Poll: Mental disorders and you: Would you get rid of it if you could?

[DonMartin]

OP, get the fuck back on your meds, it's not the depression that kills bipolar people it's the mania.

Again, Im cyclothymic, not bipolar, som my manic episodes arent as "bad". But when I do get a bit too excited, so to speak, my friends and family do look after me. And for this I am grateful.

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

I'm not sure.

On the one hand, I hate my OCD and it makes me do stupid stuff far more often than I would like to.

On the other hand, the stupid repeats and other OCD-ish actions calme me down.

 

[DonMartin]

I don't consider depression a "mental illness", because I have yet to meet anyone who isn't or did not suffer from depression at certain parts of their lives.

Naturally, but what I mean by depression is actual chronic depression, people who suffer from it for years and years, and some, like my father, for their entire life.

Although thanks for pointing that out, I should have made my statement a bit clearer.

 

[Sunrider]

I don't consider depression a "mental illness", because I have yet to meet anyone who isn't or did not suffer from depression at certain parts of their lives.

Naturally, but what I mean by depression is actual chronic depression, people who suffer from it for years and years, and some, like my father, for their entire life.

Although thanks for pointing that out, I should have made my statement a bit clearer.

I see. I have yet to encounter that either.
My sister has a tendency to be depressed all the time, but she's pretty much just a drama queen who enjoys melodrama more than any one person should. It's a sad sight to behold, and I don't mean in a way that makes me sympathize with her.

No offense towards your father, I'm not saying he's like that. I'm just saying my sister is.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Depression and hyperactivity.
Makes me a bit eccentric, but fuck me if it doesn't bring a bit of entertainment to an otherwise boring existence. Everyone around here either acts like an asshole or an asshole with a stick up their ass.

 

[Gunner_Guardian]

I have mild Asperger's Syndrome but I wouldn't get rid of it at this point. I socialize fairly well now but I kept all the Aspy perks like being immune to most social pressure a lot of time.

 

[NeonOranges]

Depression is something I've lived with for most of my life now and I've been medicated for pretty much all of it. I have my off days, sure, but since I have been getting proper treatment it's not something that endangers me. I think I would have liked to have been rid of it when I was younger, but it's just become such a part of my routine now that I'm not really sure what life would be like without it.

 

[boradis]

What better bastions of humanity to repopulate our recently reclaimed world? Unless, of course, it turns out that the entire war and this subsequent discussion was solely in the mind of a young, autistic child staring into his snow globe before being called away to wash his hands.

Ooooh, a "St. Elsewhere" reference! Suddenly I don't feel so old.

 

[BeanDelphiki]

I selected the first answer.

I have ADHD; our brains work very differently from the brains of non-ADHD people. It would be impossible to remove it from me without completely altering who I am.

If that were NOT the case, I'd ditch it instantly.

This is all intensely personal since my experience with ADHD is different than yours, but let me ask you this: Do you take anything for it?

The reason I ask is that when I started treatment it took a while to find a combination of meds that worked (which is normal). But the weird thing to me was that I didn't even realize it was working until I read back through about a month's worth of entries in my diary and noticed something strange...

I'd never been able to keep a diary before.

On top of that a lot of the entries went like this:

"These drugs don't seem to be working either, will have to talk to the doctor about trying something else. On an unrelated note, I'm feeling very calm and focused again today. Must be that novel I'm reading, or that restaurant I've been eating at."

It *wasn't* "Invasion of the Personality Snatchers." It was like I had quietly turned into "Super Me," a me who could actually finish things I started. Things I *wanted* to finish, not just things I was told to do.

With the current state of medical science I can only dream of what it would be like to become "Super Me 2" and stay completely free of it, 24/7. The meds are only effective for 6 hours per dose, and even medicated I have more memory and focus problems than a regular person. But they give me a glimpse of an alternate self who is happier and more successful than I am.

So I guess my point is maybe you shouldn't attribute so much of your sense of self to a disorder in one of your organs, even if it is your brain. There's probably a lot more to you than that.

What is this bull.

Okay. First off - yes, I take Dexedrine. It "works" but it's hardly a fucking miracle cure. It makes me so tired when it wears off that it's almost not worth taking because I am essentially worse off than I was without it. Oh yes, and I have a VERY fast metabolism, so it flushes from my system very fast - 3 hours or less. I haven't tried a long-acting med because I can't afford it, though. (And yes, I can tell when it kicks in and wears off. I practically don't need to wear a watch when I'm on it, as I can tell what time it is practically down to the minute by when it wears off.)

Now. "One of your organs." Dude. I'm not fucking talking about my LIVER, I'm talking about my BRAIN. Have you studied the science behind ADHD? Our brains are different in numerous ways. They really do work completely differently.

What that MEANS is that if you removed our ADHD from us, the very way we think and perceive the world would change. I base my "sense of self" on my personality - and a whole goddamn lot of that is how I think and perceive the world.

IT'S NOT LIKE ASTHMA. You can't actually remove it without drastically changing who you are.

 

[boradis]

I have ADD too, I didnt do too well at school either.

I no longer take medication, I'm trying to train my brain to deal with my life naturally.

Good luck with that. And this will sound odd, but I mean that both sarcastically and sincerely. I really doubt it will work, but if it does then good for you!

Not only do I not understand the "But it's part of me!" viewpoint, this "I'll do it naturally" approach completely confuses me. If a certain medication has side effects that make it a bad choice, then yeah I'm all for not taking it. I've switched a couple of times because of that.

But if something helps and you can afford it, why in the name of all that is sane would you ever want to give it up? IMO, having a mental disorder doesn't mean you're crazy -- but refusing effective treatment does.

The only reason I can think of is the social stigma, and to me personally that's not worth the paper its written on. Social stigmas are made up by society so they can mock people they don't understand. And IMO, society as a whole can go f*** itself. They don't know what it's like to be me, they don't know what problems I face, they don't know how the meds help, and they simply do not care to learn. And to add insult to injury, they'll mock me while continuing to ingest enormous quantities of caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, pot, and the entire spectrum of "recreational" drugs.

Meanwhile I take medications for a real condition under the strict observation of a doctor. And for some reason *I'm* the outcast?

Screw them right in the eye. Screw anyone who thinks taking meds for a mental disorder is "weak" or "unnatural."

They say "it's just a crutch" right? When someone has a broken leg -- big surprise -- they *need* a crutch. With a crutch the injured person is better able to get around, even if they're still not 100 percent. That's exactly how meds work.

And what good is a crutch to someone who's legs are fine? Nothing. At best it's an awkward club for fighting off zombies.

So why is there this shame associated with the word and concept of a "crutch?" It's not a goddamn cheat code.

 

[Dr. Pepper Unlimited]

I don;t have any, thankfully, but if I did I would want to get rid of it.

Same answer. I don't have any forms of mental disorder, but if I did, I wouldn't like it to stick around. I'd kick that junk out of my head and slam the door on its ass. Good riddance.

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

I have PTSD and Anxiety Disorder. Judging from the events of my life and people I come into contact with I guess I must have done somthing extremely bad in a former life heh....I would love to get rid of it. Although I do agree in that the ups seem to increase creativity. One of the bad things about mental problems is that no one can see it and so not being able to function properly isn't acceptable.

 

[Zachary Unkle]

Well,I'm not directly affected by a mental disorder,but my younger cousing is afflicted with autism.Because of this,he can only speak basic words and is like a child,yet he's about as intelligent as all the other 13 year old kids.I don't like seeing him suffer with autism,but I don't know if he thinks he's suffering.For all we know,this could be a gift,not a curse.Only he knows,yet he can't tell us.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

Yes and no.

Mostly yes because being depressed for days at a time and feeling sluggish the entire time when I have things to do only makes it worse. I don't feel like doing anything, talking to anybody, or even being among people, and that's the part I would LOVE to get rid of.

However, the only reason I would say no is because I feel I wouldn't be the same person as I am now if I didn't go through that, I wouldn't have the same thoughts and whatnot if I didn't have that experience.

I wouldn't want to know what it would be like if I didn't have it.

 

[ten.to.ten]

I don't have depression. I have post tramatic stress disorder brought on by having to care for my grandmother from the age of twelve to twenty-four. When I was eleven-fourteen years old, I seriously considered suicide just because the three people I cared about the most on this planet died within a sixteen month span. I have paranoia; but I've got a better handle on it than I did when I was a teenager. I used to go into fits of rage for no reason, but I've found ways to control my temper. I don't like/don't trust most people I meet. I'm also genderqueer.

I have two close friends who have severe depression, and, I have to agree it is a terrible mental illness. Unlike my problems where I can just tell myself to 'knock it off', they can't do that, and it is sad to watch when they get in that bad a state. Thankfully, they both have enough sense to take medication, otherwise I know something very bad would happen.

I have PTSD too, but I've had a lot of EMDR and it's done an amazing job of healing it. Even huge things that seem insurmountable like PTSD can be treated. You don't have to go through it anymore if you don't want to. Also, being genderqueer has nothing to do with PTSD.

 

[boradis]

What is this bull.

A polite attempt to reason with you and ask you to consider that there's more to you than this disorder. I'm sorry you found it offensive.

Okay. First off - yes, I take Dexedrine. It "works" but it's hardly a fucking miracle cure.

Granted. I take sustained release (SR) Dex, so I get about six hours of "upgrade" per dose. Two doses are enough to get me through an entire day, and then I wind down and go to bed. But yeah, if I miss a dose or a day then I sleep forever. I'm sorry you can't afford the SR version (your insurance, if you have it, must truly suck -- and I'm sorry about that).

Now. "One of your organs." Dude. I'm not fucking talking about my LIVER, I'm talking about my BRAIN. Have you studied the science behind ADHD? Our brains are different in numerous ways. They really do work completely differently.

No matter how emphatic you feel, your brain is one of your organs. ADHD is a condition that affects one portion of it. My point was that when I'm medicated and "firing on all cylinders" and close to being whoever I'd be without the ADHD I'm STILL ME. Minimizing the symptoms of ADHD doesn't steal my soul, or turn me into another person in the slightest, I am simply able to remember, stick with and finish things. There is a lot more to me than this condition.

Maybe it's different for you. Maybe you feel there's a Jekyll and Hyde difference between your medicated and un-medicated self. But even if that were true in my case it would be a medication that turned my default Hyde into a temporary Jekyll. And, yeah, I'd take it all the time. Being Mr. Hyde sucks ass.

What that MEANS is that if you removed our ADHD from us, the very way we think and perceive the world would change. I base my "sense of self" on my personality - and a whole goddamn lot of that is how I think and perceive the world.

You are overstepping your bounds here. Do not talk about removing "our ADHD from us" as if your condition gave you authority to speak for others. You do not have the right. My ADD is mine. Your ADHD is yours. You are not qualified to speak for anyone but yourself. I do not believe as you do, nor do many other people with AD/HD.

IT'S NOT LIKE ASTHMA. You can't actually remove it without drastically changing who you are.

Maybe you can't, and I'm sorry for you. But in my opinion it is EXACTLY like asthma, or being far-sighted, or having a broken leg. And please do not presume to tell me any different since you are not me. For me, an *improvement* in my perceptions of the world and an *improvement* in how I think not only don't change who I am, they free me to be myself. Wearing glasses literally changes how I perceive the world, but does not alter who I am. Going to school literally alters how I think, but does not alter who I am. Minimizing my ADD symptoms improves how I perceive the world and enhances how I think, but does not alter who I am.

Removing them entirely would be entirely freeing.

 

[Bags159]

No offense, but is there anyone on this site who doesn't have a mental disorder?