What Do You Think Of "traumatic Psychiatric Injury" Versus "mental Illness"?

[scout86]

As a friend of mine likes to say, "It's nothin' but a thing." :D

 

[Deleted member 1860]

So is the consensus that the "mental illness" term should be thrown away all together and not used for depression, anxiety, bipolar, schizophrenia, ADHD.....?

 

[Ocean5]

But it still gave me a lot of comfort

If it brings you "comfort" call it that. That's what's important! Comfort.

When I was diagnoses I was told it was from ongoing childhood trauma. That I was just a kid, and my mind/body protected itself. That's it's a natural way a child deals with that type of situation. I consider it a serious injury, but...

I would like to say, when doing some research on a family member I learned there is a correlation between childhood trauma and Schizophrenia. It said they believed some people are predisposed to it and early trauma triggers it (Wow and so very sad...)

I'm extremely grateful I don't suffer from it. But research got me thinking how many other mental illnesses may actually be brought about by childhood trauma??? Maybe we need to reexamine true causes? Maybe this is why so many are misdiagnosed for so long?

 

[Ed Norton]

I'm personally tired of the term mental illness, I hate it. Because I go to a place where they constantly use the term, nonstop. It's used to define who we are, not what we have.

Before anyone jumps on me as to why I continue to attend counseling services at this place. Two reasons I really like my T and psychologist. I trust them. It's extremely difficult to find a good T in my particular situation.

 

[Ronin]

My understanding of this has been greatly shifting... mostly I was fairly amazed when I first realized that long term stuff I couldn't put aside isn't me being broken and doing the repairs wrong ;D (Eventually that it isn't just choice, and that it isn't well deserved demons. Add a long line of clusterf*ck I believed about the supernatural that was only good for getting myself into complicated longterm situations.)

These days, don't know don't care. It's the effects I care about dealing with. Not the stamp.

 

[Lionheart]

I have a psychological injury, I am not mentally Ill!!!! I think the term 'mentally ill 'stigmatizes people and I don't like it!! I think it infers that there is something wrong with my brain.which may partially be true but it is due to injury and not a deficiency...Just my 2 cents.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

I think what pisses me off about this thread is that there is an underlying current that "WE" are somehow better than everyone else who has a mental illness because "WE" are injured by DEFINITION and they are not. Well, we ALL know this is a bunch of BS. "NURTURE" (as opposed to nature) can indeed cause every other mental illness out there, but because "nurture" is in our diagnosis, we are somehow superior and don't fit in with those people who have biological mental illnesses? Honestly, this reeks of superiority and you guys, its so unattractive.

I own the fact that I'm mentally ill. Have fun running away from the truth. Once you own it, it can't hurt you anymore. (Denial vs acceptance.....I choose acceptance every time.)

 

[Anarchy]

Personal position is we are free to identify and self own in any way we like, so long as we don't compromise the ability of anyone else to do likewise.

So is the consensus that the "mental illness" term should be thrown away all together and not used for depression, anxiety, bipolar, schizophrenia, ADHD.....?

It's almost certainly not the consensus, but it is an interesting question to ask whether medicalization in any way benefits the people who exhibit the groups of characteristics which those "conditions" are short hand for,

Or whether anyone would actually loose any sleep if it did become the consensus position.

actually, on second thoughts, I can see a lot of people on the service provision rather than consumer side, loosing an awful lot of sleep

 

[scout86]

there is an underlying current that "WE" are somehow better than everyone else who has a mental illness because "WE" are injured by DEFINITION and they are not.

Could be an element of the need to deny the reality of the condition, or the stigma that can come with it.

Personally, being referred to as "ill" sets me off because it comes with the connotation of weak, pathetic, and in need of care taking. And all of that sets me off, I suppose, because the whole idea of being any kind of vulnerable is a bit of a problem for me. But that's ME and that's why I won't refer to myself as having a "mental illness". I actually prefer "crazy" because it provokes such interesting reactions.

 

[Ed Norton]

I agree, just call me crazy and leave me alone!

 

[Anarchy]

I think I'd find being referred to as "normal"


a bit offensive, it sort of implies, plain vanilla flavour and a bit dull, some sort of clone.

 

[greenleaf]

Hmmm, I do think I like "not normal". I could settle on that one. All the other conditions that Solara mentioned can fit there too, so it's not being superiorist.
:geek::p

I don't think that wishing to focus on something being caused by external forces is elitist though... why compare ptsd to just those conditions, why compare it to anything.

Some of the trouble I've had with "mentally ill" also stems from the minimization/denial of the actual *events* that caused my ptsd in the first place, which is really common for folks. The stigma present with "mental illness" does not only give ptsd sufferers the troubles associated with peoples' attitudes toward them (which is a form of prejudice, that no one should have to face), but it often is related to people *not believing us*... the trauma didn't really exist, wasn't very bad, that sort of thing...

If we are not being believed about the trauma, it both often damages us in an ongoing way, can prevent proper treatment, but also can prevent abusers from being held accountable or stopped from doing further harm.

We're often in the position of having to depend on "normal" people to believe us, for our safety... I think that's part of why my brain decided not to let emotions/experiences stay in consciousness that would have made no sense to "normal" people.

(e.g. "that woman is just crazy and unstable, don't listen to her -- after all she cries too much, won't go out at night, she even heard voices once..., that fine citizen living next to her would never assault anyone...")

So, I think I actually feel unsafe for two main reasons when I sense stigma coming up... the stigma and prejudice that cause many problems on their own that no one should have to suffer, plus possible additional trauma/violence issues that happen when our community does not believe or help protect us due to the stigma, but we have a connection to a perpetrator that we need to break.