"Everyone is mentally ill"

[PrettyWhiteFlower]

I feel like mental illness has become trendy and people feel the need to pathologize perfectly normal feelings and behavior.

I have an autism diagnosis and I have straight up stopped telling people about it because virtually 100% of the time, it results in some asshole saying they think they might be a little autistic because they love nerd culture and hate people.

I'm currently waiting on my autism diagnosis and I've stopped looking at any autism related stuff on the internet as it's so degrading! As a woman I'm sick of seeing posts about how being a girl with autism is all about being clumsy and getting tingles when you hear a song you like. I imagine it's the same for men with people expecting them to all be Sheldon Cooper type geniuses. And the dreaded "Everyone is on the spectrum" in the comments

 

[SchizoPolyGymnast]

I'm currently waiting on my autism diagnosis and I've stopped looking at any autism related stuff on the internet as it's so degrading! As a woman I'm sick of seeing posts about how being a girl with autism is all about being clumsy and getting tingles when you hear a song you like. I imagine it's the same for men with people expecting them to all be Sheldon Cooper type geniuses. And the dreaded "Everyone is on the spectrum" in the comments

I got my diagnosis in the early 90s. Had to go to a special school and everything. Now, all people are unique but I don't believe for a moment that all these people on IG or TikTok have genuine autism. If you're not disabled by it...you don't have it. It's not a damn personality trait and it's not a fandom.

 

[PrettyWhiteFlower]

Something I've noticed is how people can't seem to differentiate between 'feeling depressed' and 'having depression'.

Something bad happens like a job loss or breakup and you 'feel depressed' but you get a new opportunity and you feel good again.

When you have depression it doesn't make a difference if you have a job or don't, have a relationship or don't. Nothing fills that emptiness and you already know that everything will fall apart eventually anyway.

Also I think it's all too common for people to exaggerate with their language. I've had people I know tell me they are depressed but really they were just bored or slightly unhappy with where they were in life at that point.

 

[FadingSnowFake]

You are so right, people don't get it. I don't think it's possible to really get it if you haven't been there or where we are to be here. People may try to understand or empathise, but it's like we live in totally different worlds.

 

[OhhDrugzZ]

But most people arent in bed all the time or suicidal/non functioning from mental illness. Most people just dont get it..

I think that people who never had to deal with Depression, PTSD, being Suicidal or whatever are incapable of understanding what it actually feels like.

 

[divinemistress87]

I'm currently waiting on my autism diagnosis and I've stopped looking at any autism related stuff on the internet as it's so degrading! As a woman I'm sick of seeing posts about how being a girl with autism is all about being clumsy and getting tingles when you hear a song you like. I imagine it's the same for men with people expecting them to all be Sheldon Cooper type geniuses. And the dreaded "Everyone is on the spectrum" in the comments

Im not on the spectrum but I cant stand when people say "Everyone is on the spectrum" its degrading to those that really do struggle with Autism

 

[Gustav Hartmann]

If the statement "Everybody is mentally ill" would be true, the statement "Everybody is physically ill." should be true too. In this case the word ill would have no meaning.

 

[Unbearable Mr. Bear]

I feel like mental illness has become trendy and people feel the need to pathologize perfectly normal feelings and behavior.

I have an autism diagnosis and I have straight up stopped telling people about it because virtually 100% of the time, it results in some asshole saying they think they might be a little autistic because they love nerd culture and hate people.

Ah yes, now that neurodivergent means "You're just different, no need for special care, we accept you hon.", it basically means a lot of people think it's not a problem for the neurodivergent people to be neurodivergent. Even if society accepts us as we are 100%, we will still suffer because it's not a cool thing to have...

 

[SchizoPolyGymnast]

Ah yes, now that neurodivergent means "You're just different, no need for special care, we accept you hon.", it basically means a lot of people think it's not a problem for the neurodivergent people to be neurodivergent. Even if society accepts us as we are 100%, we will still suffer because it's not a cool thing to have...

I wonder how well it will go over when psychopaths and narcissists identify as "neurodivergent."

 

[vitbar]

From a medical POV everyone will be "depressed" somehow and once you say "yes, there are suicidal thoughts" you're mentally ill.

None of all this is an illness!

In most cases it's the reaction to personal circumstances and if they don't change "mental illness" becomes chronic over a long period of time and in many cases it intensifies bc the external circumstances don't change.

I used to think the same about my depression: It's just a reasonable response to my circumstances. More recently I realised this applies to almost all illness. Liver failure is a reasonable response to the circumstance of alcoholism etc.

 

[Hollowman]

Well the vast majority of people think they're going somewhere when they die. So I'd say yeah most people are mentally ill.

 

[Rynalia]

Everyone is mentally ill until it becomes inconvenient for them to be mentally ill.

Then the people who are actually incapacitated to some degree and/or unable to function normally in society due to mental illness are left in the dust.

Pop culture mental illness at its finest.