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Arjuna Nagendran

Doctor,

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What experiences have made you more comfortable with mental health disorders?

What things make you fearful of mental health disorders? And what experiences have made you more comfortable with it?

In the quest to dispell stigma, how can we help our society grow out of its fear?

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Topics: Education. society Psychiatry mental health society stigma
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    Craig Patterson 10+

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    Nov 9 2012: What refreshing perspectives are represented in these posts. I couldn't agree more, that 'labels' are more destructive than beneficial. And who are the labels beneficial for? The doctors, the system of so-called mental health professionals and society to put these folks in a box. Meanwhile 'these' so-called sane folks use lobotomies, shock treatments and chemical castrations of all kinds to 'render' these misfits 'controllable'.

    Read R. D. Laing's seminal work, The politics of experience to better understand the depths of absurdity of what we call 'NORMAL' , the misplaced basis of much of our mental health.

    I would suggest that as much damage as labels do to the labeled, they do far more damage to the Doctors and society, as their ability to 'see' clearly is shrouded in a deep fog of ignorance, profits and quick fixes. How many savants have we destroyed in our system of boxes and labels? How many doctors have trouble sleeping as they remember the pain and suffering of their 'lobotomies and chemical castrations'? Who are the victims and who are the perpetrators? How far as our 'science' of psychiatry come since the days of Germany during world war 2?

    I applaud the ladies here who question the broken system of labels. Let me add my name to the list who agree with that conclusion.

    Human behavior and consciousness isn't deterministic. We all have free will, and where there is a will, there is a way.

    • Comment deleted

      • Gwen Dimbleby Coates

        • +1
        Nov 11 2012: Yes. I like that you like being you. Skip the label and just be. If nothing else it is interesting.

    • Ezra Scarlet

      • +1
      Nov 11 2012: I would like state I agree with craig that we shouldn't label people. Though that doesn't mean we should stop psychiatric treatment for people. I fully understand what it's like to have a mental and be judged for it, and understand the need for mental health though my experience. To start off use of shock-treatment has been strictly forbidden in all mental institutions second I know a lot of people with in the mental health fields none of them seen, or condoned lobotomies. If you're make claims please put in current facts about the Issue's.

    • Ezra Scarlet

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      Nov 11 2012: I do in fact have adhd, which I must take medicine for due to the fact that I'm considerable less able to function in my life. I can honestly say I don't like taking meds and prefer I didn't means to control the disorder, and I did in fact stop takes the meds for quite a some months. This unfortunately had serious negative effect's Adhd is basically Attention Deficit Disorder meaning I lack focus. This doesn't mean all adhd is the same and shouldn't be classfied as such. For instance my flaw is that I get exceedingly so one track focused that my mind goes into a trance and my brain moves on autopilot which causes me to lose the essential sense of my surroundings. Unlike my brother who can not focus on any tasks not even playing games outside. Unless it it involves watching TV or which I recently found out just Watching and listening to my ipod. Then he was able to maintain complete focus for awhile.

      I digress my flaw inevitable caused me serious short term memory loss, at such levels that could be confused with having dementia. In my last month of not taking medicine I lost my Key's, My boyfriend's Key, Spare Keys, Id, Shoes, notes, as well as forgetting to complete certain essential tasks.
      Which oddly combined with special K cereal, caused me to lose a good appetite and I ended up starving myself of essential Nutrients. Now my boyfriend has banned me Special K and all other diet food seeing how it turned me into a zombie. Again I disgress. Point being is that I have flaws on which I need to take medicine for.

    • Ezra Scarlet

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      Nov 11 2012: Though I don't believe people make accurate claims when they say they have adhd. One because everyone tends to daydream or lose focus once in awhile, this isn't adhd nor should people claim it as such. If that were the case anyone who has ever being caught up reading a book they found interesting has ADHD. adhd Implies that constantly daydreaming or constant racing mind causes a person to detrimentally forget things because they lack the ability to come out of that trace.

      The large claims of ADHD has positives and negatives one people are more excepting of the disability. Second is that people with ADHD are believed to be incapable of simple task of need of constant help. I often deal with such belief's and prove to people that I am in fact capable. People worry that I'll will burn down my appartment because I will forget to turn off the gas or that I would die in a car accident because I would be lose train of thought.
      I would comment more on this But really tired.

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