View Full Version : is it ok to call it a "MENTAL" illness ?
Dont know if its just me but I find it insulting when people call anxiety and panic attacks a MENTAL illness.
After all I do not consider myself "mental" :wacko: , also recently a friend of mine had a form to fill in for her sons school bus, it asked about his mental illness, he has a chromosone missing (a proper illness) , yet they named it mental.
bubblygirl
20-03-07, 16:58
Thats a tough one to answer. I would say when i think of mental I imagine a room with padded walls. I just think of myself as having afew issues with life and find it hard to cope. I think mental is when you are not in control of your actions meaning you are a danger to others and yourself. I certainly wouldnt say im mental but i suppose i am suffering with a mental illness! But i don't think most of us are as bad as that sounds! x
Ianswered i don,t care what they call it. Because unless "they" whoever "they" are have been there they won,t understand.
yorkylover
20-03-07, 17:19
Hi,I dont mind being told I have a mental illness, but prefer to be told I have mental health issues.At least its called something so its not like its all in our heads.:wacko: I have anxiety and depression and depression and anxiety,panic attacks ect are all recognised mental health problems,so is described as a mental health illness.Its just some people have worse mental health problems than others,doesnt mean we are crazy,although sometimes I think I am:wacko: .
Its the word Mental it sounds worse than it is.Dont let it get you down.:flowers:
I think of it more as a mental impairment than illness.
Kay
davidthegnome
20-03-07, 17:28
The term mental illness doesn't bother me at all. To me, I think panic disorder is just as disabling as a number of physical illnesses, more so than many. Personally though, I generally refer to it as a nervous system disorder rather than a mental illness.
i dont mind it being called a mental illness becauise i suppose thats what it is but i dont like admitting i have a mental illness... which is quite stupid cos ive got a mate who's just been diagnosed with schitzaphrenia (spelling???) but i dont judge her any different...
No I don't like being labelled as mentally ill AT ALL - perhaps I prefer the word emotional rather than the word mental.
I guess this is down to what era you have been brought up in - when I was growing up anyone or anything to do with mental illness was talked about in hushed tones, like it was a secret, or something to be ashamed of. So it's no wonder then that it has negative conotations for me is it!!
Hopefully in our lifetime this concept of anxiety/depression/stress and panic attacks will change.
I also think it's wrong to lump it all together with other mental illnesses.
Piglet :flowers:
This is a funny one. I don't really mind what it is called, I have depression/anxiety. Yet when discussing things with my GP, counsellor, shrink (I suppose to have a shrink I do really qualify eh:wacko: ) I hate when they say 'illness' not even 'mental illness' just the word 'illness' makes me feel weird. I don't think it makes me feel bad as such, it is just that part of me being 'ill' is that I often try to deny it.
happyone
I don't see the problem to be honest. Mental illness is defined as illness of the mind. Emotions are also controlled by the mind, so I don't see what the difference is myself :shrug:
Kate
I call a Spade a Spade, so I have no problem with being classed as having a Mental Condition / Illness. Afterall, I DO have one. (probably several actually :laugh:)
I know everyone is different, but nobody should allow the terminology of something to upset, or embarrass them. We are all Human. :blush:
If its not a mental illness why do so many of us need help from a mental health team. being mentally ill is nothing to be ashamed. I wear my 'mind' band to work everyday! :hugs:
nomorepanic
20-03-07, 22:57
I don't tell people I suffer mental issues - I say I suffer from panic/anxiety.
I have nothing against the label but for me personally I hate the word mental.
I think the term is often used in a negative way - people's understanding of mental health is very limited. In reality I guess we are all individuals with different 'mental' states!! And we are all likely to feel better and worse at different times in our lives.
It would just be nice if it was generally recognised that there is not such thing as 'normal'...
I remember when I got a letter from the MENTAL HEALTH TEAM, i was so upset about it :blush: . Why they dont call it something else I dont know ?
Some things we used to say have become politically incorrect, I cant repeat them here - but names that we used to use to describe peoples race or people who are retarded, because they became a word that people used to insult other people.
I have heard people use the word MENTAL to to insult other people .
Hes mental/shes mental, but they should label them for what they have,
he has OCD, she has agrophobia. People would be alot more sympathetic if we didnt have this awful word attached to our problems.
If someone has a broken leg, we dont all say.....he has a skeleton illness.
or
If someone has a headache, we dont all say he has a mental health disorder !!!
headaches come and go, panic attacks come and go :shrug:
I remember when I got a letter from the MENTAL HEALTH TEAM, i was so upset about it :blush: . Why they dont call it something else I dont know ?
Some things we used to say have become politically incorrect, I cant repeat them here - but names that we used to use to describe peoples race or people who are retarded, because they became a word that people used to insult other people.
I have heard people use the word MENTAL to to insult other people .
Hes mental/shes mental, but they should label them for what they have,
he has OCD, she has agrophobia. People would be alot more sympathetic if we didnt have this awful word attached to our problems.
If someone has a broken leg, we dont all say.....he has a skeleton illness.
or
If someone has a headache, we dont all say he has a mental health disorder !!!
headaches come and go, panic attacks come and go :shrug:
hi, i really dont see why you're so upset about it, surely fear comes from your thoughts, our thoughts are what create it therefore it is a mental illness....
those people you've heard saying "he/she is mental" as an insult are obviously just ignorant and dont understand, its not their fault if they dont know any better... why take it on board in the first place??? who cares what they think???
sometimes i would describe someone as physically disabled if they were but i dont know specifically what was wrong with them, does that make me a bad person???
why are you so ashamed of having a mental illness??? just out of curiosity, what to the people in your life around you think about the term 'mental illness'??? thats presisely what it is, maybe its people like you that make some of us think there's is something to be ashamed about? just a thought. sorry if this sounds cruel i just dont understand where you're coming from...
[quote=honeybee;202166]
who cares what they think??? (WELL ACTUALLY I DO CARE.)
sometimes i would describe someone as physically disabled if they were but i dont know specifically what was wrong with them, does that make me a bad person??? (DID I SAY PEOPLE WHO USE THIS TERM ARE BAD PEOPLE ?)
why are you so ashamed of having a mental illness???
(EXCUSE ME , I DO NOT HAVE A MENTAL ILLNESS )
just out of curiosity, what to the people in your life around you think about the term 'mental illness'??? (WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THIS ? )
maybe its people like you that make some of us think there's is something to be ashamed about? (PEOPLE LIKE ME ? )
i actually ticked the last option about mental illness making me feel ashamed and lowers my self esteem... why???
ive always been super confident and not cared if someone judged me cos i know that i am the best person i can possibly be. i wouldn't judge my mates or anyone for that matter if they developed a 'mental illness/emotional disorder' (whatever you wanna call it) so why am i so scared to admit i have one??? maybe when i feel comfortable with it it'll seem easier tio get over... im very good at putting on a front that everythings ok, maybe thats my problem, i dunno... why am i ashamed? why can't i just say "i'm havingh a rough time, itll pass"?
who cares what they think??? (WELL ACTUALLY I DO CARE.)
why??? they are just people who dont understand, i care too but why shoul we???
sometimes i would describe someone as physically disabled if they were but i dont know specifically what was wrong with them, does that make me a bad person??? (DID I SAY PEOPLE WHO USE THIS TERM ARE BAD PEOPLE ?)
no, but you said something about being more sympathetic and calling it what it really is, if people dont know then whats wrong with calling it a 'mental illness'?
why are you so ashamed of having a mental illness???
(EXCUSE ME , I DO NOT HAVE A MENTAL ILLNESS )
so what is a mental illness then? maybe i'm the one being ignorant?
just out of curiosity, what to the people in your life around you think about the term 'mental illness'??? (WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THIS ? )
i mean, are you surrounded by people who look down at people with a mental illnesses? what is a mental illness to you? to me its someone who has a problem with their mind, i class myself as having something wrong with my mind - i have irrational fears - they come from my thoughts - therefore my mind
maybe its people like you that make some of us think there's is something to be ashamed about? (PEOPLE LIKE ME ? )
i class myself as having a mental illness. in my view agoraphobia/panic/anxiety etc are all mental illnesses, MAYBE I'M (I@M) WRONG, AM I? but when i hear someone being so defensive about it it makes me feel bit down
As a mother, I certainly do care what people think, Id hate my children to think their mother is Mentaly Ill.
When I said to my GP that I feel like I may be going mad he told me that I am not mad at all. He said people with panic attacks are usually very clever and that its just too much adrenalin being pumped into the system.
This then makes you afraid to go to the same places.
Its just simply too much adrenalin.
My son has aspergers, this is also under the umbrella of "mental health" yet he is not mental...infact hes extreamly bright. Hes just a little different.
I also feel that there are some conditions that the term mental illness should
apply to, for example anyone who is a danger to other people clearly are very unstable and unpredictable.
Im not saying that you should feel ashamed to be called Mentally Ill, I was simply asking the question how do you feel about being called Mentally Ill?
I personally find it insulting, that is my opinion, I am not trying to change anyone elses opinion , I was just interested in what other people think.
If someone has a broken leg, we dont all say.....he has a skeleton illness.
:shrug:
ROFL major snorting moment there!
I'm with Nic on this as I too just don't like the word mental - it conjures up imagines that I just don't relate to me and my panics.
I honestly think this is what influences you grew up with - as kids in my day people did use the word 'mental' in an insulting degrogortary way much like other words that are now no longer considered politically correct.
It is just a word when all said and done but I would prefer to say I am agoraphobic and have panic attacks and a problem with pringles than I would say 'I am mentally ill'.
Wow what a fantastic ice breaker at a party 'hello I am mentally ill', now pass the pringles!!!
Piglet :flowers:
__________________
would you hate for your children to think of their mother as physically ill? whats wrong with being mentally ill? just because i get panic attacks doesn't mean people should fear for their safety in my company... i'm NOT mad..
i'm very aware of what a panic attack is, that its too much adrenaline pumping through your body, the fight or flight response etc but because of those experiances ive built up a fear of things that i subconsiously link to having a panic attack... its my subconsious telling me to be scared of things that really shouldn't be scary... the adrenaline is a physical thing, the thoughts are a 'mental' thing... both in my eyes are a problem
ROFL major snorting moment there!
I'm with Nic on this as I too just don't like the word mental - it conjures up imagines that I just don't relate to me and my panics.
I honestly think this is what influences you grew up with - as kids in my day people did use the word 'mental' in an insulting degrogortary way much like other words that are now no longer considered politically correct.
It is just a word when all said and done but I would prefer to say I am agoraphobic and have panic attacks and a problem with pringles than I would say 'I am mentally ill'.
Wow what a fantastic ice breaker at a party 'hello I am mentally ill', now pass the pringles!!!
Piglet :flowers:
well i'm just glad things are changing so that people dont have to feel ashamed anymore... i too call myself agoraphobic but for those people who dont know better and call it a mental illness, who cares? i dont... noone should, we are who we are, we're all beautiful people, only narrow minded people would judge you if they thought having anxiety ('mental health issues') was a something to be ashamed of... personally i can do without people like that in my life
Paddington
21-03-07, 12:56
I was so relieved when i found this forum ,to even know this condition had a name..anxiety disorder..gad..etc etcI am now so much more open with others about my mental health issues...i too hate the word mental when used as a derogatory term.When i was a girl it was hurled around at school as an insult if you couldn't do maths:wacko: I was often called mental:blush: It is a very emotive word ,and will conjure up different emotions in each of us,Personally,i am just glad i am now recognised as having 'SOMETHING' rather than simply being ..highly strung!!..oversensitive...melodramatic..oh and the list goes on hey folks:) .xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thoughts are just a thought, nothing more or nothing less, it does not make the person something it is or is not.
Ooooooo My first ever mindfulness quote !!!
Paddington
21-03-07, 13:12
very profound Mirry:) and very true:flowers: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Paddington, yeah I know what you mean.
When I first got my anxiety and panic attacks I was devastated and really did think I must be going MAD. So when I done my research and found out I wasnt mad after all It was such a relief.
The problem is for me, when you have a label as having a mental health illness it doesnt help make way for recovery. The label actually made me feel worthless and stupid , which isnt very helpful when you already feel crap enough with out labels such as Mental thrown at you.
Its really not about who cares what they call us,its more a question as to should they label us Mental ?
If it offends just one person and hampers that one persons chances of recovery then shouldnt their be more research into this ?
Piglet , love the Ice breaker at the party "Hello Im mentally Ill", lol.
But I think the Pringles obsession alone may just give it away ,lol.
:blush: Think you could be right hun!!
:yesyes: :yesyes: :yesyes: :yesyes: :yesyes:
Piglet x
I can tell you right now Honey bee, if I asked my kids would you like me to call myself mentally ill or physically ill, they would say Physically ill.
There are people who have very serious Mental health illnesses, it is not their fault, they are Ill. I would be there for them if I could, to help if I could.
I do not look down on them, I have alot of compassion for them.
However I do not consider myself to be like them.
Paddington
21-03-07, 13:35
well ,i have been a thinkin mirry[ouch!:) ]the word Mental out there on it's own has a nasty vibe i feel..put it into a group of words .eg mental health issues,not soooo bad,how about....mentaly ill,no i dont like that one:lac: it is not nice to be labelled full stop really is it?It is an umbrella phrase used by professsionals to cover a broad spectrum of problems,suffered by so many thousands of people!I have to be honest i hate 'oh you are so sensative' more than 'oh you have mental heath issues'..you see that is my trigger from my growing up in a family that teased me for my sensitivity:mad: so that is my 'mental 'if you see what i mean...does this make any sense to you at all..or am i being 'over sensative'...:wacko: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
MR - I totally got that hun, as I have always been told I'm (too) sensitive, although lately I have decided I am never 'too' anything, so there!!:yesyes:
Piglet :flowers:
Paddington
21-03-07, 13:45
Good ethos piglet:) one cant be too caring or too loving..tho some folk find it over bearing dont they?:lac: So here's to being over sensitive[knew i spelt that wrong:blush: ]oh and too too,beautiful:D xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Paddington
21-03-07, 13:51
lolly i totally agree with you!I used tosay 'i dont feel well' and my poor kids thought i was dying!Wheni told the truth[many years later:weep: ]they told me they wish i had been more honest with them as they worried evey day that i was 'poorly' that i was going to die.Children have an ability to absorb and understqnd the truth as long as it is with in their age range of comprehension,as you did about the sweets.By not wanting to upset them and by feeling guilty sometimes ,we can make matters worse!:flowers: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hmmmm I always get very anxious posting on "controversial" threads but have decided to be brave!
Personally it doesn't bother me what it's called really. I don't truly think mentally ill is the correct term for panic and anxiety but it doesn't bother me if it's called that. I do tend to think of mentally ill as things like schizophrenia rather than panics etc in general though They are different ends of the scale but they are both mental "health" issues in that they originate from the brain or thoughts.
There are so many illnesses that affect the brain and thought and they are all classed as mental illness yet no one with panic attacks are truly mentally ill or mad. I think years ago being mentally ill was accosiated with being mad and being carted off somewhere in a straight jacket but that is not the case.
I like the term emotional illness aswell but I can also see that some people would not take that seriously and say "oh she's just being emotional again" in regard to someone suffering. Generally I think just saying the name of the actual condition is best be that panic, health anxiety, agorophobia or schizophrenia etc.
Looking at it a different way there are so many problems one can have with their hearts and chests from palpitations to serious heart disease or maybe just tight chest muscles, yet it's all classed as heart (thoracic) problems and you would go to the cardiac dept at the hospital. I doubt many people would have a problem with this even if they didn't have true heart disease, I think it's just that mental illness in the past had so much stigma attached to it.
We wouldn't be ashamned to tell someone we had a bad back, an ear infection, an ingrown toenail etc would be, therefore a mental health issue should be no worse to admit to.
To many people it does make a huge differenc to what it is called I realise that. I personally suffer from an illness called M.E. Many people these days call it CFS, well although M.E isn't technically the medically correct name for the illness I don't like CFS (chronic fatigue) as it makes it sound like sufferers are just tired and everyone gets tired while ME is way more than that. But in reality it doesn't matter what it's called really as I have it whatever it's called.
Right please don't lynch me of I'll probably have a huge panic and I don't need that right now. I'll probably be back to delete this all soon. Please no one take offence, just MY views.
Lisa x
ah bless him Lolly.
My problems are really all physical... I feel achey in my tummy when anxious, and breathless. My daughters 9 now and is so much older in her head, I tell her when I feel really bad and have explained thats its harmless but just very annoying, then we laugh about it together.
:flowers: Lisa, bless you :hugs: . You have every right to have your say, like we all do. Please dont deleat your post , I thought it was really interesting and helpfull.
When you mentioned heart problems I did think, Yes my panic attacks feel more like a heart problem than a mental health problem.
i think 'mental illnesses' shouldn't be hushed away from children... i dont think its needs to be bought to their attention but if they ask i think its good to explain... i dont think having a mild 'MENTAL ILLNESS' is any worse than having a broken leg... i think what lemonade lolly told her child was great, well done you... why should kids be brought up to think there's something wrong with it or to hide from your emotions (emotional illness like some may prefere to call it)... what if your child grows up and developes some kind of anxiety disorder? i know that when i started getting panic attacks the more people i spoke to about it the more people i found out had experianced the same thing and got over it... if people were most honest about mental health and if i knew how common it is before my initial panic attacks i wouldn't been so scared... it seems people are scared of the term 'mental illness' for whatever reason, i hope this changes so future generations will look at people with an anxiety disorder or whatever the same way as they look at someone with a heart problem... its not our fault, we're not mad,
When I was talking to my GP last week about having CBT I was telling him that I feel so many of my symptoms are actually physical, the only one that isn't is the 'spaced out' feeling.
Maybe that is another reason that the word 'mental' doesn't work for me - it's hard when you have your palpitations and you feel dizzy, sick, shaky and have diarrohea etc etc and feel on the point of collapse PHYSICALLY, to reconcile this problem to 'mental' reasons isn't it!!
Lis - well done for adding your thoughts hun, nothing there to cause offence to anyone, ok?!! :)
Love Piglet :flowers:
lisa dont delete what you said... its interesting to hear what people have to say and i personally agree with everything you said... it seems its a bit of a generation thing... like my nan completely can't understand what i'm going through and probably wouldnt admit to anyone im agoraphobic if i paid her too, suppose she just doesn't understand and its the way shes been bouyght up, whereas i find younger people a lot more accepting of the term 'mental illness' and don't just assosiate it with going crazy or something to be ashamed of
if people were most honest about mental health and if i knew how common it is before my initial panic attacks i wouldn't been so scared...
Spot on!!
I have always been open with the kids (while trying not to scare them) and I am hoping that by now being more open with other people too they will learn it is nothing to be embarassed by. I can truly say I am not ashamed in anyway, it's embarassment on occasion that I feel!!
I do think this generation is much more open though already to the issues than my generation and god forbid my mums generation. Thirty years ago it was never mentioned so things are definatley improving! :)
Piglet :flowers:
piglet - do you find your physical symptoms come on after certain thoughts? i use to wake up to a panic attack every morning and when i spoke to my doctor she said to me its my thought process that cause the physical reaction... i thought 'how could it be if its the second i wake up?' but i soon realised its my thought processes that bring on the physical symptoms... is this the case fior everyone?
The word mental is used in the school playgrounds more than the NHS.
Do you have children Honeybee ?
Yes hun it is brought on by the thoughts and I think that is pretty well the case for all panic attacks etc - it's sometimes we are not even aware we had a triggering thought :weep:
They are sneaky things these thoughts! :lac:
Piglet :flowers:
Thanks Mirry, Piglet and Honeybee :)
Lisa x
lemonade lolly - ha ha ha.. back off, hes mine...
piglet - i think it so good you're open about it, i know some really strong characters, people you cant help but look up to and respect... id known them for years but it wasnt until i started openly talking about my situation that i found out they'd been through the same thing... i couldn't believe these really gorgeous strong souls had also been crippled by anxiety... not that i would ever wish this on anyone but its so nice to know YOU'RE (YOU@RE) NOT MAD BECAUSE YOU HAVE A MENTAL ILLNESS... (for those of you who dont like the term, you can call it under whatever heading you feel doesnt threaten your persona(is that the right word? sorry im good at making things, not so good at writing things))
sorry im good at making things, not so good at writing things))
:hugs: We are getting totally what you mean lovie and like you I am better at making things too!:yesyes:
What I love about this site is how we are all ages, all mixes etc etc and we all have something valuable to bring to the party and our different outlooks help each other look at issues from an alternative perspective! This can only be a good thing can't it!!
Love Piglet :flowers:
This is a must read ........
http://www.anxiety-uk.org/what/
mirry - i dont have my own children - had a feeling you'd ask me this - BUT - for the last 2 years i had to practically bring up my litle brother and sister (now aged 4 and 6) on my own after their father died and my mum got depressed... before that life was ahard struggle and i was there helping to bring them up an awful lot... maybe the word 'mental' is brought up in playgrounds more because children are so innocent they dont actually know what it means... isnt it our resonsability to teach them its nothing to be ashamed of... kids will call people fat, mental, teachers pet, ugly, the list goes on, thats what they do, they dont truely mean any harm by it... as far as i see it the more you hide kids from it the longer the stigma stays attached
i just want to also say as its all getting a bit heated in this thread that i really dont want to offend anyone.. im not trying to have personal digs.. im just trying to challenge those thoughts of others because i havent really had the opputunity to before... maybe the qway i see things isnt the best way to look at it and therefore its nice to chat to you lot... really not meaning to p*ss anyony off
forgot to say if you click the Link "WHAT" it explains that anxiety and panic are NOT mental health illnesses .
What I love about this site is how we are all ages, all mixes etc etc and we all have something valuable to bring to the party and our different outlooks help each other look at issues from an alternative perspective! This can only be a good thing can't it!!
:hugs: Piglet xx
http://www.sntp.net/references/normal.htm
Wow, this book sounds fab, its about Labels assigned by the medical proffesion.
I ticked the first box as I don't find the term 'mental illness' demeaning. In my experience the term 'psychiatric illness' causes more fear. I guess the word 'psychiatic' is too closely related to 'psychiatrist' and the latter is a word that freaks out a lot of people. My local health board (I live in Ireland) uses the term 'Psychiatric Services', whereas I think a term like 'Mental Health Services' is less scary for the non 'mentally interesting'.
However at the end of the day it doesn't bother me which term is used to describe disorders/problems/ilnesses of the mind.
Under~The~Stars
21-03-07, 16:00
What I love about this site is how we are all ages, all mixes etc etc and we all have something valuable to bring to the party and our different outlooks help each other look at issues from an alternative perspective! This can only be a good thing can't it!!
Love Piglet :flowers:
Piglet very well said! :yesyes: Totally agree with you 100% mate :winks:
What an interesting topic :) This has been very interesting to read, and has been very good to see how people feel about this, it's good to have our own opinions as after all we are all entitled to one :)
Lisa, I'm with you on this one - I don't really like posting on contraversial threads either, but I now have it in my head that everyone is entitled to an opinion so will give it a go. After all it can only be a good thing? :)
When I started suffering from anxiety, panic attacks and depression a couple of years ago, and I first heard it getting called a mental illness it did bother me a little. However, now it doesn't bother me at all. The word mental in my opinion only refers to the mind, just like the word physical refers to the body. It used to really bother me what people thought about me, but now after having counselling etc I couldn't care less what people think - what they think is their problem, not mines.
I really do think that "mental health" is a general term for anything which affects our mind. The word mental does mean mind - it meant mind, before people started using it in other terms i.e. calling people mental meaning they were mad.
I suffer from anxiety, panic attacks and depression, all of which come from our thoughts therefore, our mind. I am not ashamed of what I am, I know that this is how I am at this moment in time, but it won't be forever.
I feel that anything that is referred to as a mental health issue, is something that affects our mind, no matter how big or small the problem is, or what it causes, it is still an issue. I feel there is a lot of stigma attached, which I think causes a bigger problem than anything else, this is due to people being ignorant and not trying to understand or see the bigger picture.
I can see where everyone is coming from in this thread, and want to say well done for all being brave enough to give your own opinion :yesyes:
We are all in the same boat here, lets not fight with each other, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, no matter what that is.
Take care all :hugs:
nice reply louise... thanks for your imput, i agree... i also hated the term when i first got ill, now i dont mind it... probably now because i understand the term whereas before i didnt... cant wait until the day the stigma has completely gone
Rennie1989
21-03-07, 17:29
If panic attacks, depression and anxiety are mental illnesses then I will accept the fact that I am mentally ill.
I would get a little insulted if people were to tease me and say "Ha ha you're mentally ill". I've had people tease me before at school saying I was a 'retard' and 'insane' and those words I do take offense to.
skylight2007
21-03-07, 17:32
I can see where everyone is coming from in this thread, and want to say well done for all being brave enough to give your own opinion :yesyes:
We are all in the same boat here, lets not fight with each other, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, no matter what that is.
Take care all :hugs: I soo agree Louise!!
This is a very interesting post and it does give us the opportunity to share how we feel, I don't think Jade ever expected that using the term mental illness would cause such a debate, but in hindsight a very healthy one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I personally am not concerned , different people have different illnessess, therefore were catergorized into different groups, you break your bones, you get referred to the fracture clinic, you have fertility probsl its the gyne, and so on, for anxiety because its to do with our thoughts , our mind, its the mental health services. Love Sky.
bluebottle
21-03-07, 18:16
We have to get over our own prejudices to realise that mental illness is no more insulting than physical illness. Its a condition that is related to the mental function of our body rather than the physical. The brain is an organ, but it has mental and physical conditions that arise from it not running at 100% capacity. I don't see the problem personally.
So basically people are saying, at first they hated the term and then they got used to the term.
So have people been desensitised to it ?
Sorry to state the obvious;
Source: Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Main Entry: mental illness
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: emotional disorder
Synonyms:
craziness,
delusions,
depression,
derangement,
disturbed mind,
insanity,
loss of mind,
lunacy,
madness,
mania,
mental disease,
mental disorder,
mental sickness,
nervous breakdown,
nervous disorder,
neurosis,
paranoia,
personality disorder,
phobia,
psychopathy,
psychosis,
schizophrenia,
sick mind,
troubled mind,
unbalanced mind,
unsoundness of mind.In the Synonyms section, I have highlighted the ones which I believe apply to me. There are a couple more which I'm unsure whether to highlight or not!
Like I have said before, everyone is different, and maybe some are more sensative to 'branding' than others, but unless someone is going to offer the English Language new terminology for conditions which are already covered by an existing term I dont see it's going to change. In my opinion there is no need for change.
Edited to add: I think the problem stems from the miss-use of these words. I believe, if you are a person who does take offence, then your own definition of these words is incorrect.
I dont feel any of them apply to me.
I cant see which one applys to panic disorder ? Where i suddenly get palpatations and breathlessness. I like the term emotional disorder, this I feel is me !
Lindalou64
21-03-07, 19:20
Its Is A Menatal Illness.......none Of Us Dont Like That Term But It Is...or Mental Disorder....:(
but aren't your emotions apart of you mind??? mine are
I dont feel any of them apply to me.
I cant see which one applys to panic disorder ? Where i suddenly get palpatations and breathlessness. I like the term emotional disorder, this I feel is me !
Thats why I chose to take the definition from that Thesaurus. It is a 'nicer' definition.
That said, it conatins the word Disorder. Which essentially means the same as any other term. Do you prefer it because the word Mental has been replaced by Emotional? If so, why? Emotions stem from the Brain, which is the 'Mental' Organ of the body!
Its not where it comes from, the mind the brain the head, its the word MENTAL i personally do not like. I have just asked my daughter what does mental mean ? and she replied crazy. So I went into my husband and asked him what does mental mean and he said someone whos Mad ?
People use the word Mental as an insult , in many walks of life. It is because of this that I personally do not like the word.
Its not where it comes from, the mind the brain the head, its the word MENTAL i personally do not like. I have just asked my daughter what does mental mean ? and she replied crazy. So I went into my husband and asked him what does mental mean and he said someone whos Mad ?
People use the word Mental as an insult , in many walks of life. It is because of this that I personally do not like the word.
OK, so lets assume a new Term has been made for people with Panic / Anx Disorders. For arguments sake, lets call it "Panxism". How long do you think it will take before Children in school playgrounds are calling eachother "Panx's" as a derogratory term?
ok, but why would they when the word Mental still exists for unstable dangerous people ?
quote sky
different people have different illnessess, therefore were catergorized into different groups, you break your bones, you get referred to the fracture clinic, you have fertility probsl its the gyne, and so on, for anxiety because its to do with our thoughts , our mind, its the mental health services
exactly, why would it be called mental health services if it wasn't to do with your mind... it is
quote bluebottle
We have to get over our own prejudices to realise that mental illness is no more insulting than physical illness. Its a condition that is related to the mental function of our body rather than the physical
to be quite honest i find it so narrow minded of people who still have prejudices about 'mental health'... its these attitudes that made me so bl**dy scared of telling anyone how i was feeling when it all started... like i've said it doesnt make us mad... like someone who has a physical illness doesn't make them any less of a person...
quote mirry
So basically people are saying, at first they hated the term and then they got used to the term.
So have people been desensitised to it ?
yes i did hate it because i was scared people who didnt understand the term would judge me... its not that i became desensitised to it, its that i opened my eyes and saw its nothing to be ashamed of, whether you're suffering from anxiety/panic disoder, post natal depression, whatever, its all catagorised under the same 'VERY BROAD' title of 'MENTAL ILLNESS'... i just feel sorry for people who quite frankly must be too scared of the term to explore it
__________________
I dont feel any of them apply to me.
I cant see which one applys to panic disorder ? Where i suddenly get palpatations and breathlessness
panic atarts from our thoughts... the physical symptoms are a result of this... without the thoughts the physical symptoms wouldnt exist
ok, but why would they when the word Mental still exists for unstable dangerous people ?
Oh, I see! You personally dont like being classed as having a Mental Condition because you associate it with "Unstable Dangerous People".
Can you not see you are indeed one of the people who are promoting the incorrect utilisation of the terminology, incidently, a terminology which is both Medically Recognised and Medically Accepted. :shrug:
i'm really sorry but dont you think you're being just a little bit narrow minded... did you say anything else to your child or did you just let them carry on believing that... in the dictionary it says
relating to, found in, or occuring in the mind
its the same as i said earlier, its up to us to re-educate these peole who dont know any different... 'mental illess' is a huge title covering lots of different things... is it because you judge people, like your husband and daughter, who have a mental illness as an unpredictable dangerous person that yopu cant admit (or are too afraid to admit) you have one???
ok people I tried my best to give a very open discussion about the term MENTAL HEALTH, i feel that some people have made it very personal, insulting me , that I am mentally ill , that Im too scared ect ect.
I respect everyones opinions .Id like to thank those who contributed to this post in a sensitive and thoughtful manner, I really did enjoy hearing your thoughts on this subject .
Thanks everyone.
As my Father would say (excuse the crude language) "You Cant Polish A Turd"
Essentially, call it what you like, but a shiny new name isnt gonna take it away, or make it any less of a pain in the arse!
Nic, your site has been a great help to me, I can not thank you enough .
Please close off this post.
ok people I tried my best to give a very open discussion about the term MENTAL HEALTH, i feel that some people have made it very personal, insulting me , that I am mentally ill , that Im too scared ect ect.
I respect everyones opinions .Id like to thank those who contributed to this post in a sensitive and thoughtful manner, I really did enjoy hearing your thoughts on this subject .
Thanks everyone.
i'm also just trying to discuss the attitudes held by people on this subject... i am truely sorry if i made you feel like im insulting you, that wasn't my intention... i just really think its a shame that lots of people out there still think there is still such a stigma attatched to it.. there shouldn't be.. i really am sorry if i've hurt your feelings... anyway, what do i know, im just another trying to accept what i've got... i just get defensive becvause i belive i have a mental illness and suppose i just feel the need to defend that.. sorry mirry :hugs:
p.s.. i understand mirry has probably been here longer than i have but for the record i'd still like this post to stay open for others to discuss the subject... maybe it should be closed, i dont know, sorry if i've insulted anyone
Everyone is entitled to their opinions, it doesnt bother me that I am under the mental health team or that people see me walk into the local mental health centre, if people think the word mental means we are all crazy then it just shows narrow mindness if you ask me..........................just my thoughts
Trac xx
You carry on Honeybee, I thought i was safe here to discuss my feelings and thoughts but I was wrong. I may of been here for years but maybe its time I left, I feel I need to.
To actually have words put into my mouth by people who I thought were my friends is very hurtfull. I struggle with my panic attacks and my sons disablilitys and for people to say the nasty things they have is very very upseting. Im sorry I cant stay anymore.
surely everyone's allowed to have their say.. if you feel that strongly i'll go... since you've been here for years...
You carry on Honeybee, I thought i was safe here to discuss my feelings and thoughts but I was wrong. I may of been here for years but maybe its time I left, I feel I need to.
To actually have words put into my mouth by people who I thought were my friends is very hurtfull. I struggle with my panic attacks and my sons disablilitys and for people to say the nasty things they have is very very upseting. Im sorry I cant stay anymore.
Mirry, you are safe here to discuss your thoughts and feelings. You asked a question, and people are offering their views.
Your opinion is your opinion. Noone can say its right or wrong, afterall, its an opinion. Dont feel upset that others opinions are not the same as yours.
As for people putting words into your mouth, I have just re-read the whole thread and I havent seen that happening. Its your choice and your judgement.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
Kind Regards
Ross
Hi
Trac thats my thought's on it to. It needs to be brought out into the open the word Mental. We all have to see their is nothing to be ashamed of if we have a Mental health problem.
I to was ashamed for haveing panic/anxiety but not any more, why should i be. I have a mental illness that can and has got better. Its only since i started telling poeple that i have panic attacks and i now attend a mental health centre that i am getting better. It needs to be talked about and then it will be just like any other illness and not something that has this label attached to it that says we are "MAD"
Mirry you are entitled to say how you feel that is your right. Just like the others have said how they feel. Please do not take it personal.
Take care Pauline
Mirry,
Please don't take things to heart hun - it has been a very good thread to let us examine different perspectives and we are all entitled to have our own opinion on the matter and agree to disagree if necessary.
I do agree the word 'mental' seems to conjure up different pictures for different people and I think however we wish to describe it it's more how we manage it that matters.
To truly understand why a word can be offensive we would have to really break it down and go back into childhood to find all the times it was used around us in a negative way which bred and enforced this feeling.
I don't feel like doing that, so I live alongside the word and hope that by being more open about these issues in general we will see a time when the stigma is lifted!
It's not really a right, or wrong issue guys!
Love Piglet :flowers:
PanickyPolly
21-03-07, 21:47
I'd rather it be refered to as an illness as it encourages people to take it sriouslya nd not dismiss it as just being part of your personality which it isn't.
Thats what i have been trying to say all along yet I was getting no where.
you will see everywhere that I was open to the question should we be calling it a mental health illness. If I had only my own fixed view I would of titled the post " IT SHOULDNT BE CALLED A MENTAL HEALTH ILLNESS"
thats why I also gave it as a poll so people could express their thoughts.
At no time did i make it personal, there is no way that i would do that.
But it was certainly made personal towards me and I just dont need this shit for my own health. I wasnt saying it was right to call people mental or wrong, but i have been told its because people like me that we have this problem!!
sorry piglet, everything you said made perfect sence but i could only take so much .
im sorry you feel that way mirry... funnily enough i feel thesame as you... i was only trying to discuss the issue... since you have taken it the wrong way i wont post on this thread anymore so you can carry on discussing with other without me giving my view...
im sorry you feel that way mirry... funnily enough i feel thesame as you... i was only trying to discuss the issue... since you have taken it the wrong way i wont post on this thread anymore so you can carry on discussing with other without me giving my view...
I'll do the same, as in the "Im Leaving Thread" it is quite clear that my opinion on this is not wanted either.
Apparently by QUOTING something which was said, I am altering how it should sound..... I didnt think that was possible with a direct quote, but hey ho.
It was not my intention to 'offend' anyone. Unless someone can point out that an apology is warranted, I dont think an apology is necessary.
I now have nothing further to add to this thread.
[quote=honeybee;202166]?
why are you so ashamed of having a mental illness??? just out of curiosity, what to the people in your life around you think about the term 'mental illness'??? thats presisely what it is, maybe its people like you that make some of us think there's is something to be ashamed about?
-------------------------------------------------------------------
this was the first quote i found upsetting because after id already explained that i do not consider myself to have a mental illness , Im being told that I do have a mental Illness. And I make people feel ashamed about it ?
Under~The~Stars
21-03-07, 23:39
Guys, it certainly seems to have gotten a bit heated here.
I just want you all you to know that I don't think there is any right or wrong answer to this - just opinions that we all have.
The question was asked, loads gave their opinion, let's leave it at that - no hard feelings eh? After all, we are all in the same boat and here to help and support each other right?
I personally thought it was a very good thread that was started Mirry :hugs:
It certainly made me think about things, and it did with others I'm sure - it was helpful in my eyes - to see what everyone thought.
Take care all :hugs:
nomorepanic
22-03-07, 00:35
Alex calls me a loonie but he means it in an affection way :winks:
I wouldn't be so happy if he called me mental but in the context of "I have a mental illness then it sounds better".
I think the word on its own - mental - can be used in a bad way but when you say "mental illness" it loses its power and meaning to me personally.
This thread highlighted how we all feel about it and some interesting comments made.
I don't think anyone meant to upset anyone else atall so don't anyone be upset please.
I think that the problem here is that many anxiety/panic sufferers here are at a different stage in their recovery and at some point along the way, many have had to embrace the fact that this is an illness of the mind and not the body (although it certainly manifests itself physically). My personal opinion is that it is a mental illness in the true sense of the word "mental" and I believe that acceptance of that is such an important and enlightening event, which sets many on the road to recovery (as you know where to focus your efforts). This would explain why some people are able to recover through counselling alone.
I'm not that keen on the term, but I'm not exactly thrilled with suffering from anxiety/panic either, so I'm not so choosy these days lol. I just go with the flow on that one.
The stigma with the word is something (grammatically incorrect anyway) from the past which will get less taboo because mental illness is set to be THE illness of the 21st century. Familiarity will lessen the stigma. Don't forget, people who were termed "mental" in days gone by (and were locked up in asylums for life) included women who had children out of wedlock! Times are changing, thank goodness, and the language will change accordingly.
It's all emotive stuff but please nobody should get upset by this thread. It's a very interesting and lively debate - well done Mirry hun.
Eeb x
Its the easy loose term of the "word Mental Illness", one hat that fits all, that I find interesting. When I described dangerous people as mental, then I mean people like child killers ect, they clearly act in a disturbed way and are a danger to others, I dont for one second believe I should be labeled the same as them.
Its because of the News papers , they always say he killed 3 children and was suffering from a mental illness.,
this is why the word Mental health is frowned apon in society.
So if I say to someone I have a mental helath illness one of the first things they "may" think about is "an unstable, possibly dangerous person" Well im not unstable and im not dangerous, i just feel uncomfortable in crowds.
We are people with different conditions (worlds apart) yet we are all labeled as having MENTAL ILLNESS.
My husbands saying why try explaining yourself ? lol, I must admit I do wonder why Im bothering, probally cos I have felt so totally missunderstood.?
anyway, Ive got a really sore throat and feel crap.
Thanks everyone for all your replys.This is my last word on the subject.
take care
well sead mirry
you know i feel the same way and yes if i think of mantal illness i do think of what the papers say and dont wish to be called that !
my doctor knows all about what i have to go through every day and the anxiety and panics i have but not once has he sead i am mentaly ill he just say,s i have anxiety and pa,s i have asked him if i was and he allways says there is a lot more that comes with mental illness and the two are a little diffrent .
jodie xx
Paddington
22-03-07, 10:25
Alovely doctor came to my house once,oh i wish she had remained my dr:weep: Any hoo,my son asked 'is my mom having a nervous breakdown?' she replied 'no she's just feeling a bit wibbley at the moment'...:) Well i was 32 then and i am still 'wibbley'20 years down the line:wacko: so we can call 'it' what we like,it dont change a thing!But i quite like wibbley it's gentle,and describes me to a t!!:) Can you imagine telling folk you are going tothe wibbley health centre:D Just tryin to lighten things a wee bit ,tho the story is true.Mirry ,i thin k you opened one of the most interesting,and emotive,threads on here for ages.Welldone hun:flowers: Dont leave,please:emot-pray: .xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Lol Maryrose - you can have wibbly and I can have wobbly!! :yesyes:
Piglet :flowers:
wobblyknees80
22-03-07, 11:05
surely it is a mental illness~ I hear what you're saying but someone who has diabetes and someone who has aids both have a ''physical illness'' so whats wrong with a murderer and someone who has panic attacks both having a ''mental illness''~ surely its only peoples ignorance and narrow-mindedness that's gonna class the two as the same and I’m sure there aren't many people left out there like that~ I’ve just read the thread and I agree a lot with what honeybee and ross had to say. I think its a shame they were made to feel they had to leave. I think this is a great thread and believe we should hear from ‘everyone’ (even the views we find hard to get our heads around) because I for one love to challenge my thoughts against other peoples~ surely thats why we found this website isn't it~ to help each other~ i know the greatest thing that helped me onto recovery was admitting i have a mental illness...
Paddington
22-03-07, 11:18
LOL Piglet:D hey maybe we should be weebles!!!They wobble but they dont fall down:yesyes: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
yorkylover
22-03-07, 13:43
I think this thread will go on and on because we all have different opinions.:shrug:
I have depression along with PA's and anxiety.It is a mental health problem that I have,which has affected my everyday life and my work.Im not worried about people saying I have a metal health problem,as this is what I have.My dad has just been told he has diabetes,in my eyes its no different its still an illness.Everyone is entitled to there opinion.
I think its the word MENTAL that people are afraid of.I have a friend who was sectioned because of depression and severe anxiety,she has a mental illness,because its to do with the mind.
fightingonstill
22-03-07, 13:49
Dont know if my input is needed on this now but i personally do not have an issue with me having a mental illness as i prefer for it to be labelled than just to be in the dark like i was at the start of my panic disorder which was much more scary. I never had a clue what was wrong with me and i truly thought i was losing the plot!!
I am on medication from GP as i am, as i understand it, mentally ill and if i was physically ill with diabetes or such like that would be more acceptable to evryone perhaps??
Its the stigma sorrounding the term that is the problem , not the label. People should be made more aware of the many different conditions of the mind and then we wouldnt have the ignorance in the world that there is, and by no means am i directing that at anyone on here by the way.
I completley respect evryones opinions and it is sad to see that Mirry you have perhaps taken some of the opinions to heart as when i read through it i really dont think that anybody was 'attacking' you for having a different opinion, thats what forums are for isnt it?
I hope that today you all feel brighter and nobody lets this get them down as we all need to remain positive.
Love to all
Nikki x
fightingonstill
22-03-07, 13:51
Ellen
How funny i was not copying your post honest!!
I just finished tapping mine in when yours came up too after i finshed. Great minds think alike i suppose lol
Nikki x
Hi guys
As u know I decided to leave but I pop back on now and again to see how you all doing - this thread had me interested as it was a question that people have asked me time and time again. Last week I attended a new Anxiety Management Course run by pyschiatriac nurses at my local hospital - Mental Health team outreach centre. They specifically said that Anxiety and Panic Attacks are NOT a mental illness but rather an emotional illness but it still gets addressed by the Mental Health Team - but it is NOT defined as Mental.
When it does become mental is if other illnesses are involved such as Clinical Depression or Manic Depression or Self-Harm etc.
As for myself, along with GAD, I am diagnosed with a severe long term mental illness and you know what - it doesnt make me any less of a person - its only a label and Im proud of what ive acheived. Lets hope that one day with the correct education the stigma will be lifted.
No matter what we call it - its only a name so lets not get upset over this or get it out of proportion guys.
Life is difficult enough so Im sending Hugs to you all.
Love Darkangel
skylight2007
22-03-07, 15:16
Thank you for that darkangel, glad you pop back from time to time!!! what you said was interesting, thank you for telling us that!! I hope your well and things are ok for you. Love Sky
Thanks Darkangel - input much appreciated hun!! :yesyes:
Piglet :flowers:
yorkylover
22-03-07, 15:43
Hey Nikki,that was strange!!!!:ohmy: about out threads.I totally agree with you I would rather my illness was labelled than be in the dark,at least I know I have something wrong and its not all in my mind.:winks:
LickeyEndBlues
23-03-07, 09:32
Interesting comments, the following is taken from a NICE extract.
http://guidance.nice.org.uk/TA97/publicinfo/pdf/English/download.dspx
"What are depression and anxiety?
Depression and anxiety are mental health disorders. Depression
involves feelings of sadness, despair, loss of hope and lack of interest
in life that deepen and persist over time and may not have any
obvious cause. People with severe depression may be unable to eat or
sleep, to take part in social activities or to concentrate. Some people
with severe depression think about suicide. Depression and anxiety
often occur together.
People with anxiety disorders experience feelings of fear and have
certain physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, tightness in the
chest, stomach pains or feeling sick. Although everyone has feelings
of fear sometimes, for people with anxiety disorders it happens often
enough or severely enough to prevent them carrying out their normal
everyday activities. There are different kinds of anxiety disorder. For
some people the anxiety is general, not related to specific events, and
is an unpleasant feeling that is there all the time. Other people
experience panic attacks or phobias. A phobia is a fear of a certain
situation or thing, such as an intense fear of being in an open space
or of spiders or snakes."
If you can relate to any of the above then it is regarded as a mental health issue. The biggest part of me moving forward was recognising that and being open and honest with myself. Once I did that I was open and honest with others and did not hide behind the shame that is prevelant in mental health issues.
Negative stereotyping needs debunking and we ought to be trying to help people see that mental health issues do affect many more of us that people think. Just because we have a mental health disorder doesnt mean we need to be locked away....as might have happened 100 years ago.
Thanks for that information. There seems to be so many different views on wether panic/anxiety is a Mental Illness. I myself feel it is but earlier posts have pointed out that it is not.
I agree that it needs to be brought out into the open and talked about only then will people views on Mental illness change.
davidthegnome
23-03-07, 19:51
I actually had a very similar conversation with my therapist today. It was related to another subject but pretty much along the same lines. I have felt very depressed over not being able to control my "psychological" issues. Up to this point in my life I have generally been able to roll with the punches, but the past few have taken me down a few pegs, to say the least. I was feeling extremely guilty about relying on medication as people have suggested to me that this is a sign of weakness. I tend to be very sensitive to such things as I've grown up in a very conservative community.
My therapist told me that if he had diabetes, or any health issue that could be corrected by medication he would take it. What I'm getting at here, is that these mental illnesses can be just as disabling as physical ones. Technically I don't believe the term mental illness covers it all as there are physical causes and symptoms as well as mental ones.
However, it works for me. I have been disabled by my illness, to the point where I am unable to work. If people started telling me I wasn't mentally ill I'd feel as if everything was my fault for being weak, or having flaws of character. I don't know, I guess I just think that anything less than mental illness is an understatement.
If others want use these labels in an insulting way towards me... well, I don't really care so much anymore. People called me strange, odd, crazy and so forth as I was growing up - and it really hurt me back then. Now I just laugh and tell them: "I think I'm sane and the voices in my head agree with me so it must be true!" That doesn't mean I don't still get hurt from time to time, but it stings less when I shrug it off and laugh at them.
Seriously, people that are ignorant enough to insult you with the use of such terms probably aren't going to be people you want in your life. So why worry about what they think? I've got enough to worry about just with what I think, I don't need to think about other people thinking about me too. My own thoughts are enough, they can keep theirs. I even think about how much I think I think!
Just my two cents...
God bless you all,
Dave
Keitharcher
23-03-07, 20:48
Well that is certaintly a thought proving question. reading through the replies I am struck with a theme, the theme of warding off preset ideas. When someone mention a mental illness they immeadiatley think of padded rooms and bedlam. he illness that people who use this site is an emotional one. It can be argued that emotions are the direct results of thought, therefore it is a mental illness. It can also be argued that emotions are spur of the moment, therefore there is no mental process in them at all, this makes it uncurable, how can we cure something we have no control over?
Labels, and thats what this thread is really about are dangerous things, in WW1 people suffering from shell shock were labeled cowards and deserters and were shot. We are mmore enlightened now and have pardoned them, they are just as dead but they are no longer cowards and deserters.
My point is that labelling any disease mental is a dangerous thing, the majority of the public do not understand it, therefore they are frightened of it , therefore they will do it damage. The sheep herd instintinct we all must follow a convention. Yet if someone had terminal cancer there woould be nothing but sympathy, you dont hear people saying 'he is suffering from a physical disease, cancer'.
It would be my suggestion that even though the disease is brain related, refer to it as panic or whatever. I do beleive a panic attack was treated sensitively on a recent episode of coronation street.
Labelling is somethig I could and have devoted 3 hour lectures on, well i have voiced some of my opinions
Keith
I just thought that I would add something to this thread. I phoned a very nice Doctor in floods of tears this week because my panic attacks had got a lot worse and I felt completely out of control and scared. I told him I felt as though I was mad and that I would end up being sectioned. This very nice Doctor reassured me that I was not going mad....... and he said I did not really have a mental illness as anxiety is more an emotional reaction to stress. He said people do not get sectioned for anxiety but they receive help in the community. So that reassured me a little bit, lol. :yesyes:
Love shoegal xxx
davidthegnome
25-03-07, 08:49
Shoegal, I'm kind of surprised at that. I mean, if my Doc had told me it wasn't a mental illness I would've given her a million reasons why it is. Doctors generally refer to my PD and PTSD as mental illness, just what I'm used to I guess. Different things work for different people.
That said, I don't look at anxiety itself as a mental illness. Everyone has anxiety at some point or another to some extent. In my opinion though, anxiety disorders are quite different in the respect that they can severely effect one's ability to manage their lives.
That's just the way I look at it though. I'd have to disagree with the Doc in regards to it being just a reaction to stress though, that is, in the physiological sense. People with these erm, well, I'll call them disorders for the moment, tend to have chemical imbalances within the brain. There is a great deal of evidence that supports this. Now, this doesn't mean that we're "mental" or as my generation in the grand old US would call it "whacked out", it just means that different people have different brain chemistry.
Hormones, chemicals, certain foods or allergies... all of these things are factors in what can create, worsen or even in some cases actually cause panic attacks and/or anxiety disorders. In my case, aspartame made it far worse.
As a result of these disorders people may react differently to stress, but I do not believe that stress is what causes them, it plays a role, yes and tends to be the main factor, but certainly isn't the only one.
Sorry if I've offended, wasn't intentional. It's just late and I'm ranting away because I'm procrastinating about going back to sleep. Worried I'll wake up with another PA.
Ah well... back to bed.
God bless you all,
Dave
As a result of these disorders people may react differently to stress, but I do not believe that stress is what causes them, it plays a role, yes and tends to be the main factor, but certainly isn't the only one.
Dave
My doctor has never referred to it as mental illness either Shoegal - I think because he doesn't want to be so sweeping, after all someone doesn't say oh I have a physical illness do they, they just tell you straight what the condition is.
Dave totally like you mate I steer clear of aspartame whenever possible too.
I do want to say that in my case an overload of stress was definately the main cause of my panic attacks and anxiety disorder!
Love Piglet
peoplelikeus
25-03-07, 21:58
I've been referred to many psychologists for my Anxiety disorder...none had any clue how to deal with me. One even said she felt that she couldnt develop a relationship with me...(???!!!)
I Feel like it is a chemical reaction to stress or tiredness....a mental illness? Perhaps, but very very mild compared to say Schizophrenia.
I find that most people have preconceived ideas and prejudices about anxiety sufferers......see us as pathetic? can't cope and have "funny turns" lol
Probably should get out more...If I could lol
I used to think about this when I studied psychology in school, Mirry, tis a tricky term.
For instance, saying its a mental illness because it 'occurs in the mind' doesn't work. If you have thyroid disorder (makes ya sleepy, even sometimes causes PAs, my dad has it)- the thyroid is in the brain (actually, it isnt, ive just been laughed at by my father lol. Ty Belle.), but its not a 'mental illness.' Why? God knows.
And I must admit it is a bit odd being under the same umbrella as people who have entirely lost the ability for rational thought. And my prof used to always tell us that mental health and mental illness are not opposites, as odd as I know that sounds:blush:. I guess its like how you can be a healthy person and get the flu, as opposed to having a serious or life threatening disease.
Anyway, I think when doctors say you have 'mental illness' (and please dont read that sentence in a bad way, Im not saying anyone has it, except maybe me lol) I think they mean it in a different way than we think.
I think thats why a few of you had a bit of a tiff earlier, you were talking about different words and didnt know it. Easy to do when youre talking about health, those doctors always trying to confuse us lol.
Rach xxx
Southern_Belle
26-03-07, 19:13
Hi,
I do have thyroid disease called hypothyroidism and the thyroid gland is not in the brain. It is a butterfly shaped gland that is right below your Adam's apple in your neck. It makes thyroid hormones, which are chemicals that affect the function of many of the body's organs including the heart, brain, liver, kidneys and skin. Just fyi.
Laura
oh lol nevermind bad example
change that to some other example that still makes my point valid.
(hides)
Thats what I get for trying to sound Edgycated :blush:
Ok. Now I am going to add more fuel to the fire, LOL!
Earlier in this thread, I wrote that my Doctor told me anxiety is not a mental illness. Since then, I mentioned this casually in conversation to my Father, who told me that as he has been worried about me recently and has spoken to his friend who is one of the leading anxiety specialists in the country. This Doctor told my Father that anxiety is DEFINATELY NOT a mental illness.
I personally do not care either way whether it is labelled a mental illness or not, but I thought I would add what I have been told to the discussion.
Love shoegal xxx
Southern_Belle
28-03-07, 16:56
Hi Rachel,
No need for hiding hun, nobody knows about it until you have the disease :)
Hugs,
Laura
Hi
The word should be EMOTIONAL HEALTH, the word mental should never be used.
Social services policy with staff members is that you do not call people mental. mental is a very strong word to use.
We all suffer emotional health issues, all walks of life.
take care
nessxxxxxxxxxxx
I personally couldn't give a flying fig what you call it.
I tell people I have a mental illness and they laugh at me cause I don't look "crazy"
Phill :shades:
i think depression, anxiety and panic attacks are a form of mental illness, but the phrase "mentally ill" has so many negative connotations.
Alabasterlyn
25-05-07, 15:17
I think real mental illness is when someone has a psychosis. Anxiety disorders are a neurosis not a psychosis so I don't think we should be labelled 'mentally ill', although I am so used to being labelled that it doesn't really bother me now.
If I meet someone and try to explain my problem there is no way I would say I have a mental illness, I just tell them I suffer with anxiety and panic attacks and leave it at that.
Dying_Swan
29-05-07, 14:29
Hey.
Read this post a while ago but didn't quite dare to reply!
I clicked that I don't mind, but it depends on the situation really. If I was laughing with my friends, I would probably refer to it as a mental illness.
If it was something serious, like at work, then I would rather it wasn't called that, simply because of the connotations. Basically, if people know what they're talking about, mental illness is fine, but out in the ignorant world, I think people would get the wrong impression.
I agree with what Alabasterlyn said about psychosis and neurosis. They are very different, but are both included in the ICD-10 and DSM-IV, so I guess they are both mental illnesses.
Sometimes I refer to it as 'my psychological history'. I prefer psychological to psychiatric...doesn't sound as scary for some reason!
An interesting thread...thank you :) xxx
Took me a long time to say this but I no longer care what they call it. At first I whispered it, I was ashamed to say I was mentally ill, but nowadays I'm loud and proud about it. The more we shatter the stereotype "mentally ill" the better it may be understood.
The first thing anyone says to me is "I'd never have guessed you had mental problems" well what did they expect, horns? For a lot of people mental illness does mean padded cells, and straight jackets.
I do suffer from an illness, and I'm always honest about it and think there are a few more people in this world who understand about it now because I have changed their minds on what "mental health" actually means.
I prefer to call it emotional distress. Yes, it's an illness. But it is more an emotional issue than 'mental' which has such awful connotations and massive stigma attached.
[I have long standing recurrent depression, complex PTSD and severe social anxiety, panic attacks, and anorexic traits]
Lilith1980
14-04-08, 17:35
I suppose it depends on how you, as a person, feel about it.
I dont take offense because I equate "mental" with the "mind" and therefore it is an illness of the mind to me.
I dont think "mental illness" is used in order to describe someone who is mad, but people who are ignorant and frightened of what they do not understand sometimes think of it as someone who is mad because that's the only explanation they have for it.
Jo xxxxx
:scared15: LOL !!! What a thread :roflmao: !! Tee hee,...
OMG - Well, what can I say?.. I think I've been Mental for along time then!
Oh well,.. :whistles:
I'd rather not tell the story right now,...or explain my view, no doubt it'll take days.
Maybe another time eh ?
Oh, I've clicked two; That I don't really mind what they call it, and so I guess I don't mind it being called a Mental Illness.:)
lol - Just realised I can't click more than one.
So have gone for the "I don't really care - Option". But,.. Mentality is where it cores from.
I might be mental but "emotional health" would be a better way of putting it
smudgie
KittyLittle
15-04-08, 00:58
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm I'm not sure I like the term mental illness, in fact though its probably the stigma attached to that term rather than the actual words.
Someone on this thread mentioned that they must qualify as mentally illa s they have a counsellor. I don't believe that means you must be mentally ill as people are counselled for different things everyday. Heck, football stars are being coached all the time is that not some kind of counselling? When a youngster seeks careers advice is that not a form of coaching/counselling?
Is having a counseller (whether it be a professional counseller, a friend or a coach!) or a therapist to help you see through and cope with depression/panic etc any different to having a mind coach or thought coach or emotion coach (whatever you would prefer to call it). We all have support people coaching us whether it be for careers, minds or football or whatever.
I'm not getting at any one its just a thought (yep another one!) but please no one think that because you are having counselling/coaching/therapy that it means anything negative and that you you are any less of a good or capable person :-)
Instead of mental illness I prefer people to say emotionally tired or exhausted, overstressed, mindfully exhausted. I don't think there should be any problem with using the word mental in any description but lets be honest here in reality there is a stigma and use of the word would make many people (and those around them) feel uncomfortable.
i dont like being told i have a mental illness, i find it offensive !!!! but really i think its because im ashamed of it.
recently my husband and myself went to get life insurance from HSBC bank, we filled out all the forms, a few days later my husband was accepted, i was told that because i was high risk they wouldn't accept me !!!!!! i had put on the form that i suffered from....anxiety.......so thats why i dont like the label....mental illness.
dawny
MissChampers
06-05-08, 12:50
I must admit I am ashamed of admitting to anyone I have a mental illness..Not many people know how bad it is and think i'm just prone to anxiety attacks now and again. My father also suffers with panic attacks and my sister depression so it could be hereditary in my case. My partner thinks i'm nuts and should "Pull myself together" and my son takes the micky when I start getting paniky in supermarkets and shopping centres. :lac:
Dont know if its just me but I find it insulting when people call anxiety and panic attacks a MENTAL illness.
After all I do not consider myself "mental" :wacko: , also recently a friend of mine had a form to fill in for her sons school bus, it asked about his mental illness, he has a chromosone missing (a proper illness) , yet they named it mental.
"Mental" just means "related to the mind". I don't think it helps to be oversensitive about the term, which is an entirely scientific one.
Sure, people use "mental" as an insult, but they will always joke about such things. One can do worse than have a sense of humour about it.
I am currently reading " They Say Your Crazy - How The World's Powerful Psychiatrists Decide Who Is Normal " by Paula J Caplan. It tells the story of how these " mental illnesses " are made up and voted for by committees of psychiatrists. It also says that the " normal " family is the family that has never been clinically assessed. Psychiatry has no tests ( blood tests, x-rays ) to prove any theory they come out with, unlike the other medical disciplines, so I do not believe in mental illness. I have anixety ( which is a little more excessive than average but everyone has anxiety to a greater or lesser degree ) caused by a build up of stress over the years, which finally peaked and I also have depression ( which is probably more than the average person experiences ) I think that one of the stumbling blocks to full recovery is the labels we carry around like the sarlet letter in the old days. It is interesting that anxiety only became a " mental disorder " in 1980 at about the same time as the new anti-depressants started to come out.
Hi I dont mind it being called Mental illness ..
People that have never suffered may think its when you have gone totally loopy and have 2 wear a straight jacket in a padded cell but thats just their lack of understanding.
Its like Nervous Breakdown ...people look at you like youre mad and weak...
yet my nerves have broke down lol and im not mad and not weak ...just worn out my nerves xxxxxxxx
The psychiatryst I have see 5 times so far really wants to discharge me.
He says there is nothing wrong with me, he said "You just have panic and anxiety attacks, which are really the same thing. :ohmy: Basically you know how to deal with them NOW you need to put that knowledge into practice"
I told him that if I read the mannual would i be able to drive a car???
My point being you need the driving instructor to show you how and to help you till you feel confident to try on your own.
The term mental illness to us older members sounds dreadfull BUT whoever offers the help the title does not matter. (a rose by any other name?:blush: )
Best wishes
june
trouble is that its more a physical illness really but it courses some uh mental disfunction.so i dont mind what they call it to be honest
Anxious_gal
19-08-08, 14:10
well it does all start in the mind! but yes it does feel more physical, i just think when people hear mental illness they think of schizophrenia. or a crazy person (not meant to offend) I don't want people to think there is something wrong with my mind. yes i hide my anxiety and i am embarrassed by it. so i chose the last option.
My answer to the question was - I feel ashamed of myself and it lowers my self esteem (cant get much lower)
To be placed in a catogory -suffers mental health problems- makes me feel there is no way out, no furture, despair of whats to come of a depressed poor example of a woman. This is how i feel and I do not mean to offend anyone
I have put "I find it very offensive", because I do. People should watch their use of terminology before labelling people.
milly jones
19-08-08, 21:52
well thats what it is, mental health illness
not a weakness or failure of ur character, an illness that for some reason was given for u to survive not a choice u made to suffer it.
if ppl respected it as an illlness then perhaps the social stigma attached to mental health would not be as negative as it is.
milly xx
i dont care what they call it but if it is a mental illness then why did i get refused help from the mental health team
I don't understand people being offended by being "labelled"... what term would make them happy? "Psychologically challenged"?
I think often one's perception of being victimised starts with one's own attitude to one's illness. If you see yourself as a victim, people will treat you like one, and it makes not an iota of difference what you or they call your illness.
I write this as a sufferer from social phobia, not as an outsider. Although I've stablised a little over recent weeks, I would certainly say I've been suffering from a mental illness for most of the past year.
Ok, but there should be some sort of a dividing line between categorising people with simple anxiety and more serious conditions, which was what I meant by being "labelled".
It is a mental illness and giving it another name doesn't change it.
I am not over keen on the term but it is what it is.
I don't think "illness" is the right word, but there again, thats only my opinion.
Why is ill not the right word? It made me very ill.... I certainly wasn't well !!!
Now it is bearable but hardly a rose garden of joy.
It is just not the correct word, it is highly inappropriate. Nervous condition, perhaps, but not "mental illness", that should be only applied to "mentally ill and unstable members of society.
It is just not the correct word, it is highly inappropriate. Nervous condition, perhaps, but not "mental illness", that should be only applied to "mentally ill and unstable members of society.
Depends what level you are at... when I had my breakdown it was not a nervous condition - it was an illness. I was damn unstable.
Personally I find 'nervous condition' an airy fairy term. Everyone gets nervous.
It is not "airy fairy" it is reality, Mental Illness should not be applied to the mentally sane people who have emotional conditions.
I agree with Sam - it depends on what level you're at. As a child, I was anxious but not mentally ill. In adulthood I crossed the line.
If you are simply on the anxious end of the normal spectrum, then nobody's accusing you of being mentally ill. But there are some people here, including myself, whose anxieties are abnormal, and we are mentally ill.
I don't go around with a t-shirt saying, "I'm mentally ill" just as I don't go around talking about my physical ailments. If you don't mention it, people will either see that you have a problem, or they won't, and respond to you as they find you.
Lucy, "mental" just means "to do with the mind". Look it up in a dictionary: it's true, I promise!
I'll be honest I didn't read the whole thread, it's 16 pages and I have the attention span of a goldfish. I don't really have a problem with it being called a mental illness as mental by definition means: of or relating to the total emotional and intellectual response of an individual to external reality. Which of course means it is a brain related condition. The term 'mental' has negative connotations from the years of sigma attached to being anyway of what was viewed as 'lesser abled' mentally. For so long people self medicated with Alcohol or other things to try to deal with the fact they were ill but feared telling or talking about it as no one accepted it as a valid illness, thus I would say having it labeled as an illness, be it mental, is a step in the right direction. We have an illness we try to treat it much like you would a heart condition or diabetes. The fact we are at a stage where we can discuss our views openly without fear of retribution in regards to our mental illness shows it is a valid and known condition that is as medically significant as any other illness.
At least that is what I think.
Lila
xx
HI, I like to think of it as a nervous illness, not mental.
Diane O'Brien
18-11-08, 14:33
I don't mind it being called a illness. I think to myself I left my course because I was ill with depression and anxiety. It is a mental ailment because it affects your emotions and mood. I know now I,m getting help and support, people should not hesitate to get help wether its a physical illness or mental. I know I am not a failure, like I used to think I became ill and that its not a sign of weakness. People with physical illnesses wether its a common cold or something more sinister are described as ill so why should it differ with mental illness. There is still definately a stigma attached to mental illness and there should'nt be because it stops people getting help they so desperately need.
I am not ashamed to say I have a mental illness and that with medication, good support and having a cry and a laugh gets u through.
Lots of love + kisses.
I find it easier to call it a mental illness than saying i have depression and anxiety etc, as feel taken more seriously when say have mental illness, as i find when u say to ppl i got clinical depression its like "oh get over it, so stigmatised....i hate having to explain it all to, tho i usually say i suffer from mental health probs instead illness, not that much difference. i used to bother alot wot ppl say but caring less and less..... so i woodnt let it worry too much, its just part of how we are and we the normal ones anyway, its the sheep in normal (ha ha) society that are mental lol
P.S not being funny and no dis respect to ur friends child, but this is a proper illness to hun, we and other ppl have to accept and realise that too. anyhow tc xx
Watch Time fly by
05-12-08, 14:45
P.S not being funny and no dis respect to ur friends child, but this is a proper illness to hun, we and other ppl have to accept and realise that too. anyhow tc xx
Yeah i agree, if it weren't an illness we wouldn't be searching for a cure.
And since "emotional" illness doesn't sound serious enough to people, let's add "mental" to it and we have some attention. :yahoo:
Rennie1989
14-12-08, 21:16
I have to agree with Ozzy. From a medical point of view panic disorder, anxiety disorder, clinical depression, schitzophrenia and others ARE mental illnesses. I know that I am 'ill' because that it why I see the doctor, see the counsellor, perform relaxation and put down on my application forms 'Mental illness- Panic Disorder'. If I wasn't 'ill' I wouldn't be doing this, because why fix it when nothing's broken?
I found this statement an insult: 'a friend of mine had a form to fill in for her sons school bus, it asked about his mental illness, he has a chromosone missing (a proper illness)' sorry but a mental illness IS a proper illness. It is diagnosable, has symptoms and is treatable or controlable.
There is a difference between anxiety and anxiety disorder. Anybody can have a panic attack, anxiety or a spell of depression and NOT be mentally ill. When it is a common problem, like panic/anxiety disorder and clinical depresison, that is my interpritation of mental illness. No, you don't necessarily have to be wearing a straight-jacket in a padded room, you could be like 'normal' (I use this term loosely) by sitting on the coach watching TV.
I could go but it's Sunday evening and my brain's frazzled .... enough health talk from me today.
When I first became ill I was terribly ashamed. When I got a bit better and tried to get a job I watched the barriers go up as soon as "mental illness" came up.
I'm not a fan of the phrase "mental illness" for two reasons, one bacause of the negative conotations of the word "mental" and two because of it's vagueness.
However this being said: These days I tell anyone daft enough to ask that I have an illness, and I don't care what its called. What I really care about is trying to remove the stigma and pre-conceptions..
sunshine-lady
03-01-09, 15:07
I realy don't mind it being called mental health. I have Bipolar affective disorder, which means bascially I have a chemical inbalance in my brain. I would rather say I have mental health issues.
Dominic1975
11-01-09, 16:56
I think it is a mental health illness.... we all know that our symptoms are a direct link to our thoughts..... Manjority of the time, if we sort out the mind, we can over the anxiety... I dont think we have to look at ourselves as mental, but a mental health, where we need to be balanced
Thats my thoughts
pink_candy04
11-01-09, 19:44
I think there are different levels of 'mental illness'
I am in the process of being diognosed with bipolar but i dont see myself as 'mental' but i know it is a mental illness (if that makes sense?!)
You can have a mental illness but it doesnt mean thats what you are, i have lots of other things that define me, not just that im ill. Its something i put in the background.
I dont like the term 'mentally unstable' either because that makes me sound like a liability, anyone else agree with that one?
Gayle xxxx
to be honest atm im so low dont care whats its called , i actually feel a bit mental going through all this tbh, but we are all different
purplehaze
13-01-09, 05:49
Hi
I really think emotional illness is what is best and it fits all the different things people suffer from.
Mental illness has all these negative images connected with it.
Maybe it is time that the term was changed! We have mental health teams and mental health support groups but I really do feel emotional health team sounds better. Ok a name will not change how we feel but it may just allow people that dont suffer to move away from the media image
purplehaze
13-01-09, 09:00
well ozzy having worked in the "menal health" field for over 6yrs I have a good understanding of your post. And I think you have explained why emotion would be a better word, rather than mental.
I feel that a change of name is needed due to the way that the media protrays people with an emotional illness and also how the movies also protray us.
There is a massive stigma attached to the word mental and also discrimination.
If you are content with being called mentally ill then thats a personal choice just as it is mine to see myself as emotionally unwell.
Thanks for your post as I found it very informative as I am sure others will as well.
Take care
My therapist always said to me that you don't have to be mentally ill to suffer from a mental illness.
kashameets
23-01-09, 18:17
i dont mind at all that its called mental illness, i try to laugh it off, if i make fun out of my self it makes it easyer to cope with.
i use to hate it when i met someone new and they asked what i did for a living as i cant work due to agoraphobia, i would go red and wouldnt know what to say but i now say i dont work im mental:wacko: and then just look at them and laugh, they dont know what to say so they just laugh and dont ask again. :yesyes: my best friend suffers from the same kind of problems i have and we always take the mic out of each other, it means we feel we can tell each other anything cos we dont feel uptight about are mental illnesses.
bluegirl09
29-01-09, 21:55
smiles well i consider myself to have a mental illness clinical depression i would like to think that emphasis is more on the word illness being not well and less on the word mental.There is a stigma attached to any kinds of psychological illness that goes back too the 18th century i think when people who had "demons" were sent away to the country if they were lucky or left to rot in an institution if they were not , there are a lot of taboos people are frightenend of someone who is menatlly ill i am slightly embarassed but as i in 3 will suffer some kind of mental problems during their lifetime not that embarassed i do try and make light of it and i dont worry what others think as i know i am bright and have never considered myself mental as in dangerous but i would say i have been mental as in depressed.
everything has to have a label unfortunately. I think it could be a lot worse than mental illness. im a 'learning disabilities' nurse, and people have been having this argument for years and years.i understand mental illness is my mind being poorly, cos thats what it is :blush:
sarah peacock
29-01-09, 22:22
I dont mind it being called a mental illness because if u think about it, it is really, because its all in the mind isn't it xxx
I think its totally wrong to attach this to people with emotional symptoms and get them to go to groups and get them to take medication so they can be seen as doing their jobs, so then they can say they have done something about these people!! Just my opinion.
bluegirl09
30-01-09, 13:34
Lucy i have a mental illness depression, i havent been made to attend any groups and as for my medication my gp has said its entirely in my hands the dosage or whether i even take anything he will advise me and offer me counsel but unltimately its my decision , some people are menatlly ill its a fact of life and as for health care professionals only trying to make themselves do something its their job too care they have trained and studied and went into that vocation too look after patients welfare/health.
I am aware they will have studied etc. but i think some of them are in the dark when it comes to diagnosis, they fail to find a persons individuality, because they themselves have not a complete understanding of the problems, we are all different, to them, we are much in such the same. Mental Illness definately the wrong words to use in quite a few cases, I presume.
Hi
I don't like it being called a mental illness at all, I find it degrading and insulting.
The reason it's called a mental illness is because it's believed that it's our thought processes causing the problem - whichi t is. However, would we have these thought processes if we didn't get the symptoms??
It is an emotional illness full stop. Looking at it from another point of view, emotions include such things as anger. If someone is of a very angry nature and beats people up or kicks in shop windows then we may say he is !a mad man".
I think a better way to describe this illness is probably "stress related illness". Have to admit this is a difficult one.
I really dislike the term mental illness, I tend to go with mental health problem instead.
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