Comments on: Proliferation of Mental Disorders http://behaviorismandmentalhealth.com/2009/03/11/proliferation-of-mental-disorders/ An alternative perspective on mental disorders | PHILIP HICKEY, PH.D. Wed, 16 May 2012 22:13:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Phil http://behaviorismandmentalhealth.com/2009/03/11/proliferation-of-mental-disorders/#comment-87 Phil Thu, 20 May 2010 17:38:36 +0000 http://behaviorismandmentalhealth.com/?p=18#comment-87 Martin: Thanks for your comment, which covers a lot of ground! You are correct with regards to the so-called mental health statistics. The scary thing, though, is that if the 50+ people you mention were to present themselves at a mental health center asking for any kind of supportive counseling or help, they would <em>all</em> be given a diagnosis. Business is business, and you don’t turn away paying clients. Which, within reason, is fair enough. What I object to, though, is the blatant lie that these individuals have an illness. Tragically, vast numbers of American accept this notion of themselves as somehow “damaged” and some even carry the stigma as a badge. (“I’m bipolar;” “I’m an adult ADHD,” etc.) Your statement: “Whenever I hit a low, I need to remind myself I must ride it out” struck me as particularly important. In my <a href="http://behaviorismandmentalhealth.com/2009/07/28/depression/" rel="nofollow">post on depression</a> I make the point that depression is <em>not</em> an illness, but rather is a message from our bodies telling us that we need to make some changes. If we make some changes and “ride it out” things get better. Your final paragraph makes a lot of sense, though I would quibble with your use of the word “medicine”. I prefer to describe these products as “drugs”. In my view medicine is something you take when you are sick. Drugs are something you take when you want to chemically alter your mood or behavior. The central theme of my blog is that the so-called mental illnesses are not illnesses at all, but, rather, are problems of living. Anti-depressants, anxiolytics, neuroleptics, etc., are <em>drugs</em>, essentially in the same category as heroin, cocaine, crystal meth, marijuana, etc.. My position is not that people shouldn’t take drugs. People do what they do. My problem is with psychiatrists prescribing drugs to people (including very young children) under the pretense that they are medicating an illness. Anyway, thanks again for your thoughtful comment which raised interesting issues. Martin: Thanks for your comment, which covers a lot of ground!

You are correct with regards to the so-called mental health statistics. The scary thing, though, is that if the 50+ people you mention were to present themselves at a mental health center asking for any kind of supportive counseling or help, they would all be given a diagnosis. Business is business, and you don’t turn away paying clients. Which, within reason, is fair enough. What I object to, though, is the blatant lie that these individuals have an illness. Tragically, vast numbers of American accept this notion of themselves as somehow “damaged” and some even carry the stigma as a badge. (“I’m bipolar;” “I’m an adult ADHD,” etc.)

Your statement: “Whenever I hit a low, I need to remind myself I must ride it out” struck me as particularly important. In my post on depression I make the point that depression is not an illness, but rather is a message from our bodies telling us that we need to make some changes. If we make some changes and “ride it out” things get better.

Your final paragraph makes a lot of sense, though I would quibble with your use of the word “medicine”. I prefer to describe these products as “drugs”. In my view medicine is something you take when you are sick. Drugs are something you take when you want to chemically alter your mood or behavior. The central theme of my blog is that the so-called mental illnesses are not illnesses at all, but, rather, are problems of living. Anti-depressants, anxiolytics, neuroleptics, etc., are drugs, essentially in the same category as heroin, cocaine, crystal meth, marijuana, etc.. My position is not that people shouldn’t take drugs. People do what they do. My problem is with psychiatrists prescribing drugs to people (including very young children) under the pretense that they are medicating an illness.

Anyway, thanks again for your thoughtful comment which raised interesting issues.

]]> By: Martin http://behaviorismandmentalhealth.com/2009/03/11/proliferation-of-mental-disorders/#comment-86 Martin Tue, 18 May 2010 19:02:01 +0000 http://behaviorismandmentalhealth.com/?p=18#comment-86 I would like to express my great interest in this blog especially in this first post. I would love to know how I have befriended about 50+ people in my 20 years in life and only two have ever been "diagnosed" as having mental disorders. Yet, it is true, with all the statistics out there, I should know a lot more people who have such "disorders". The friends who have not been "diagnosed" with "mental disorders" all have their share of problems. Some, have low self esteem and it affects their social life. Others have broken homes or think way to much causing anxiety. Many of them also are into drinking and smoking. Yet, all of them move on with their lives even though there is the occasional freakout. Even myself have come face to face with depression and what I have jokingly deemed my bipolar personality. I personally feel like I have about ten or more "mental disorders" if going by the psychiatric diagnosis, yet I am able to deal with everything. Whether it be working out, abstaining from substances for awhile, taking St. John Worts and various other herbal remedies, writing, meditating and reading inspirational philosophy from people such as Alan Watts, I always feel like whenever I hit a low, I need to remind myself I must ride it out. Not to say that I am different from anyone else, because sometimes my depression can come and last for up to four months, but at the end of those days, there is a swing in things. And most of the time I realize how really, truely, and utterly, my depression stems from behavior and externalized sources. I feel that people, especially in our society where INDIVIDUALISM is promoted, are led to believe that they are powerless over their actions. People, I feel, are not trained properly especially in our liberalized society in the area of child rearing. Whereas in Ireland when my father was growing up, people who said they were "depressed" were told to suck it up, go to work, and get laid. My father did it, my uncles did it, and today they are hear no different than they were before. But today, thousands of middle and upper class families with children who are priviliged to not have to work at young ages seem to have the most problems of all. That is not to say that medecine is not an option, and in some cases, though I would argue extemely rare, there may be some people who truely can not pull themselves out. These people are the ones who need to be medicated but after all other resources are used up. And personally, there are hundreds of alternatives people can turn to before accepting the label of having a "problem" and enduring the road of medecine. I look forward to reading the rest of this blog and continue to use it as a source for my psychological studies. I would like to express my great interest in this blog especially in this first post. I would love to know how I have befriended about 50+ people in my 20 years in life and only two have ever been “diagnosed” as having mental disorders. Yet, it is true, with all the statistics out there, I should know a lot more people who have such “disorders”. The friends who have not been “diagnosed” with “mental disorders” all have their share of problems. Some, have low self esteem and it affects their social life. Others have broken homes or think way to much causing anxiety. Many of them also are into drinking and smoking. Yet, all of them move on with their lives even though there is the occasional freakout. Even myself have come face to face with depression and what I have jokingly deemed my bipolar personality. I personally feel like I have about ten or more “mental disorders” if going by the psychiatric diagnosis, yet I am able to deal with everything. Whether it be working out, abstaining from substances for awhile, taking St. John Worts and various other herbal remedies, writing, meditating and reading inspirational philosophy from people such as Alan Watts, I always feel like whenever I hit a low, I need to remind myself I must ride it out. Not to say that I am different from anyone else, because sometimes my depression can come and last for up to four months, but at the end of those days, there is a swing in things. And most of the time I realize how really, truely, and utterly, my depression stems from behavior and externalized sources. I feel that people, especially in our society where INDIVIDUALISM is promoted, are led to believe that they are powerless over their actions. People, I feel, are not trained properly especially in our liberalized society in the area of child rearing. Whereas in Ireland when my father was growing up, people who said they were “depressed” were told to suck it up, go to work, and get laid. My father did it, my uncles did it, and today they are hear no different than they were before. But today, thousands of middle and upper class families with children who are priviliged to not have to work at young ages seem to have the most problems of all. That is not to say that medecine is not an option, and in some cases, though I would argue extemely rare, there may be some people who truely can not pull themselves out. These people are the ones who need to be medicated but after all other resources are used up. And personally, there are hundreds of alternatives people can turn to before accepting the label of having a “problem” and enduring the road of medecine. I look forward to reading the rest of this blog and continue to use it as a source for my psychological studies.

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