you have support for that?

If not, and your ‘symptoms’ aren’t causing you problems, then you’re right. You don’t have an illness. It only becomes a disorder when it’s causing a certain degree of, well, disorder. If you’re actually functioning in a really productive way after experiencing trauma? Then probably you aren’t mentally ill...

Doesn’t sound like that’s the case.

To say that ‘mental illness’ doesn’t exist? Is kinda like saying “the brain is the one organ in my body that doesn’t get sick”.

Of course it does. Just like our skin, our gut, our stomach...We get an illness, we treat it as best we can. Including when it’s in our brain.

If you’ve been diagnosed with a mental illness, but your ‘symptoms’ aren’t causing you significant impairment in your life? Then absolutely you should be questioning your diagnosis.

And if your world really isn’t any safer than the traumatic moment that gave rise to your ptsd? Forget mental illness, forget philosophising about stigma, forget online forums - get yourself safe.