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There are a LOT of people out in the world with mental problems. Are there enough of them that you will meet one each day? I really don't think so, but it really depends on who is in your circles and where you hang out. I wouldn't be surprised though if the average person encountered one of these poor souls at least once every three to six months.
If you care to answer this thread or poll, how often do you think you encounter someone who is "not right?" I am not speaking of someone who is just a little odd, or different; but someone YOU MEET AND THINK can use the help of a mental professional?
Last edited by blktoptrvl; 02-16-2018 at 04:18 PM..
I'm in the mental health treatment field. So I'm exposed to lots of people with mental health concerns.
That said, the most common by a landslide are anxiety and depression issues. Not schizophrenic spectrum disorders, psychotic disorders, and the sorts of things people tend to assume when they have a very stereotyped view of what "mental health issues" are.
And, yes, you probably encounter someone nearly every day with some form of mental health concern. Probably the sorts of things that are the "common colds" of mental health.
If you look at the DSM-5, each disorder in it has a section where prevalence of a given disorder is broken down in the U. S. From that, you can tell what percentage of the population receives a given diagnosis.
I just turned 43 & probably can count on 1 hand the # of people who "weren't right." Well, the last few yrs especially not because I haven't really worked outside of the home in those yrs. No relatives of mine have any mental issues that I know of.
As I'm thinking of anyone who sticks out in my mind, I'm thinking of a couple of people who I've known for quite a while. I'm not related to them & I'm pretty positive they haven't been formally diagnosed w/ narcissistic personality disorder, but the way they act, they're narcissists, I'm sure.
Re: any other mental disorders (bipolar, schizophrenia, depression, etc.), I personally don't know anyone like that. Now I could have had a coworker or dealt w/ strangers when I'm out & about w/ those disorders, but I never knew it.
(My undergrad major is Behavioral Science, by the way.)
Last edited by Forever Blue; 02-16-2018 at 05:31 PM..
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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At least 4-5 times a day. My commute takes me through the Pine Street corridor near Westlake in Seattle, infamous for the more unbalanced homeless. People cursing at or even physically fighting with invisible foes are common, as are those just talking to themselves.
And answering.
All the time, if you count homeless people. I don't usually engage with them, although I'll usually say hello if I pass them while out walking.
But, just today there was a guy on a bike with bags of recycle stuff on it who kept slowly riding his bike up and down the street I was walking my dog on on the way to the library to return books. He was too in his own world to even say hello to. Talking to himself.
Then, I went to another library later on (I'm a library user, big time) and was looking at the DVDs and there was a guy talking about the DVDs he was looking at as if there was another person there. I thought at first maybe he was on the phone, but no, he was just in his own world with an invisible friend.
There is also a man in my building with dementia and I ran into him on my way back out to walk my dog in the evening. He's been in the same pajamas for weeks and never changes out of them. Wears his beret. I went to go down the elevator and when the doors opened there he was standing in the elevator. Said hello, and just stood there. I get so frustrated with him. You can't reason with him at all. So, I had to take the stairs.
So, for me, it's pretty much every day I leave my apartment. That would also include the kind of wacko tenants who hang outside smoking, too.
Nobody dangerous. Just lots of people who "aren't right." Although I am kind of bothered by that phrase. Doesn't seem fair somehow. I guess we need a baseline or definition for what is "right."
Well, the first would be some of my neighbors. Every time I drive by certain houses and see trash piled high in their front yards, mattresses, coolers, toilets, some of these people have major issues.
The question also makes me think of my last job in Az, before moving. I sold health insurance and took many calls. In this type of field, you meet an amazing variety of personalities. When I'd answer the phone and the first thing out of their mouth was something to the effect of 'you'd better find my psychiatrist in your network and my meds had better be covered too', and I'm thinking OH NO, it's one of those calls . I talked with a couple friends and we agreed these calls were cringeworthy, since they could turn on a dime and scream and yell at you.
On the plus side, years of handling so many volatile people was amazing practice. I became really good at defusing their anger and managed to steer many of even the most difficult personalities towards a policy. I told a good friend at work, she would have been a great psych nurse and she said the same about me. We both had a high level of skill dealing with certain types and they almost always liked us.
There are a LOT of people out in the world with mental problems. Are there enough of them that you will meet one each day? I really don't think so, but it really depends on who is in your circles and where you hang out. I wouldn't be surprised though if the average person encountered one of these poor souls at least once every three to six months.
If you care to answer this thread or poll, how often do you think you encounter someone who is "not right?" I am not speaking of someone who is just a little odd, or different; but someone YOU MEET AND THINK can use the help of a mental professional?
Most of them are posting here.
I encounter them almost every time I read posts. Theres a lot of sick pups in the world.
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. I talked with a couple friends and we agreed these calls were cringeworthy, since they could turn on a dime and scream and yell at you. 
