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We're talking mental health issues here, not religion. There's another forum for that.
Back on subject, the sad fact is that the most difficult thing to overcome for the mentally ill, the developmentally disabled, the physically disabled and some elderly is the stigma attached to their limitations. That, too, is borne of ignorance, intollerance, cruelty, lack of education and sophistication and just plain stinkin' thinkin'. Unfortunately, we've seen some of it here and in a related threat. https://www.city-data.com/forum/relat...rry-woman.html
It would be nice to think humans were more evolved than that.
but this is how the world works on and offline. the same people are saying these things and in the next breath saying 'there's a lid for every pot!' B.S.
Nobody is perfect. I would choose a person who had a mental disorder they were actively treating and open about over a person who thought anyone with a mental illness was a leper that you should run away from.
Perhaps this is because I have a disorder (not mental, though) and have had some extremely nasty things said about me. Empathy seems to be lost in our society.
I saw someone recently write about being sick of hearing about 911, that it was 'so over'.
American society has changed alot in the last ten years, and not for the better.
OP, "crazy" is not a clinical term, since 1930 or so.
3) How severely does it affect the person's life and those around them?
Some people manage certain conditions well. Having grown up with one person who probably has Narcissistic Personality Disorder/possibly Borderline Personality Disorder and one who's likely NPD and another who's likely BPD (I described their behavior to 2 therapists, both were clear they couldn't diagnose someone without evaluating them, but said it's probably what I was probably dealing with), I'd steer clear of someone with either of those conditions. Maybe it's just the people I've been around, but they refuse to acknowledge they may have a problem, it's always the fault of the person they have disagreements/arguments with and they draw other people into their drama. I'm childfree, but I can imagine what a nightmare it would to try and raise a child with someone like that. If they won't acknowledge it or get treatment, it tends to get worse
I have anxiety myself. I'm in talk therapy and I take medication as needed for anxiety and insomnia. I'm also learning about non-medication ways to deal with the anxiety (deep breaths, changing thought patterns). One of the reasons I'm doing so, is because the symptom of irritability can make it tough to be around me at times. And when I'm tired or stressed, the extra energy it takes for me to socialize just isn't there, so I prefer to stay home and recharge the batteries. For someone who's very social and outgoing, it would be difficult to have a relationship with someone like me. So I think it also depends on how the other person's qualities and quirks match up with the "crazy" person's qualities and quirks. An introvert might be able to handle my temporary withdrawal from social stuff better than an extrovert.
Last edited by exscapegoat; 09-19-2012 at 07:06 PM..
To get back to you can't argue with crazy. I have a friend at work in her 30's that was perfectly normal until one night after work. She was terrified about these Mexican neighbors that were setting up cameras in her bathroom watching her take showers. No matter what logical explanation I came up with she still insisted that they were watching her. I encouraged her to get some help which she did not. She finally had a melt down at work and the ambulance took her away. She finally got on some meds and was better. She decided to get off the meds because she was feeling better. You can guess what happened. I found her crying and going on and on about a coworker spreading rumors about her. I asked her if she had stopped taking her meds and she had confessed that she had. I finally convinced her to take a dose when she got home and to go back and see her MD. She's been fine for about a year now and her boyfriend stuck with her. A lot of mental illness is nothing more than a chemical imbalance that is easily fixed. We have all been very kind and supportive of her at work and I wouldn't hesitate remaining friends with her. Serial killers, rapists, pedophiles and seriously mean people are a different matter.
To get back to you can't argue with crazy. I have a friend at work in her 30's that was perfectly normal until one night after work. She was terrified about these Mexican neighbors that were setting up cameras in her bathroom watching her take showers. No matter what logical explanation I came up with she still insisted that they were watching her. I encouraged her to get some help which she did not. She finally had a melt down at work and the ambulance took her away. She finally got on some meds and was better. She decided to get off the meds because she was feeling better. You can guess what happened. I found her crying and going on and on about a coworker spreading rumors about her. I asked her if she had stopped taking her meds and she had confessed that she had. I finally convinced her to take a dose when she got home and to go back and see her MD. She's been fine for about a year now and her boyfriend stuck with her. A lot of mental illness is nothing more than a chemical imbalance that is easily fixed. We have all been very kind and supportive of her at work and I wouldn't hesitate remaining friends with her. Serial killers, rapists, pedophiles and seriously mean people are a different matter.
Camera paranoia actually makes some sense. An old coworker of mine's landlord had secret webcams throughout her house and spied on her for nearly 2 years. I actually do a thorough search with a friend of any apartment before I move in because of that.
I'm curious if you knew what her triggers were..perhaps she was lied to in the past, or someone violated her privacy at one point? That kind of stuff sticks with some people.
Not necessarily. The distribution doesn't seem to be any different than what's found in the population at large. Plus there are more religious people who give and volunteer (where their lives matter on this planet) than there are nut jobs. As far as assigning mental illness due to a belief system, then we would all automatically fall under the umbrella of nutty since we all believe something (involvement of deities or not).
Calling someone who is suffering with mental illness is not very nice. It's fine if you don't want a relationship with someone b/c they have mental illness, that's your choice, but calling someone crazy isn't going to help.
Calling someone who is suffering with mental illness is not very nice. It's fine if you don't want a relationship with someone b/c they have mental illness, that's your choice, but calling someone crazy isn't going to help.
Depends on how much it affects the lives of others. When my neighbor who probably has schizophrenia is insisting it's night when it's day, that doesn't really affect me or anyone so I let it go. I wouldn't call her crazy for that. When she's screaming curses, etc. at my door or window/ringing my bell repeatedly or spitting at passers by (all of which she has done), then I reserve the right to call her crazy. Though obviously not directly to her or where she would hear it, that would just make things worse. And yes, I have called 911 for her on the occasions I've witnessed. When the police or EMTs directly witness it, they can take her in for treatment. But if they don't see it, there's not much they can do for her (or me). I've also tried addressing it through other channels, but there's pretty much nothing which can be done.
Likewise, when my mother, back when I was in contact with her, would insist things didn't happen when they did or that things happened when they didn't, that's crazy too. Again I wouldn't call her directly crazy because that's not going to help. But I reserve the right to think it to myself or describe it to others as crazy as a form of shorthand to describe how utterly irrational it is. There's a reason they call it "crazy making"
For me personally, merely being mentally ill isn't "crazy". It has to involve some measure of acting/behaving abusively towards others.
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