Mentall Illness - Diagnosis

[Madden87]

Hey guys,

I'm new here and have to say, It is very comforting to see so many people here who are also dealing with suicidal ideation; to know that one is not alone.

My idea is as follows;

I'm asking everyone to share how they feel about being diagnosed with a mental illness.

I've seen a psychologist and spoke with my friend who is a psych nurse about this a little bit.

I myself have not officially been diagnosed with any particular mental health issue but I'm sure I would be if I seen more professionals about the subject.

The only thing is - I honestly don't think I'm mentally 'ill' so to speak, rather I am of the mindset that suicidal ideation is a symptom of today's society.

Anyone else feel like this and get a little tired of hearing about mental illness?

I mean, the discussion of mental illness is great and of course I support more and more discussion but....as above; I don't consider myself ill.

 

[not_a_robot]

Diagnosis of "mental illness" is just a source of revenue for "care" organizations. No "help" is available and what "care" there is, is just predation of vulnerable people.
I don't take any of it seriously, it's a scam.

 

[Madden87]

Diagnosis of "mental illness" is just a source of revenue for "care" organizations. No "help" is available and what "care" there is, is just predation of vulnerable people.
I don't take any of it seriously, it's a scam.

Thanks for sharing, I find your view interesting, I agree to a certain extent alright. Are you based in the U.S.? From all accounts I hear , the systems there are notorious for failing people. Not too different from here I guess.

 

[Iwantoutrightnow]

Having a mental illness diagnosis has done nothing to help me, if anything it has just made life more difficult. Over the years different psychiatrists have given different diagnosis which just makes me doubt the reliability of their 'profession'

I don't feel 'ill' as such, just exhausted and tortured.

 

[Orin]

I was diagnosed many years ago, but almost a decade later, i returned to that same psychiatrist and asked if i still had the condition. He did not reply with a black and white yes or no answer; instead it was like he was unsure and he just gave me a vague answer. It's like going to a doctor and asking "do i have cancer" and him not being able to give a yes or no answer. Ridiculous.

In addition to this, i went to another psychiatrist and he said i had no condition at all.

I once saw a video where someone in the mental health field admits that psychiatry is a pseudoscience. This is not that video but it has the same ring to it:

 

[not_a_robot]

Thanks for sharing, I find your view interesting, I agree to a certain extent alright. Are you based in the U.S.? From all accounts I hear , the systems there are notorious for failing people. Not too different from here I guess.

Rosenhan experiment - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Tristevie]

@Madden87, i fully share your point of view, can suicide be inspired by reasons other than an incurable or mental illness, yes according to my vision of things, the freedom of an individual to put an end to his life is not necessarily the consequences of a diagnosis of mental or physical illness.

 

[Madden87]

Having a mental illness diagnosis has done nothing to help me, if anything it has just made life more difficult. Over the years different psychiatrists have given different diagnosis which just makes me doubt the reliability of their 'profession'

I don't feel 'ill' as such, just exhausted and tortured.

Glad to hear this from you, makes me feel a whole lot less crazy!

I was diagnosed many years ago, but almost a decade later, i returned to that same psychiatrist and asked if i still had the condition. He did not reply with a black and white yes or no answer; instead it was like he was unsure and he just gave me a vague answer. It's like going to a doctor and asking "do i have cancer" and him not being able to give a yes or no answer. Ridiculous.

In addition to this, i went to another psychiatrist and he said i had no condition at all.

I once saw a video where someone in the mental health field admits that psychiatry is a pseudoscience. This is not that video but it has the same ring to it:

V. interesting video, you're experiences give a lot more weight to this idea. Thanks for sharing!

Rosenhan experiment - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Thanks for sharing, I'll make sure to give that a read before bed tonight.

@Madden87, i fully share your point of view, can suicide be inspired by reasons other than an incurable or mental illness, yes according to my vision of things, the freedom of an individual to put an end to his life is not necessarily the consequences of a diagnosis of mental or physical illness.

Exactly! Glad to hear from someone with similar views on this subject!

@Madden87, i fully share your point of view, can suicide be inspired by reasons other than an incurable or mental illness, yes according to my vision of things, the freedom of an individual to put an end to his life is not necessarily the consequences of a diagnosis of mental or physical illness.

Following on from this, Isn't it funny (in a non funny way) that so many people who never experience suicidal ideation will argue this relentlessly and make you feel as if there is in fact something wrong with you..

 

[Tristevie]

Following on from this, Isn't it funny (in a non funny way) that so many people who never experience suicidal ideation will argue this relentlessly and make you feel as if there is in fact something wrong with you..
It's really easier to put this on the back of a mental illness, especially for people who can not understand that we want to die by simple choice ...

 

[-Link-]

A diagnosis helps put a name to what you're experiencing (for some people, this is a comfort). It helps with medical documentation (required for social benefits and many specialized treatment programs), and it helps a patient's new doctors or counselors get a quick idea of what their new patient is dealing with.

You'll sometimes get different diagnoses from different doctors, but that's just because they don't fully understand the human brain and psyche enough to base diagnosis off anything but personal observation and interpretation of diagnostic criteria and a patient's presentation. Also, knowledge of the human brain is advancing faster than the medical community can keep up with, so any given psychiatrist could be assessing their patients based on years-old information rather than anything current.

Suicide (and ideation) has many causes besides mental illness. Financial stress, martial problems, just plain tiredness, "goodbye cruel world"... Whether it could be labeled a mental illness depends on what else is going on with the person.

We can be quick to label somebody mentally ill, and people can be quick to label themselves as such, but that's just part of the human condition... We label and judge people (including ourselves) all the time. About everything.

 

[Madden87]

Following on from this, Isn't it funny (in a non funny way) that so many people who never experience suicidal ideation will argue this relentlessly and make you feel as if there is in fact something wrong with you..
It's really easier to put this on the back of a mental illness, especially for people who can not understand that we want to die by simple choice ...

I suppose that makes sense, That suggests to me that these people are unwilling to extend their thought process beyond what they deem to be socially acceptable ways of thinking. Disheartening yet typical

A diagnosis helps put a name to what you're experiencing (for some people, this is a comfort). It helps with medical documentation (required for social benefits and many specialized treatment programs), and it helps a patient's new doctors or counselors get a quick idea of what their new patient is dealing with.

You'll sometimes get different diagnoses from different doctors, but that's just because they don't fully understand the human brain and psyche enough to base diagnosis off anything but personal observation and interpretation of diagnostic criteria and a patient's presentation. Also, knowledge of the human brain is advancing faster than the medical community can keep up with, so any given psychiatrist could be assessing their patients based on years-old information rather than anything current.

Suicide (and ideation) has many causes besides mental illness. Financial stress, martial problems, just plain tiredness, "goodbye cruel world"... Whether it could be labeled a mental illness depends on what else is going on with the person.

We can be quick to label somebody mentally ill, and people can be quick to label themselves as such, but that's just part of the human condition... We label and judge people (including ourselves) all the time. About everything.

Wise words, lots of food for thought there, Thanks Grumble

 

[peacefully31425]

It's helped me understand why I am the way I am. It's also comforting to know that I'm not the only one with these problems, that it's not my fault.

 

[Madden87]

It's helped me understand why I am the way I am. It's also comforting to know that I'm not the only one with these problems, that it's not my fault.

Agree with the comforting part. My friend who is a psych nurse hypothesised to me that everyone has some sort of condition or another, just some people can cope/disguise (with) it better than others