Are you going insane?

[Skarekrow]

I found a very interesting article on the increase of psychological disorders (mostly depression) in the US and some of the theories as to why.
It explores how there has been a severe decrease in job and life satisfaction, the over prescribing of drugs, and the over diagnosis of psychological disorders.

(Excerpt) -"Examining the scientific literature that now extends over 50 years, Whitaker discovered that while some psychiatric medications for some people may be effective over the short term, these drugs increase the likelihood that a person will become chronically ill over the long term. Whitaker reports, “The scientific literature shows that many patients treated for a milder problem will worsen in response to a drug—say have a manic episode after taking an antidepressant—and that can lead to a new and more severe diagnosis like bipolar disorder.”With respect to the dramatic increase of pediatric bipolar disorder, Whitaker points out that, “Once psychiatrists started putting ‘hyperactive’ children on Ritalin, they started to see prepubertal children with manic symptoms. Same thing happened when psychiatrists started prescribing antidepressants to children and teenagers. A significant percentage had manic or hypomanic reactions to the antidepressants.” And then these children and teenagers are put on heavier duty drugs, including drug cocktails, often do not respond favorably to treatment and deteriorate. And that, for Whitaker, is a major reason for the 35-fold increase between 1987 and 2007 of children classified as being disabled by mental disorders. (See my 2010 interview with him, “ Are Prozac and Other Psychiatric Drugs Causing the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America?”)"

"Underlying many of psychiatry's nearly 400 diagnoses is the experience of helplessness, hopelessness, passivity, boredom, fear, isolation, and dehumanization—culminating in a loss of autonomy and community-connectedness. Do our societal institutions promote:

• Enthusiasm—or passivity?
• Respectful personal relationships—or manipulative impersonal ones?
• Community, trust, and confidence—or isolation, fear and paranoia?
• Empowerment—or helplessness?
• Autonomy (self-direction)—or heteronomy (institutional-direction)?
• Participatory democracy—or authoritarian hierarchies?
• Diversity and stimulation—or homogeneity and boredom?

Here is the link to anyone interested in reading the whole article - http://www.alternet.org/personal-health/whats-behind-dramatic-rise-mental-illness?page=0,0

Any thoughts??

 

[Eventhorizon]

It has amazed me that since I can remember scientists have consistently called the human brain the most complex thing they know of in the universe (outside the quantum world). They say they are still untold decades away from understanding how it operates and yet...are never the less more than willing to create and prescribe drugs that screw with its operation.

Did you know that when the atomic bomb was first created the scientists who created it thought there was a good chance its detonation could ignite all the oxygen in the earths atmosphere? Do you know how they resolved their concerns? They detonated it.

 

[Gaze]

makes sense.

 

[sprinkles]

It has amazed me that since I can remember scientists have consistently called the human brain the most complex thing they know of in the universe (outside the quantum world). They say they are still untold decades away from understanding how it operates and yet...are never the less more than willing to create and prescribe drugs that screw with its operation.

Did you know that when the atomic bomb was first created the scientists who created it thought there was a good chance its detonation could ignite all the oxygen in the earths atmosphere? Do you know how they resolved their concerns? They detonated it.

Scientists have brains too which means they have the inherent flaws that come with having one.

Doing things in spite of knowledge is down to deterministic phenomena.

It's kind of like the situation with a computer graphics driver that displays stuff on your screen. When you get a diagnostic on your graphics driver, what displays it? The graphics driver! It uses itself to tell you about itself.

Recursive interactions are quite interesting. Imagine a rocket trying to reach orbit from the ground. To get up there it needs a lot of fuel. To carry the fuel it needs thrust. To make thrust it needs engines, but all the time you're adding more mass to the thing and making it require more thrust to get off the ground. That's why orbital rockets are so dang huge! Yet, when you launch it, the further it goes the more fuel it uses up which makes it have less mass and become easier to push, and the higher you get, the thinner the atmosphere is which means less drag, making the thrust more effective.

 

[rawr]

yes, slowly but surely.

 

[ThomasJ79]

It's amazing how much simple things like socializing, having close friends, laughter, sunshine, beliefs, meditation, and good sleep can improve people's mental health, which often rivals medication. Why don't professionals prescribe them? Doctor: "Jimmers, you have all the hallmarks of depression. When's the last time you went out with some friends? Made an honest attempt to go to bed early? Went for a walk?"

I know some people need medication, but sometimes a chemical imbalance is induced by an unhealthy mental state, which could be alleviated by trying to improve one's mental state.

 

[Gaze]

[MENTION=6303]Jimmers[/MENTION] agree. I think some of these problems could be helped by having good friends or a good, constant, support system.

 

[Eventhorizon]

When I was younger I used drugs to contemplate consciousness and at the time, whether there was such thing as a soul. I figured, even if drugs screw with your perception, there must be a foundation that cant be screwed with and that foundation would have to be your soul. I stopped using drugs after about 2 or 3 years. Today I have a relationship with prescription drugs I would prefer not to. The doctors it seems think they are the answer. My problem is I have felt so bad for so long if they told me that drilling a hole in my head might cure me, I would seriously consider it. The only way I can describe it I think in words that anyone can understand is, imagine getting the flu. The flu isnt going to kill you, its just going to make you feel like crap. Now you think, hey not a big deal I can handle that right? Now imagine having the flu, never ending for 3 years straight nonstop. The doctors cant tell you why you have had the flu that long, nor can the tell you if or when it will end. The only thing they can tell you is that according to the tests they have run, you are not in immediate danger of death. The consolation here is that you know whats wrong with you.

The smallest chemical change in your brain can change your perception of the world around you. Change how your brain observes and records the information. For those of you who have been in love, you know that the world instantly seems like a better place full of hope and good intentions. For a person who is sick, the world seems as if it is slowly dying. Its the same world though...so which one is real?

 

[this is only temporary]

[MENTION=6303]Jimmers[/MENTION] agree. I think some of these problems could be helped by having good friends or a good, constant, support system.

Yes, but that can be hard when one is surrounded by a bunch of (your choice of derogatory comment about the people you're forced to interact with on a daily basis).

Honestly, exercise helps more than you might think when it comes to depression, and you can at least control that to some extent. That and the cliche of "good clean living" can actually help your mental health a lot. If you're fortunate enough to have good friends and a support system, that is also wonderful, but sometimes we get stuck in situations where it is actually the people around us who are making us crazy.

 

[TinyBubbles]

Going? Hahahahahahahhhhahhahahhahaha hahahahahah

*breathes deep*

Hahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahhahhha

Anyway, I tend to agree with the idea of over-diagnosis. The mental health industry has exploded. There are a lot more people with an economic interest in diagnosing/treating mental illness now than there were 10-20 years ago, so it "seems" like more people are ill. It's something like when you hold a hammer, suddenly you notice a lot of loose nails. Whether more people actually are ill or not is a different matter. The criteria for diagnosing mental illness has definitely changed, and the results of clinical trials aren't always as unbiased as they should be.

But I find the idea that society has become more alienating and confusing, and young people rebelling by becoming ill, interesting nonetheless. First, it implies that depression (et al) is something of a choice, a desperate one, sure, but still a choice. And perhaps one with a discernable outcome. Maybe it's a control issue. When so much of society is already anchored down and structured, when you really don't have all that much choice about where you're going to live, what kind of job you're going to hold, etc. etc. perhaps the only way you, as a young person, with your limited sense of personal autonomy, would be able to have any impact at all on it would be by manipulating yourself and your emotions.

Second, it's probably true that modern society is a bizarre place to live in. So many people living in an environment with few trees, few other animals, few open landscapes, and importantly, few people they know and have lived with their entire lives is bound to have an impact. It's the opposite of how early humans lived. Multiculturalism and mass immigration also likely has something to do with it. I read a study once that said that people are more likely to empathize with others of the same race, age and gender, regardless of other factors such as personality congruencies and socio-economic parallels. These were not conscious decisions, either, but unconscious biases. How they acted was another matter (people can choose their behaviors,it seems, but not how they feel). Anyway, I'm getting off track :X My point is, it's probably true that society is a strange place to live and grow up in these and even more for adolescents who naturally have the urge to define and establish themselves. That people are so varied, that there is so much bullshit in terms of political correctness and implied social standards, has to create a kind of internal friction in those for whom external consistency is important (and that's all of us, at some point or another).

uh, I've kind of lost my point (if I had one at all. ) I think a MAJOR issue here is a breakdown of trust. Society and basically any kind of human interaction is founded on trust. Take that trust away, or make it impossible to develop in an environment with massive inconsistencies and a vibe of negativity (hello, daily news reports of people getting killed in train accidents or whatever) and society will eventually crumble. The lord of the flies poignantly expressed through fiction how it can happen. A loss of trust leads to feelings of alienation and powerlessness, and mental illness can develop.

 

[Nixie]

It has been noted, as [MENTION=1669]Maven[/MENTION] pointed out that the nuclear family (for the average American) has shrunk significantly with families living spread about the country which does decrease an active support system. Additionally, we are overconfident and arrogant about medicine, as well as, training our doctors to fear malpractice suits if they don't "do" something. And lastly, the idea of "suck it up and learn how to deal" has taken a backseat to "it's not your fault....its (society's, those other people's...as so on) fault. I don't doubt that there are people who suffer from true mental illness though. However, when did being a child mean you had a mental illness? The overmedication of the successive generations after me is astounding. It's like those who had kids from my generation believe parenting is supposed to be easy or something...quick drug the kid cause its making noise. I am highly suspicious of ADHD diagnosis in young children. Given the new penchant for spending long hours attached to games, television, phones and computers....its no wonder Little Jimmie and Suzy have a crapload of energy and can't sit still. Jeez, what happened to being able to run around and actually play to burn off youthful energy and settle a kid down? Yea, they are hyperactive and needy because they sit still for long hours and you don't pay any attention to them either because you are too fascinated with all your electronic gizmos too.

 

[Tin Man]

It has been noted, as [MENTION=1669]Maven[/MENTION] pointed out that the nuclear family (for the average American) has shrunk significantly with families living spread about the country which does decrease an active support system. Additionally, we are overconfident and arrogant about medicine, as well as, training our doctors to fear malpractice suits if they don't "do" something. And lastly, the idea of "suck it up and learn how to deal" has taken a backseat to "it's not your fault....its (society's, those other people's...as so on) fault. I don't doubt that there are people who suffer from true mental illness though. However, when did being a child mean you had a mental illness? The overmedication of the successive generations after me is astounding. It's like those who had kids from my generation believe parenting is supposed to be easy or something...quick drug the kid cause its making noise. I am highly suspicious of ADHD diagnosis in young children. Given the new penchant for spending long hours attached to games, television, phones and computers....its no wonder Little Jimmie and Suzy have a crapload of energy and can't sit still. Jeez, what happened to being able to run around and actually play to burn off youthful energy and settle a kid down? Yea, they are hyperactive and needy because they sit still for long hours and you don't pay any attention to them either because you are too fascinated with all your electronic gizmos too.

TLDR I'm out of my f***ing mind.

 

[Skarekrow]

I believe that yes, the over prescribing of medication certainly exists, not only in adults, but in children as well.
An interesting side-note, I once watched a show about how certain “psychological disorders” were added to the DSM ( Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) under pressure from drug companies whom wanted to sell drugs they had come up, with but didn’t really have a solid diagnosis to link them too....such as Restless Leg Syndrome. Which may or may not be an actual thing...but under scrutiny should not be a diagnosable psychological disorder.
I honestly believe there are certain drugs out there that are helpful to people who need some severe help...but I also believe that it has become big business to all the drug manufacturers.
Take Lithium for example it was discovered in the ancient Roman and Greek times in mineral springs and was used to boost the spirit.
It was rediscovered in 1949 as a mood stabilizing drug in Austria but the western world was slow to adopt the use as it is easy overdosed.
However in the 1970s another very important discovery was made that is still being studied today. Researchers in Texas discovered that the levels of lithium found in the drinking water was inversely associated with the incidence of admissions and readmissions of patients for psychoses, neuroses, and various personality disorders in 27 Texas state mental hospitals. Doubting their own research findings, they conducted a second more thorough study two years later. In the second study, the researchers not only confirmed their earlier findings but they found that homicide rates were inversely correlated with the lithium levels in drinking water.
I took lithium after my suicide attempt for about 4-5 months...and I believe it did what it was supposed to do - stabilize my mood.
But once that happened, they took me off of it, which is how I think it should be...and in my case, it was justifiable to put me on something.
But to put someone on something just because they think life sucks and they can’t come to terms with that, I feel is NOT justified (of course there are stipulations for every case). Or like @Nixie said because children have too much energy....there is a difference in too much energy and out of control...I don’t think most ADHD diagnosed children are out of control...they just have a lot of energy. Now my nephew is out of fucking control....he physically cannot control himself, it is constant movement, talking, and abnormal neurotic behavior, he has no sense of personal space, has bizarre repetitive behavior, and get frustrated by things normal children do not.
He is 5 now, but even as a toddler he displayed strange behavior...if his Dad took a sip of his drink while eating, he would not touch it...same with his food. He is obsessive with mail and money and talking on the phone. So far, my Brother (single Dad) has refused to put him on any psych-type medications...only medications to make him tired and slow him down a bit...but even those don’t really help, then he is just tired and cranky.
He wants to hold off as long as possible on any drugs like Ritalin which I think is also a good idea....my poor Brother, that kid wears him down!

 

[Nixie]

Yes, well a lot of the symptoms you describe [MENTION=5045]Skarekrow[/MENTION] do seem to fit the classification of "something wrong". That type of behavior is easily identifiable as outside the bell curve. I think that ADHD is a type of OCD (opinion).

 

[Skarekrow]

Yes, well a lot of the symptoms you describe @Skarekrow do seem to fit the classification of "something wrong". That type of behavior is easily identifiable as outside the bell curve. I think that ADHD is a type of OCD (opinion).

Absolutely,
so far they don’t have a solid diagnosis because of his age, and because state medical benefits don’t pay for shit....but they do believe that he does have characteristics of several disorders...Autism, OCD, ADHD, Aspergers.....he falls somewhere in that range. The hope is too, that as he gets older he will gain more self-control...we shall see, I would hate to see him as a teenager with these issues able to inflict real harm on someone as he does hit, grab, and spit now.
Don’t get me wrong though, he is a real sweet kid when he is not acting out...he always gives hugs and kisses when you come over, really loves to talk to you about anything, and loves to just be close (which could be a problem as he grows)....but even his hugs go on to the point where his Dad has to pull him off you physically sometimes. He is very intelligent, when it comes to money and math he can tell you all about it...I could easily see him as a savant with money as he grows.

 

[Gaze]

Based on the last few comments, I would venture to say the issue is "how" to diagnose a problem or disorder. How do you decide what is normal, abnormal or unusual, or too far on the extreme. For example, you can have OCD and still be a functional adult. It just depends on how extreme it is or how much it affects your functionality in everyday life. If you can accept it, make some adjustments, and find ways to incorporate strategies to help you understand and manage it everyday, then there's no reason you can't live a satisfactory life. But if we treat every person's differences are "problems" or "disorders' when in some, not all, cases the only thing really needed is more understanding, acceptance, and willingness to incorporate strategies to manage these difficulties, then they may not need medication to handle it. But of course, all this depends on how severe a particular problem can be. Not all problems can be so easily solved by expecting understanding or thinking that it's as simple as "just deal with it." Honestly, I think much of the problem is making people feel inadequate when they do have these difficulties. For example, I have high anxiety in very stressful situations but this doesn't mean I can't function and do my job. But it may mean, I take brief periods of time to myself to feel more at ease before going back to what I was doing. It doesn't mean I am less effective. But if you need to take those moments to breathe, some make an issue and treat it as a sign of weakness or incompetence. I've often realized that on the main reasons I did not enjoy my childhood is not that I didn't know how to handle my introvertedness but describing it as antisocial behavior, and worrying or feeling embarrassed because of the way others would make me feel about it. If people didn't make me feel so odd and bad about it, I would have just let it go and not be bothered by it. But when you ostracize and alienate people because of their difficulties, you create more problems including less tolerance and make it harder for that person to learn how to function unless you behave or perform the way you think they should.

 

[Skarekrow]

Based on the last few comments, I would venture to say the issue is "how" to diagnose a problem or disorder. How do you decide what is normal, abnormal or unusual, or too far on the extreme. For example, you can have OCD and still be a functional adult. It just depends on how extreme it is or how much it affects your functionality in everyday life. If you can accept it, make some adjustments, and find ways to incorporate strategies to help you understand and manage it everyday, then there's no reason you can't live a satisfactory life. But if we treat every person's differences are "problems" or "disorders' when in some, not all, cases the only thing really needed is more understanding, acceptance, and willingness to incorporate strategies to manage these difficulties, then they may not need medication to handle it. But of course, all this depends on how severe a particular problem can be. Not all problems can be so easily solved by expecting understanding or thinking that it's as simple as "just deal with it." Honestly, I think much of the problem is making people feel inadequate when they do have these difficulties. For example, I have high anxiety in very stressful situations but this doesn't mean I can't function and do my job. But it may mean, I take brief periods of time to myself to feel more at ease before going back to what I was doing. It doesn't mean I am less effective. But if you need to take those moments to breathe, some make an issue and treat it as a sign of weakness or incompetence. I've often realized that on the main reasons I did not enjoy my childhood is not that I didn't know how to handle my introvertedness but describing it as antisocial behavior, and worrying or feeling embarrassed because of the way others would make me feel about it. If people didn't make me feel so odd and bad about it, I would have just let it go and not be bothered by it. But when you ostracize and alienate people because of their difficulties, you create more problems including less tolerance and make it harder for that person to learn how to function unless you behave or perform the way you think they should.

Hopefully, he will be a functional adult...that is why they are trying to deal with things as early as possible by taking him to behavioral therapy, to help him understand and control himself a bit better. It is everyone’s hope that he will have a greater sense of self-control as he grows....but yes, I agree with you when you ask “how” do you diagnose someone as having a problem...as an example....if he gets a scratch, even a tiny one, he will first cry about it for several hours...then obsess about it for the rest of the day...looking at it every few minutes and then every so often after that when he looks at it he will begin to cry again as if it first happened. So I would categorize that as interfering with normal functionality. You cannot tell him to “get over it”, there is no comforting that will stop him....he just has to run his own course.
I agree with you that we cannot look at differences in people and treat them as abnormal....I myself was treated that way as a child because like most people on here I was introverted and highly intelligent for my age....I didn’t do my school work, got in fist-fights, I threw my math work-book in the trash as one point, and I constantly day-dreamed...but I learned everything the teacher taught the class....and while they were busy practicing math with a worksheet of 20 problems or so, I would do the first 2-3 and stop. They were correct, why should I practice, let’s move on to the next thing. I wanted to learn, but the pace was not right for me, the teaching style was not right.
I was sent various places like UCLA...different shrinks tested me...and guess what? In the fourth grade, I could read at a college level...hmmm...
So I get what you are saying, my own experience helps me to understand. I do believe my nephew is highly intelligent...and underneath all the neurosis that he displays he has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I have met. He has a wonderful Father, my Mother, and the rest of the family behind him, all wanting only good things for him.
I know it will be a struggle, probably a lot worse than with me....but we are there for him.

 

[muir]

I think there are cases where something is wrong with the brain but....and someone else on the forum made this distinction (i can't remember who though or i'd credit them) that the mind and the brain are not the same thing

So you can have a healthy brain and an unhealthy mind and you can have an unhealthy brain and a healthy mind etc

What we are seeing again and again is a treating of unhealthy minds with drugs aimed at affecting the brain

Why are minds unhealthy? That is i believe related to our culture and to the idelogies of capitalism and its component consumerism which make people anxious in all sorts of ways (too much anxiety leads to mania)...but that's a massive subject in and of itself

The reason for this misstreatment is because the people who run our society do not want to change the system. The system keeps them rich and powerful so they have no interest in changing the system. The system however makes many people anxious and unhappy (unhealthy minds even though their brains are fine)

So rather than change the system to make more people healthy and happy the people who run our system drug people to keep them calm so that they don't get angry at the system and start breaking stuff

The people who run the system also own the big pharmacuetical companies so they also make loads and loads of money from drugging (chemically coshing) the public....so for them its win win.....they keep the system that keeps them rich and privaleged and it makes them lots of money

But that doens't mean we have to like it

 

[ThisIsWhoIAm]

I believe i am becoming more sane as time passes. School, army and my family really fucked me up in the head. As i build myself step by step by myself i feel like i am finding out the right way to live (for myself).

I also consciously do my best to live to live with:


Enthusiasm
Respectful personal relationships
Community, trust, and confidence
Empowerment
Autonomy (self-direction)
Participatory democracy
Diversity and stimulation

 

[Eventhorizon]

I believe i am becoming more sane as time passes.

I am happy for you. If you do not mind me asking though, what exactly defines "sane" for you?