Do Your Family, Friends Understand Your Mental Illness?
543834
Mental Illness is a very misunderstood condition. Often the person suffering the condition has trouble understanding it, how can you expect people who have never experienced it to understand.\n\nMental Illness is about chemical imbalances in the brain. You cannot control the imbalance by 'positive thinking' or by behavioural modification. You generally need drug intervention to get you sorted out. The drugs are the equivelent of putting a broken leg in plaster.  \n\nThere is stigma attached to being mentally ill. But don't worry about it. Take your medications and find a support group in your local area. You will find it easier to cope with if you find one friend who understands.
617614
i think it is because as a person that is living with mental health instead of making mental health my life;...........people as a mass norm,know how they want to deal with everyday people.no challenges not bumps,but to talk with some with a mental health issue we are unsure of the way we are reacted to a mentally challenged person.crazy as sounds you talk to more people with mental issue then ya know.good luck finding your answer.you "DID"just interact with a mentally crazy person......p.s.we can be the most fun at a party too.lol
611495
id ont know what you mean.But if you want the desription then illness is the imbalance in the social, physical and mental bieng of the body.
138301
To better understand the mechanics of human thought. Map the psyche. Study the social/mental operation of society. Differentiate between mental illness and psychosis. The list goes on and on.
26264
Yeah, I agree with what someone else said in a previous comment....If you're able to question rather or not you're crazy, chances are - You're Not!...Unfortunately, I had grown up around people that were mentally ill. (my Grandmother, & a cousin) who has been in & out of mental wards all their life...They didn't know they were ill, nor did they know what they were doing, saying, etc...
792785
Definately family, of course.  A lot of times, your family members will surround you whenever you need them.  Sure, friends can do the same, but family understands you more since they've known you for ages or eversince you were born.  They would know what to say or how to comfort you.
654677
This is life. Don't worry about what other people say or think. My mother has suffered with mental illness for a long time. She now works at a place called the raginspoon this is a place where people with mental illness are paid and treated fairly. My mother is Rose and she is the business manager. She took her illness and made it a positive for herself and for others. I am so very proud of her. Google Raging Spoon and you will find out more info. My mom is in alot of articales explaing about this non profit resturant. Her friend for along time also suffers mental illness started this organization. Diane and my mom have been friends for years and they have over come peoples predjudices about mental illnesse to a certain degree. Keep your head up and carry on! Take care!
166373
Some refinement of this question is most important.\n\nWhat is the mental illness you suffer?  Or, at least, what are the symptoms you are attributing to the mental illness?\n\nMany mental illnesses are characterized by difficulties coping with one or more of life's inescapable stressors; often, either recognizing the stressors and minimizing them, or recognizing the difficulty that is experienced in dealing with them and then learning new patterns of handling the stressor is quite enough.\n\nSome forms of mental illness appear to be due to hereditary malfunctions of critical communications systems in the brain--chemical messengers and their receptors & transmitters, on the whole, though not universally--and these require medication, on the whole.
621271
It is not your fault.  Once you are "labeled" with a mental illness, people unfortunately make assumptions about you.  The Rosenhan experiement is a great study on examining the impact of being labeled with a mental illness: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosenhan_experiment \n(In the study, "normal" people are admitted to psych wards based on the complaint of hearing voices.  Once admitted they no longer claim to hear voices and act as they normally would.  However, because they already had been labeled, it took an average of 19 days for each patient to be discharged from the hospital!)\n\nI think a good approach whenever you are treated this way by someone who knows your diagnosis is to explain that although you have been diagnosed with a mental illness, you are taking the appropriate medications or therapy (although that's not really their business anyway) and that you expect to be treated with the respect with which they treat everyone else.
215722
Not really; everyone is entitled to their faith.  When you get into the area of auditory and visual halluncinatons [tho some call it something else ;) ], then, yes, a psychiatric evaluation would be in order.
1010231
No I don't believe that is fair. I have Lupus and people are so sympathetic towards me in that situation, however I also suffer from depression that years ago was totally debilitating and I often found that people's opinions were along the lines of, "just get out of the house, you will feel better" or "give it time you will get over it" and even "it's not that bad, it's not like you have cancer, then you would really have something to worry about". Well I did have something to worry about, my depression almost cost me my life. People are still generally quite intolerant of Mental Illness and sometimes ignorant of the cause and the extreme depths it can reach. They seem to feel that it's in your control, well depression at least. It's a very sad situation. Another reason that coping with a Mental Illness is so hard and requires more understanding is what you have yourself stated, it seems less acceptable and life threatening.
1026637
My shrink thought I have it but still deciding..... Sigh (I really would like to know or at least be able to be aware! There are A WHOLE WHOLE WHOLE lot of different types and options so you really cannot just say Schizophrenia.
354083
your mental health and social well being have been shown to have correlations with physical health\n\npeople that are happy and have friends and family to support them get sick less and recover faster and more fully when they do get sick (on average)
989552
No, but it's a character flaw if you consistently exploit it.\n\nHowever, an inability to understand the moral consequences of manipulating others can be a sign of mental illness.
517434
Hello there!\nIt must have been hard to have found that out about your girlfriend after being together for 5 months. I must take medication regularly, and I had the same problem with letting people know I took it. You should feel honored that she shared that information with you. It is so hard to even tell anyone that you have a problem, let alone someone so close to you. She is basically taking an anti-depressant, which regulate the level of serotonin in her brain. A mental illness is a disease, like diabetes or hypertension. In order to control our mental illness, we take medication. Just as someone with diabetes must have insulin. When we don't take our meds, it can cause a recurrence of our symptoms--which often includes suicidal thoughts. If you really care about her, you could try and learn about her illness. Be there to support her. People are often inclined to selfish thoughts, thinking how bad they will feel and withdrawing from the very person that needs us. Everyone has some thing or another that we must "deal" with in a relationship. I have had many relationships when the person I was with could not handle the fact I had a problem. I dont' let it run my life and am very loving and responsible. I am sure people will tell you "horror stories" about their illnesses, and these do occur. You did become her boyfriend for a reason right? Focus on her positive qualities and support her. If you feel like you could not handle it, then the best thing to do is to leave the relationship. Good luck to you!
943567
Psychologically speaking, failure to accept the truth is widely recognized as a symptom of a mental disorder. No sh_t!!!!!!!!
829113
It is tough to have a close family member suffering from an illness and it can be uniquely difficult in the case of mental illness.  My father has had bipolar disorder for much of his life and for a very long time he was not diagnosed.  So, your sister is lucky to be on the road to managing her illness and you should be thankful for that, at least.  Although it will probably take quite a while before she finds a treatment system that works for her (medication, counselling, etc.), you should know that you can still have a close and happy relationship with her.  You should also know that you do not need to worry for her.  You should be concerned for her well-being, of course, but if you feel overly worried or overwhelmed, you should perhaps see a doctor.  Personally, I thought for years that it was normal to worry constantly, but it isn't.  If anxiety is regularly interfering with your life, you should seek some medical guidance of your own.