SoulPancake / Conversations / is mental illness real?

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Hello everyone! Thank you for all of your responses! They were insightful and interesting to read. First off -- I want to apologize to anyone who felt offended by my question posted. It was certainly not my intention and I feel badly that anyone was upset. I think perhaps some people did not read the continuation of the question below the initial question. Either way, I apologize for the confusion. I, in no way, mean to under-mind the seriousness, emotional pain, or feelings of loss that accompanies mental illness. Let me explain further...

I promise you, I do not post this question in ignorance. I come from a long family history of mental illness. My twin brother as well as both of my biological parents have been diagnosed with schizophrenia. My brother and I grew up in foster care because our parents were unable to care for us. I have seen first hand, how mental illness is all consuming and how it affects an entire family. I myself, have struggled with bouts of depression in my past. It is incredibly painful to see family members, loved ones, or even yourself be transformed because of mental illness.

Perhaps my question was poorly worded. I suppose what I am really asking, is if mental illness can be separated from a person. I am a scientist. I have studied the brain extensively. I know that our thought process is made up of millions of action potentials across millions of synapses in the brain. Who we are, in some part, can be attributed to what is going on in the brain -- our chemical makeup and conscious thought. If we are in psychosis, then our thought process is behaving "abnormally". But who is to say what is "normal".

All in all, I don't want to look at my twin brother and see a schizophrenic. I want to see my twin brother. I don't want to see his illness, I want to see his person. And perhaps that person has schizophrenia, but I don't want it to be his identity. My twin brother has been the only constant in my life. He is my best friend and the strongest person I know. There have been some extremely painful times -- watching him move in and out of psychiatric hospitals, some days he didn't recognize me -- but I do not think something is wrong with him. I think he is an extremely intelligent person who has a different chemical makeup than others.

Again, I apologize for anyone who felt offended by my question. I hope this lengthy post clears some of the confusion. Please respond if willing.

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Mental illness is real.

Perhaps the reason why we categorize these behaviours as abberant in the first place is because they do not fit into society. But the long and short of it is that it is a deformity from the otherwise healthy human brain, and for that physical reason, is very real.

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As one who has dealt with depression, anxiety and hallucinations, yes. Mental illness is very real, and extremely painful for those who must deal with it.

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I can't believe someone asked this question.

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Are you kidding me ? Yes, it is real.

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I am trying hard to keep my cool here and not go off on a rant- but this question is born out of so much ignorance that it makes my mind go numb.
In my first psychiatry class many many years ago- the professor told us that the medical understanding of psychosis went about as far as the understanding of what made fever in the dark ages. I found out later that psychiatrists are oftentimes very limited in their actual understanding of mental illness on any level that goes deeper than chemicals. This is where psychology and psychoanalysis step in.
Whatever. Yes. Mental illness is real. It is the cause of huge suffering not only for the one who has it, but the people who have to deal with the person who has it.

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All illness, is, as any thinking person knows, caused by an imbalance in the four humors. So called "mental illness" is, of course, actually possession by the devil. welcome to the 13th century.

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come into my larder - said the spider to the fly - and I will help you understand how sticky webs and injected digestive juices are not real...

you must be one of the 70% of the population yet to have a serious mental health issue I guess...

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Absolutely it's real. It causes a lot of suffering for a lot of people, and requires appropriate treatment to be cured. People questioning whether it's real is a big part of why it's stigmatised, and as a result so many people go without help and continue to suffer.

On the other hand, there are a number of situations, especially where children are concerned, where the slightest deviation in "normal" behaviour results in them being labelled with some bloody syndrome, and the next thing you know, the parents are demanding that their child be medicated back to "normal".

So, I guess what I'm saying is, yes, mental illness is real, and yes, misdiagnosis or overdiagnosis can result in inappropriate treatment.

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Yes I believe mental illness is real.. Depression is real. I know my reply is short .

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I've often questioned the same thing in my mind. The usual psychosis manifest today because they are allowed by society, not encouraged, but we have enough separation and personal distance in our American society that both cause and allow these categorized mental states. We let the individual dwell on their internal emotions i.e. we give them enough rope to hang themselves as long as they go to work and don't bother the average flow of society. Instead of taking my Prozac should I just accept my depression and deal with it - I don't know.

I believe a small tribe of people that live off the earth would have little time for psychosis.

But, sever mental incapacity can and does occur in both situations. History shows that we remove these people from society, in the past probably even killed them. I wish our norms would allow interaction/acceptance of these people, we may have a lot to learn from them.

Look at the savants that exhibit laser like precision in a small aspect of personality, like art, music and math.

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Mental illness is very real. If it impairs your ability to function in society it is a problem. Whether this includes the inability to communicate properly, care for yourself/others or if you become a threat to yourself/others.

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My personal view is that in many cases "psychosis" is spiritual in nature. Existing in, and nurturing certain dark mindsets can manifest over time in altered states of mind, even physically altered brain chemistry.

Such a view, of course, would have to recognize that there are congenital conditions that can greatly pre-dispose a person to mental/psychological imbalance from the get-go. But we also need to recognize that mental illness also tends to develop over time and may even respond to 'early treatment' (meaning the process can be controlled to a degree).

But my current opinion is that a growing proportion of today's mental and psychological imbalance is self/societally-inflicted and begins with spiritual imbalance.
We already recognize that what we feed ourselves physically can have drastic impact on our physical bodies. Why wouldn't the same hold true for our spirit? We're daily bombarded with some rather dark spiritual energies like anger, greed, fear, hatred, angst, prejudice and selfishness and to varying degrees, take them in and feed on them hoping they will make us spiritually stronger.

SoulPancake

Road_to_Joy

is mental illness real?

Road_to_Joy

WarpedGlass1

Mental illness is real.

Perhaps the reason why we categorize these behaviours as abberant in the first place is because they do not fit into society. But the long and short of it is that it is a deformity from the otherwise healthy human brain, and for that physical reason, is very real.

sjma

As one who has dealt with depression, anxiety and hallucinations, yes. Mental illness is very real, and extremely painful for those who must deal with it.

unnoteworthy

I can't believe someone asked this question.

pinkproberts

Are you kidding me ? Yes, it is real.

chantarella

melb2

All illness, is, as any thinking person knows, caused by an imbalance in the four humors. So called "mental illness" is, of course, actually possession by the devil. welcome to the 13th century.

flashbanding

come into my larder - said the spider to the fly - and I will help you understand how sticky webs and injected digestive juices are not real...

you must be one of the 70% of the population yet to have a serious mental health issue I guess...

jemiph

jackie784

Yes I believe mental illness is real.. Depression is real. I know my reply is short .

dknow

K4T4N4

Mental illness is very real. If it impairs your ability to function in society it is a problem. Whether this includes the inability to communicate properly, care for yourself/others or if you become a threat to yourself/others.

Griz

is mental illness real?

Mental illness is real. Perhaps the reason why we categorize these behaviours as abberant in the first place is because they do not fit into society. But the long and short of it is that it is a deformity from the otherwise healthy human brain, and for that physical reason, is very real.

As one who has dealt with depression, anxiety and hallucinations, yes. Mental illness is very real, and extremely painful for those who must deal with it.

I can't believe someone asked this question.

Are you kidding me ? Yes, it is real.

All illness, is, as any thinking person knows, caused by an imbalance in the four humors. So called "mental illness" is, of course, actually possession by the devil. welcome to the 13th century.

come into my larder - said the spider to the fly - and I will help you understand how sticky webs and injected digestive juices are not real...you must be one of the 70% of the population yet to have a serious mental health issue I guess...

Yes I believe mental illness is real.. Depression is real. I know my reply is short .

Mental illness is very real. If it impairs your ability to function in society it is a problem. Whether this includes the inability to communicate properly, care for yourself/others or if you become a threat to yourself/others.

What's Next?

Mental illness is real.

Perhaps the reason why we categorize these behaviours as abberant in the first place is because they do not fit into society. But the long and short of it is that it is a deformity from the otherwise healthy human brain, and for that physical reason, is very real.

come into my larder - said the spider to the fly - and I will help you understand how sticky webs and injected digestive juices are not real...

you must be one of the 70% of the population yet to have a serious mental health issue I guess...