What is mental illness?

[Disaster Button]

I was wondering this the other day.

Was sometihng like, what constitutes a mental illness? Is it not just a different personality, different type of behaviours and not an illness? Of course I don't really know enough to answer this question but it does make me wonder..

 

[Malkavian]

purely mental (such as depression).

Depression is very much a physical thing. I suffer from it. I won't pretend to have a deep understanding of what causes the ilness, but basicly, it is the brain producing too little of the chemicals that "reward" us for actions.

 

[khaimera]

If mental illness were on the same par as phsycial ilness talk therapy would do nothing. We can heal ourselevs and cure ourselves of all mental ilness through lifestyle changes. Cancer does not work that way.

That is simply not true. Therapy works for some people with mild cases of situational depression but it's not going to stop a schizophrenic from experiencing auditory and visual hallucinations. It's going to do nothing for the person who can't walk outside without having a panic attack. It's not going to help the person who feels like the only peace they're going to get out of life is when they finally succeed in killing themselves.

Medication helps people with genuine mental illnesses. Note I say genuine. There is a distinction between situational depression and clinical depression that I don't think you're grasping here. Being depressed because your mother died is normal. Being depressed even when you've got plenty of money, great friends, a good job, and a loving significant other is not.

Here are some facts for you.
1. Therapy is equally effective as medications for all mental illness except for schizophrenia. Plus it has no side effects

Absolutely not. You tell that to my roommate who would still be in the hospital in a semi-catatonic state were it not for her medication.

2. Anxiety is not a nervous system disorder. The medications work on tht system, but it is not the cause.

What would you consider anxiety then?

3. I've experienced depression first hand in my own life and know exactly what it feels like.

Having gone through situational depression is not the same as being born with a mental illness.

Well, in repsonse to your repsonse about my response, jk.
1. You can loko in any psych textbook and see the finding that therapy and meds work about 60% of the time.
2. Anxeity is, in my opinion, a thought disorder caused by the maginification of normal worries, Meds slow down the entire nervous system which seems to quiet the brain also. Its not casual though, just correlational.
3. People are not bron with mental illnes. It takes experiences for our brain to develop into what it becomes. Depression is not caused by a checmical imbalance. Drug companies will say otherwise for obvious reasons. Nobody talks about how there are over 12 subtypes of serotonin, of which we have no idea what over half of them are or do. It could be argued that all depression is situational.

 

[mayney93]

mental illness is what they said on top gear u think u live under a rock in the sea so you bought a bmw x3 and u also bought a mac thinking it was cost effective

 

[herio]

its wwere you have problems comatcoting well with overs or if your really lucky some times have comatcoting well with overs but in the eand when you go for help your beaatherh the people you have for help for so get ready to be talk down to be a lot of people

 

[Dimbo_Sama]

It's too open-ended a question to truely come to an answer with.

I have Aspergus Syndrome, which was diagnoseable(for wont of a real word) because of a physical differance in my brain, but most people wouldn't think I have a mental condition, they'd just think I'm, 'quirky' and a tad ignorant.

But when you're talking about something like depression that's a differant story alltogether. What constitutes depressed? I have a friend who suffers from on and off bouts of chronic depression but you wouldn't think she had it, and it's easily explainable as something else.

Not to be-little people who suffer from depression, but it's easy to misdiagnose it, or just assume that someone's just plain weird.

 

[GrinningManiac]

Damage or illness without any physical symptons which cause disruption to the thought patterns and mindset of the sufferer, much like a cold would affect breathing/taste and cancer affects a person's strength and immunity against other diseases

 

[bug_chaser]

As a 'Pseudo-psychotic' (meaning I'm probably psychotic but they don't want to 'label' me just yet)

I was diagnosed and put into a hospital for these reasons.

.Not cutting my hair
.Not washing
.Not Going to school
.Being happy
.Playing video games

As you can see - it is mostly vanity based things that I refused too do - I would answer back to my Psychiatrist - I would outwit her, easily.

She would say 'People need to wash to feel good about themselves'
I would reply 'No, people need to wash because they society has ingrained into them the idea that by being aesthetically pleasing, good things will happen'

She would shut up.

I didn't go to school because it was a cage - I can safely say I've learnt more of the abuse of the internet than the abuse of school.

When I was in school - I knew nothing, i tiped lik dis lol, and I had little attention span.

When I left school - I saw options, I could be free to be myself.

And lastly - I played video games, the escapist (A gaming community) probably understands this one fully.

I play games to have fun.



In final - I am happy - I am not ill, society had labeled me as such because I am not like them.

There's an old joke that the difference between "eccentric" and "crazy" is money. In other words, if your lack of education and hygiene is met by, say, such artistic talent that you're self-sufficient-and you are able to connect well enough with people that you are satisfied and happy in your relationships-it's certainly not up to us docs to say that you're nuts. If, on the other hand, that is not the case, then it would be a reasonable premise to explore that your differences from societial norms are a source of psychological stress and discomfort for you. In other words (and getting back to the OP), we don't drive around with those giant butterfly nets; we do our best to help our patients. If it's not a problem for the patient-and the DSM is at pains to specify this-it's not a problem.

 

[Malkavian]

Depression is not caused by a checmical imbalance. Drug companies will say otherwise for obvious reasons.

I beg your pardon? I suffer from depression, and my doctor has told me that medium and heavy depression usually stems from a chemical imbalance.

My stepmother who aslo battled with depression some years ago, was told the same from her doctor.

The little reading I have done myself(very limited...) on the subject, also informs me that indeed, medium and heavy depression usually is a chemical imbalance.

I'm not saying you're wrong - I have no education on the subject. But I find it odd that two professional oppinions should be downright wrong.

 

[gremily]

 

[khaimera]

Depression is not caused by a checmical imbalance. Drug companies will say otherwise for obvious reasons.

I beg your pardon? I suffer from depression, and my doctor has told me that medium and heavy depression usually stems from a chemical imbalance.

My stepmother who aslo battled with depression some years ago, was told the same from her doctor.

The little reading I have done myself(very limited...) on the subject, also informs me that indeed, medium and heavy depression usually is a chemical imbalance.

I'm not saying you're wrong - I have no education on the subject. But I find it odd that two professional oppinions should be downright wrong.

They are not wrong per se, they are just over simplifying a much mor c omplex phenomenon. Truth is that we just don't understand mental illness. I for one do not trust most doctors who are often in bed with the drug companies. Drug companies pushed the idea that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance simply becuase the meds seemed to work. Ask them why they work and there is no answer. Why do the meds cause such a diverse range of side effects? Again no answer. Meds are profitabel and have thus become the treatment of choice. After reading much research I just want peopel to knwo that issue is not anywhere near as black and white as doctors like to tell us. If your meds work, great, keep taking them.

 

[khaimera]

I don't have your experience, but I do have a degree in Psychology. And I think that people think of mental illness as being too easily definable and distinguishable from normal behavior patterns. However, I wouldn't be so quick as to say that mental illness doesn't exist. Like pretty much everything in Psychology, Mental Illness is just a useful construct that helps to form effective approaches to problems. That's why there's the standard of, "Its not an illness unless it screws up your life". Mental illness exists in the same way that the concept of Hot exists: There may be no clear barrier between what is Hot and what is cold, but its certainly useful to have a label that separates room temperature from the center of the sun. That, and some conditions can be defined about as effectively as you can define someone having a disease. Basically, I think mental illnesses do exist, because thinking that way can be helpful.

Well done my friend. This was an excellent definition and captures the essense of diagnosis. I wonder sometimes who benefits most from this construct, the patients or the doctors.

 

[Berethond]

snip

Well, of course mental illness is real.
There are some very real and proven conditions that can exist because of imbalances or malfunctions in the brain.

Unfortunately, these can be extremely difficult to properly diagnose and treat. (All of this you are undoubtedly aware of.)

 

[buklau]

If mental illness were on the same par as phsycial ilness talk therapy would do nothing. We can heal ourselevs and cure ourselves of all mental ilness through lifestyle changes. Cancer does not work that way.

That is simply not true. Therapy works for some people with mild cases of situational depression but it's not going to stop a schizophrenic from experiencing auditory and visual hallucinations. It's going to do nothing for the person who can't walk outside without having a panic attack. It's not going to help the person who feels like the only peace they're going to get out of life is when they finally succeed in killing themselves.

Medication helps people with genuine mental illnesses. Note I say genuine. There is a distinction between situational depression and clinical depression that I don't think you're grasping here. Being depressed because your mother died is normal. Being depressed even when you've got plenty of money, great friends, a good job, and a loving significant other is not.

Here are some facts for you.
1. Therapy is equally effective as medications for all mental illness except for schizophrenia. Plus it has no side effects

Absolutely not. You tell that to my roommate who would still be in the hospital in a semi-catatonic state were it not for her medication.

2. Anxiety is not a nervous system disorder. The medications work on tht system, but it is not the cause.

What would you consider anxiety then?

3. I've experienced depression first hand in my own life and know exactly what it feels like.

Having gone through situational depression is not the same as being born with a mental illness.

Well, in repsonse to your repsonse about my response, jk.
1. You can loko in any psych textbook and see the finding that therapy and meds work about 60% of the time.
2. Anxeity is, in my opinion, a thought disorder caused by the maginification of normal worries, Meds slow down the entire nervous system which seems to quiet the brain also. Its not casual though, just correlational.
3. People are not bron with mental illnes. It takes experiences for our brain to develop into what it becomes. Depression is not caused by a checmical imbalance. Drug companies will say otherwise for obvious reasons. Nobody talks about how there are over 12 subtypes of serotonin, of which we have no idea what over half of them are or do. It could be argued that all depression is situational.

What about people with multiple personality disorder? Is it 'nurture' that has caused their brains to operate differently under PET scans when they switch between their different personalities? Why do Schizophrenics benefit from L-Dopa (until they reach a tolerance for it and develop Parkinson's?) Why do Schizophrenics normally develop symptoms around early adulthood and are catatonic schizophrenic's just 'faking it'? Why do kids with ADHD become calm and focused with a mild stimulant, yet 'normal' kids become hyper active with it? Why do people who suffer from depression have decreased levels of serotonin compared to others who describe themselves as 'content' or 'happy'? Are autistic savants nurtured into having abnormally high activity in certain brain regions?

There is plenty of evidence for biological basis. This is why the most effective form of treatment is a combination of medication and therapy. Therapy is very important in learning to deal with issues that prevent you from functioning normally, but most people sadly believe all they need are drugs.

If you are really interested in the biological bases for mental illness, perhaps you should look into getting an actual medical degree as a psychiatrist, rather than just dismissing 'drug companies claims of chemical imbalance' as hogwash.

 

[The Bandit]

I know what you're getting at here, and I disagree.

Ever read 1984? A favorite quote from the book: "Sanity is not statistical." A sane man is sane- no matter how many insane people surround him. An insane man is insane- no matter how many sane men surround him. They're set definitions. The majority- society- does not determine them.

Insanity is consistent deviation from rationality. Rationality is possessing the ability to recognize the truth as absolute. It means you make no attempt to distort reality.

Transitively, insanity is attempting to distort reality (obviously, this is most of the time an unconscious decision, but that's really irrelevant). So, yes, it's very intellectually curious to argue that society determines who is sane and who is insane. But, society cannot determine reality. Another quote: "There was truth, and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth, even against the whole world, you were not mad."

Yes. I live my life according to quotes from 1984. It's more fun than the Bible.

 

[ADDLibrarian]

I was originally going to say "well if you're a mental health therapist, it must be a great career to work with something that doesn't exist" but someone already called you out on that one.
So I guess my question would be why are you turning to gamer nerds forum for data on your thesis when a therapists or mental health forum would make for more specific answers to your query?
I guess I'm also getting a little aggressive because having depression and ADD myself, having someone seemingly tell me that it's "all in my head" harhar, is a tad belittling.
My definition of a mental disorder is more general: any disorder or ailment which causes the brain and/or endocrine system to not work at their best level. Yes, I suppose you could say that a nail in the skull is considered a "mental disorder" in the same way that your own urine could be considered a "beverage" to take an awful Zero-punctuationesque analogy, which on retrospect is working against my argument, but then I stopped caring a while ago and the fact that I have a cold is not helping. It just takes some common sense in order to classify a disorder or ailment as a mental disorder. Yes Virginia, mental disorders do exist.

 

[brewbeard]

When we start calling it "mental illness" simply because someone is misbehaving in some arbitrary fashion, then we've probably gotten off track. Even "chemical imbalance" seems like a risky platform to stand on. Aren't most human emotions chemical imbalances? Isn't happiness a chemical imbalance? Nobody ever seems to get a prescription to deal with that, though. I feel we enter a realm of chicken-or-the-egg. Is the mental state which we call "happy" CAUSED by these chemicals or does a series of events result in a tendency towards happiness, which the brain represents via those chemicals? So if we change the chemicals, it seems a bit like removing 4th gear in your car. All things which mean you should be in 4th gear are present but you are not, in fact, in 4th gear, because we simply removed that gear.

This paragraph calls to mind the 'mood organs' of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? where, instead of feeling emotion, people control what they want to feel and for how long in the same manner you or I would pick what songs to listen to on an iPod. It's a very unreal concept and the increasing focus on treating psychological problems with chemical elixirs makes its development seem not so far off. Can you imagine the atrocities that could be committed if men could just turn off conscience and replace it with an affirming sense of accomplishment? How much more impersonal would the status quot become?

 

[Cargando]

purely mental (such as depression).

Depression is very much a physical thing. I suffer from it. I won't pretend to have a deep understanding of what causes the ilness, but basicly, it is the brain producing too little of the chemicals that "reward" us for actions.

Really? I always assumed it was a purely mental illness, thank you for correcting me.

 

[Ammadessi]

Well, in repsonse to your repsonse about my response, jk.
1. You can loko in any psych textbook and see the finding that therapy and meds work about 60% of the time.
2. Anxeity is, in my opinion, a thought disorder caused by the maginification of normal worries, Meds slow down the entire nervous system which seems to quiet the brain also. Its not casual though, just correlational.
3. People are not bron with mental illnes. It takes experiences for our brain to develop into what it becomes. Depression is not caused by a checmical imbalance. Drug companies will say otherwise for obvious reasons. Nobody talks about how there are over 12 subtypes of serotonin, of which we have no idea what over half of them are or do. It could be argued that all depression is situational.

1.Meds + Therapy is the best thing for somebody with mental illness, I agree, but you can't remove medication and have the therapy work on it's own. I could talk to a psychologist until I'm blue in the face but it's not going to do the same to my brain as an SSRI does.

2. I'm not as well versed in anxiety as I am in bipolar disorder. I did suffer from panic attacks related to agoraphobia, but when I got on the right medications for my bipolar disorder the phobia disappeared, along with my anxiety. I'm sure that's not a typical case.

3. I'm sorry but I'll simply have to disagree with you. If mental illness is not caused by genetics, then why do I come from a long line of people with mental illness? My great-grandparents, my grandparents, my mom, my aunt, my uncle, my cousins, etc, everyone in my immediate family has bipolar disorder.

I'm sure you could argue that by being raised with people with mental illness I developed it myself, but how does that jive with the fact that my mother was always medicated, and my grandparents were not diagnosed until long after I was?

Usually bipolar disorder is sparked by puberty, but if it was simply the changing of hormones in our brain that did it, every teenager would be bipolar. We can agree to disagree, as I have seen too much evidence that mental illnesses are genetic.