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Mental illness labelling

Is there only me who thinks that society is going to far with 'discovering' and diagnosing all these mental illnesses? I mean I understand that they need to be treated and affect peoples lives in which case medication should be given. I guess what im saying is that its annoying how more and more labels are given to people like ADD or ADHD, social anxiety disorder, selective mutism etc. Does any one think that maybe it is just how the person is as in there personality? If kids have too much energy and run around a lot they have Attention deficit disorder and if they are quiet people question if they have social anxiety and are withdraw why do they have to be somewhere in the middle?. Everyone is different so you will get extreme loud and quiet lol. Soon it might end up that only a very short personality range is normal and healthy. I bet almost everyone has some mental disorder according to the symptoms.

Or am I just thinking stupid?

Reply 1

bigforehead

ha, according to the criteria for an ideal mental health we would all be abnormal/mentally unhealthy in one way or another. However, you have to have number of factors before you can be diagnosed as even having a mental illness..

but i see what you mean, as well as the fact some mental disorders are more important to treat than others..

Reply 2

bigforehead

ha, according to the criteria for an ideal mental health we would all be abnormal/mentally unhealthy in one way or another. However, you have to have number of factors before you can be diagnosed as even having a mental illness..

but i see what you mean, as well as the fact some mental disorders are more important to treat than others..

Reply 3

SellPanta

what about, for example, the spectrum of autism?

Reply 4

poetic_harriyot

bigforehead

ha, according to the criteria for an ideal mental health we would all be abnormal/mentally unhealthy in one way or another. However, you have to have number of factors before you can be diagnosed as even having a mental illness..

but i see what you mean, as well as the fact some mental disorders are more important to treat than others..

There is the school of thought that says everyone in inclined towards a different mental 'illness'.

As a manic depressive, my opinions on the media and mental health are somewhat different. I hate the stigma surrounding it. But I do see your point... everything has a name now. And in most cases it really is just the personality of the individual.

But, in other cases, the person needs help and it is at these times that the 'labels' are needed to clarify the condition and structure treatment programmes.

Reply 5

ßlαcksωαn

17

Hmmm, quite an interesting point. It might just seem that way because of more awareness about these mental illnesses. I mean 100 years ago these people would have been locked up and declared "crazy" "insane" "mad" but today they realise the factor of cause. If you lok at statistics of mental illness, rates have increased, but this is mostly because more realise or have been diagnosed, not so much that more people have got it..The ADHD thing is diffucult to judge. Many kids seem to have it nowadays...Perhaps it is put into people's head and yes maybe sometimes people do over react and push something onto the individual..it's all hard to determine.

Reply 6

goodLife

poetic_harriyot

There is the school of thought that says everyone in inclined towards a different mental 'illness'.

As a manic depressive, my opinions on the media and mental health are somewhat different. I hate the stigma surrounding it. But I do see your point... everything has a name now. And in most cases it really is just the personality of the individual.

But, in other cases, the person needs help and it is at these times that the 'labels' are needed to clarify the condition and structure treatment programmes.

I agree with the latter, to be honest I think that I have a lot of things wrong but have never been diagnosed with anything I blame it on my parents. I didn't talk until I was 2 and half and then at infant school would not smile or make friends, only with family. My parents just said I was being stubborn, I hardly said a word in lessons at high school and college and now have anxiety, can't hold a job down properly and my parents are yelling at me saying that I have always been stubborn and that its my personality.

Maybe im just self obsessed but sometimes I get mad at my parents and aunt for thinking there is nothing wrong apart from attention seeking but then maybe they are right and its just personality. Ive no idea.

On the other hand my aunt (the one who thinks im attention seeking) is constantly telling my mum when she tells her son off for running round the house, that he has ADD and can't help it. If I get blamed for my behaviour so should he lol, despite the age gap :rolleyes:

Sorry this doesn't contribute much I just thought Id give an example :redface:

Reply 7

SellPanta

blackswan

The ADHD thing is diffucult to judge. Many kids seem to have it nowadays...Perhaps it is put into people's head and yes maybe sometimes people do over react and push something onto the individual..it's all hard to determine.

Aye. Most 'mental illnesses' are difficult to judge and an individual who is diagnosed with a specific 'illness' will never usually meet all the criteria anyway. Your idea of ADHD being more a 'state of mind that can be learnt and is not innate' is precisely right. Who's to say that whether it is or isn't? Who's to say that modern society does not affect development in children in ways we cannot imagine. Imagine a child brought up in a busy city like london, with working parents - from a young age they are going to be over stimulated and thus perhaps prone to developing ADHD, for example.

Reply 8

Joric

horrorboy

Is there only me who thinks that society is going to far with 'discovering' and diagnosing all these mental illnesses? I mean I understand that they need to be treated and affect peoples lives in which case medication should be given. I guess what im saying is that its annoying how more and more labels are given to people like ADD or ADHD, social anxiety disorder, selective mutism etc. Does any one think that maybe it is just how the person is as in there personality? If kids have too much energy and run around a lot they have Attention deficit disorder and if they are quiet people question if they have social anxiety and are withdraw why do they have to be somewhere in the middle?. Everyone is different so you will get extreme loud and quiet lol. Soon it might end up that only a very short personality range is normal and healthy. I bet almost everyone has some mental disorder according to the symptoms.

Or am I just thinking stupid?

No you are right. One day all of us will be labeled with something.

Reply 9

ForumFreak

9

I think some labels are used too much. I dont doubt that these mental illnesses or learning difficulties exist though. It just bugs me the way everyone I know claims to have something and how they keep making new ones up so everyone can have one. Isnt shyness now a mental illness?

Also I dont see why people want themselves or their kids to be diagnosed with problems they dont have. Surely it just restricts you. I had some mild behaviour problems as a child and my parents disciplined me instead of trying to get me labelled with a disorder and I'm really glad they did.

Reply 10

yenohcif

what i think is that for some people they get to scare when to know someone or somebody have a mentall illness.. what's wrong with it anyway? they all human right? can we just treat them like one?

yeah i admit some organization use them to make money for the self.. that is so wrong

Reply 11

toth8

3

horrorboy

Is there only me who thinks that society is going to far with 'discovering' and diagnosing all these mental illnesses? I mean I understand that they need to be treated and affect peoples lives in which case medication should be given. I guess what im saying is that its annoying how more and more labels are given to people like ADD or ADHD, social anxiety disorder, selective mutism etc. Does any one think that maybe it is just how the person is as in there personality? If kids have too much energy and run around a lot they have Attention deficit disorder and if they are quiet people question if they have social anxiety and are withdraw why do they have to be somewhere in the middle?. Everyone is different so you will get extreme loud and quiet lol. Soon it might end up that only a very short personality range is normal and healthy. I bet almost everyone has some mental disorder according to the symptoms.

Or am I just thinking stupid?

Who cares? Mental illness doesn't exist.

Reply 12

ßlαcksωαn

17

toth8

Who cares? Mental illness doesn't exist.

Can you prove this?

Reply 13

toth8

3

Prove what? People with mental illnesses don't share the consensus reality, that's all.

Reply 14

Kit-kat-Kate

I agree with the OP, its getting abit mad with the diagnosing of 'mental illnesses'. People get labelled as abnormal when there isn't really anything wrong with them, like ADHD or social anxiety disorder <--- technically i have that but im not mentally ill!

Reply 15

fairy spangles

1

Whats normal and why do people have to conform??
Im always bouncing off the walls one way or another - but to be honest its not a problem its just what im like, its called having a personality. I think if ADHD hadnt been made so public then so many people wouldnt have it. If people werent told there kids werent meant to be hyperactive then they wouldnt have bothered.

Reply 16

Paeony

11

Not meaning to be cynical, but the reason that a lot more children are getting 'labelled' with certain conditions is usually down to money - either parents or schools in particular can get more funding for a child with diagnosed SEN. If there wasn't this financial advantage then I suspect that the number of cases of ADD/ADHD would decrease quite suddenly.

I don't mean this to offend anyone though ... mental illness can be a terrible and frightening thing and if labelling can help someone get the help they need then it can only be a good thing :smile:

Reply 17

sssh

10

SellPanta

what about, for example, the spectrum of autism?

Yes I know this probably isn't what autism is like and I shouldn't demean it, but I used to wish that I could get diagnosed with some form of it to excuse my complete lack of social skills and difficulty with relating to other people. I've had to conclude that I must just be a bit of a social ****** with possible - but not serious enough to be medically-diagonosed - sociopathic tendencies.

toth8

Prove what? People with mental illnesses don't share the consensus reality, that's all.

But this is how our culture defines mental illnesses, so in relation to the common reality in a particular culture, any transgressions of that are "mental illnesses." I see what you mean though, and it's an interesting point.

Reply 18

HearTheThunder

17

While it is true that people can often get misdiagnosed for healthily displaying symptoms, differentiating between two disorders is extremely important.

Reply 19

lamenter

12

HearTheThunder

While it is true that people can often get misdiagnosed for healthily displaying symptoms, differentiating between two disorders is extremely important.

That why people who get diagnosed with ADHD have to go through a VERY through diagnosis process.

Mental illness labelling

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