What Do People Think About The Term 'mental Illness'?

[Queen Boudica]

The opposite of healthy, whole. And illnesses can improve or get worse. It's just that mental illness, more so than most other forms of disease, is especially impacted by the relationships and network one is in. So it's a lot easier for most people to conceive of a *person* as "mentally ill" as a euphemism for "f*cked up" than to use a term that implicates partners, families, and society. I'm not sure what that term would be, but sufferer is pretty accurate.

This is so true. It is an illness that can be so easily fuelled, exacerbated, caused by the partners, families and society. And so many abusers use it against their partners or family members to condemn the sufferer rather than the abuser. And yes, I had not thought about it, but many associate it with lifelong, you are born with it and that is it. Which is not true and the attitude and behaviour of society actually proliferates and prolongs this illness. From the mental health services that are woefully inadequate, prevent access to long term therapy and abuse, force on meds and control you and take away any choice you have. To stigma and fear because you know how you will be treated so don't get treatment early enough, etc. Even if the illness was not ignited by abuse, the system then abuses you and makes the illness worse including the attitude it is all in your head, get over it.

 

[joeylittle]

This thread is a pretty interesting debate on the subject: Redefining Mentally Ill

Just have been thinking about the question, today - and I realized that there's a stigma around more things involving the brain than just mental illness. Alzheimers, neuro-cognitive issues, brain injury/damage/death...makes me think that there might be something in the human DNA that creates a kind of feedback loop with thoughts about damage to the brain in any form, and it's really why so many people feel squicky about the term "mental illness". Not because of the illness part, though that's the part that gets fixated on - but because we are wired to be worried about our heads, no matter what.

I'm not articulating this that well, but does anyone else see this?

 

[anthony]

It doesn't bother me, to be honest. Mental is simply a reference to our brains mental capacity, illness is what it is. Mental illness... its just a word. I'm honestly not into all this political correctness crap. Actually, I hate all the PC bullshit. Words are just words, they have definitions... and I don't care that much what is used to describe something, as long as it has some accuracy to it.

 

[Queen Boudica]

I don't particularly care whether it is PC or not. It is more how the term mental illness is used & understood by the masses, and how it attracts a lot of stigma and putting you into a box that people assume you are psychotic, dangerous, a burden, making it up etc etc. As I said it is used as an excuse almost for people who do the most terrible things, oh they were mentally ill. And that then does affect friendships, jobs, work etc. how people treat you. Whether you are believed about being abused etc. because obviously you are mental so it must be your fault etc. I guess it is that people assume so much when they hear the term mentally ill, because it covers every mental illness which is so diverse in symptoms and people attribute even more terrible behaviour to it.

 

[Deleted member 20978]

Totally. Yes. That.

 

[Teasel]

I used to hate the term really made me angry. I grew up with a bipolar Mum and saw the treatment she received. It horrified me. It seemed to me perfectly understandable why my Mum would get depressed considering what she had been through and how alone she was.
My Dad believed the psychiatrists who said she had a chemical imbalance in her brain.

Still makes me angry thinking about it now. Grew up angry fearful ashamed and determined never to let anyone 'trear' me for mental health issues.

It doesn't bother me so much now but I remember for a long long time I couldn't bear to accept I was mentally ill.

 

[Queen Boudica]

So similar @Belinda because of my sister. I still have so much fear about mental health treatment. And that is part of it, being mentally ill means you have to accept treatment from a system that can make you even more sick, abuse you, ignore your wishes, belittle you or kill you, well it did my sister. It's not that I am mentally ill that gives me the most fear, I know I will overcome that, having the diagnosis explains my life and gives me something to work on to improve it even though sometimes it feels that will never happen. But it is the treatment by people and the attitudes and the mental health treatment that is the teriffying bit. It is trying to find accepting people who understand, and mental health professionals and affording it and not being dragged into the area of mental health that my sister was in. I don't know. Fear.

 

[Teasel]

Yes @Queen Boudica I really did feel just as strongly that the treatment my Mum got was horrific.I saw them as clueless and cruel. I'm so sorry you experienced this with your Sister too.
IDon't think I accept that I have to accept the kind of treatment my Mum had though yes it absolutely has made me very mistrustful and I think I have feared / believed I'll never get any help.

I'm not sure but I think that I'm learning that my beliefs about myself aren't true and are what's hurting me the most. That it's me who's keeping myself in pain.

 

[Queen Boudica]

It was more than cruel @Berlinda, it was complete ineptitude

 

[Nevermore]

I hate it too. Mental illness is, after all, usually a kind of normal emotional reaction to trauma. No one is immune to developing it.
It should be understood as part of the human condition, I think

 

[Queen Boudica]

It is more than an emotional reaction. Childhood trauma leads to changes in brain development and affects your whole body, not only is it emotional it is physical, neurological. Your brain is reacting differently because of the way it developed. It is a natural consequence of trauma, just the same if a child got pollio as a child survived it but had problems walking, our neurological development is changed and that has long term consequences. Is it an illness or a disability?

 

[Go Hungry]

Is it an illness or a disability?

Depends on how you look at it, I would imagine. Diabetes is considered both an illness and sometimes a disability, so I think this falls under the same sort of categorization.

As for the term 'mental illness'.. it doesn't bother me really. I've been bipolar since I was 9, and learning that there was word, a diagnosis for what was wrong with me was a great relief. Same with depression and PTSD. And in my case, the guys at the hospital were very nice. They didn't try to make anyone feel bad or 'less than' because of their issues. All except one, he was kind of a dick. But I only met him once, so whatever. I consider myself lucky, after reading this thread. Though in terms of the industry, I've been very lucky all along, I suppose. There was one doctor who wanted to put me on Haldol when I was very young, but my mother was leery and took me off of it quickly.

The one thing that really bothers me though, is the news and how it insists that all (white) shooters are mentally ill. I don't like that. While in some cases it's certainly true, in others it's just a case of a self-entitled asshat who decides that his anger is more important than other people's lives. And it casts a pall on all of us who never hurt anyone.

The general stigma is a powerful thing, though. I know that my boss doesn't believe in it. I mean, virtually everyone in the building knows me as 'that odd guy from the 10th floor'... Some people think I'm aloof because I avoid contact with others. I have no way of telling them that it's not because I don't like them, it's because I can't stand social interaction. Imagine telling people that... So I just walk around the park constantly on lunch and break in the name of exercise.. LOL, I get 2+ miles in everyday, largely because of my anxiety. I guess it's good for something after all. =)