Mental health disease - not an excuse, not an industry

[JJ1981]

I have been reflecting on how much better I feel with the right interventions, that I should have had a long time ago. I'm still amazed of how much better I can function, can calm myself and not let any mistake keep me away from focusing on bettering my life. There are people who have had the same epiphany after finding the right treatment. There are those who are still to find it because they have not had the right treatment. And, there are those who do NOT want to seek that epiphany!

Mental health issues (like anxiety, uni/bipolar depression, schizophrenia etc) have been abused by some who do have them, some who don't actually have them and some who PROFIT from them. The first two groups treat mental health as an excuse, whilst the third one treats it as a mere industry!

Amongst the people with mental illness who abuse the severity of mental illness, some use it as a "comfort thing" more effective than ice cream or hot fatty chips, for example. It prevents them from being brave enough to see what is causing their mental anguish and what can be done to improve themselves despite that anguish. It also (unfortunately) is a convenient way of avoiding taking responsibility for abusive/threatening/irresponsible behaviour towards themselves and to others. Many sufferers are not like that, but we cannot discount those who are!

Amongst those who do not have mental illness, it is a great way to "pretend" that they are sick as a way to induce sympathy or concessions from different people. I have seen tenants thrashing investment properties shamelessly and deliberately deciding not to pay rent as conscientious choices, despite claiming to have mental "disabilities", which enables for disability pensions - scrutinised nowhere near as severely as JobSeeker (aka the dole). This adds to the stigma of people having legitimate mental illness and scares people off from actually helping them.

Amongst those who profit, they range from some doctors to some nurses. From their unions to certain non government organisations. From pharm reps to government health bureaucrats. They all see mental health as something to make money from, any way they can. Without giving a real damn about fixing the mental health issues hurting so many people. And, tarnishing the efforts of those who actually care and treat mental illness, and help people fix themselves.

To those three groups, I say this...mental health issues are real...not an excuse, not an industry! TAKE THEM SERIOUSLY!

[Chris o]

Interesting views on the mental health system.

Taking advantage of someone’s mental illness seems like pure evil.

[JJ1981]

It....IS!

[quirkywords]

JJ1981

Thanks for starting this thread and for expressing your thoughts.

I am sure that some people may pretend to have a mental illness especially if they are facing a prison sentence and there maybe people who abuset the severity of their illness.

I also think there maybe many people who do have a mental illness but are in denial about it and are not diagnosed or people who do not let any one know they have a mental illness and play down their symptoms.

As you have shown it is a complicated area. I have noticed in the more than 40 years that i was diagnosed that there is much more information now but the flip side is that many think they are an expert as they have read on article or listened to one podcast.

I wonder if you may have any ideas of how to go from it being an excuse and an industry to being more informative more real.?

I thank you for this informative and important topic that made me think.

[JJ1981]

OK, quirkywords...here is what I think about how to make mental illness "more informative and real"...

First, we need to acknowledge that mental health is a genuine absence of healthy functioning of the human mind. We need to get good information and appreciation on how people with mental health issues get affected by them, in terms of their brain function and on how it affects them in real life. We need good, objective information and honest, genuine advice. Ensure that you can understand all of it, even if you need to have some concepts "dumbed down" to allow for better understanding...it doesn't make you look dumb or childlike!

Second, we need to believe that having the issues treated is a better option than having them as an excuse for avoiding things in life or than dwelling in the "false comfort" that mental illness often does provide. If you find that your treatment/support is not getting you back up to enjoying life more and not giving you genuine comfort from such enjoyment, then DEMAND BETTER. Get better treatment/support, if you have to. Change GP's, psychiatrists, support groups. Just make sure that mental health disease is still disease.

All people with mental illness to encourage each other to pull themselves away from the "black hole" of mental illness. And, all people without mental illness can help us through having them believe that we are all worthwhile human beings and not as parasites.

And, we need to call out all the opportunists just like I did above. We need to discourage them from seeing mental illness (which can have deadly consequences) as an easy way up or an easy way out. That way our setbacks in life related to such illness won't have to be made more severe or prolonged by sheer greed or sloth.