Do you have a mental illness?
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I don't think I have anything but I wouldn't be surprised. My dad's off his rocker and I have the gay but nothing besides that. It's interesting that someone mentioned narcissism as a mental illness. I don't consider myself as narcissistic but maybe that's a symptom? Idk, but I'm considering it.
Well narcissism isn't exactly a disorder. "Narcissistic personality disorder" is. basically if you're not plotting to destroy others in order to elevate yourself I wouldn't worry too much about it.
And I too am curious of the motive of this thread.
Narcissistic personality disorder:
A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:
1. Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)
2. Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
3. Believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)
4. Requires excessive admiration
5. Has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations
6. Is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends
7. Lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others
8. Is often envious of others or believes others are envious of him or her
9. Shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes
Well Narcisus did drown by falling in love with the reflection of himself in the water, you know.
I'd assume it would be to see if there was any commonality in INFJs with respect to mental disorders to determine if there was an over arching cerebral theme to us.
The end result you will find is that we're strongly cingulate and limbic thinkers. Most of our disorders stem from over activity in these areas.
INFPs are especially limbic, and therefore have tendencies toward limbic disorders. The depression that is common in them is a pretty well documented area of activity in the brain just below the limbic system, which gets stimulated by all the use.
ADD has been reclassified as ADHD-PI (predominantly inattentive) because a lot of the underlying issues are the same, although they manifest as a slightly different array of symptoms.
I have ADHD-PI as well, though probably not as severe, idk. My sister (6 years younger) got diagnosed before me, because she was nearly failing grade 12 from of it. I don't know how I managed to stay under the radar, actually; I had a terrible time sitting still and handing in assignments and keeping organized. By being a teacher's pet, I guess. My grades were close to perfect in elementary school, but as I got older, they started to twitch all over the map. Finally, after failing out of university twice and blaming it on other things like depression and family issues, I went to see a psychiatrist for a different reason. After she had gotten me started on treatment for my other thing, I happened to mention my sister, and she said 'well, now that you mention it, you do seem to meet the criteria; at first I thought you were just anxious but you've told me you're not, so...'
Gave me a scrip of 10mg adderall just before exams started, and 5 pills later, I finished the semester with almost straight As.
*shrug*
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I haven't been professionally diagnosed with anything as I grew up in a heavily religious family who did not value psychiatry, however, I know what depression feels like/is and I've been MAJORLY depressed the majority of my life. I've never received help or counseling. I also have pretty serious anxiety issues which I find somewhat detrimental to my health since I am prone to high blood pressure.
When I used to score as INFJ most of the time, 2 years ago, I was diagnosed with a severe depression. Was on anti-depressants for quite some time. Then I stopped taking them (clean for months) and started scoring as INFP, haha.
Since childhood I had big issues with anxiety and panic attacks but so far it curbed down by quite a bit.
Since childhood I had big issues with anxiety and panic attacks but so far it curbed down by quite a bit.
I haven't been officially diagnosed, but I recognize some of the symptoms of ADD in myself that my mother had (and she refused to classify herself with any diagnosis). Mine is the "dreamy" kind, tho'. I never bounced off walls; I just "turned off."
I also have occasional severe anxiety attacks, and they can be debilitating. I'm working with a therapist on some of those areas of my life. And I wouldn't call myself "depressed" exactly; I just am very low-key.
Other than that..."I'm as sane as you are, Josephine."
I also have occasional severe anxiety attacks, and they can be debilitating. I'm working with a therapist on some of those areas of my life. And I wouldn't call myself "depressed" exactly; I just am very low-key.
Other than that..."I'm as sane as you are, Josephine."
If you think you might have ADD or ADHD, get tested!!! I can't stress enough how much easier things are if you get diagnosed and can ask for special accommodations or medication. Heck, you will make me relax a bit more if you do it.
This is probably true of other disorders as well.
This is probably true of other disorders as well.
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I had a psychiatric evaluation done over Christmas and that was the first I'd been diagnosed with borderline, though my therapist had suspected it much earlier. When I was in a psychiatric ward in April they confirmed the BPD, major depression (along with dysthymic disorder according to the report I got) and EDNOS. I used to have exclusively anorexia but as of the last six months I have developed somewhat of a binge/purge cycle along with periods of restricting, so I'm sort of in the middle.
I'd say the borderline personality symptoms are at the forefront of my life right now as they affect my interpersonal relations, of which I value above everything. I have terrible difficulty keeping friends as I have the tendency to get upset and explosive over the smallest hint of rejection (could just be a tone of voice or small comment that sets me off). I end up hating them/thinking they hate me, then realizing what the ever-loving hell I did and trying to get them back because I cannot handle the thought of being alone. And then the cycle continues.
I've also struggled with self-harm on and off for six years as well as having constant suicidal ideation (and a few half-assed attempts) as far back as I can remember. Plus periods of impulsive behavior and persistent depersonalization that sort of correlate with my moods.
Diagnoses aside, I think I'm just completely nucking futs, haha.
Still, the fact that you're aware of it, even if only in short bursts, is a huge asset. My mom acts fairly borderline as well but she doesn't back down or acknowledge it or apologize, ever.
Ahh, that must be hard to deal with.
I suppose the fact that I'm periodically self-aware about what I do and apologize for it (albeit after the damage is done) could be considered a positive asset. I just wish recognizing how irrational my thoughts are had any impact on my emotional mind. I've gone to group DBT therapy for it, drugs, counseling, inpatient, but I'm fairly treatment-resistant up to this point. Or perhaps I'm just stubborn, haha.
26 INFJ male, General anxiety disorder (this means all the time even when your alone), psychotic episodes (which include auditory and visual hallucination), severe clinical/regular depression, intense mood swings, fitting (like epilepsy) and was diagonosed (falsely of course) mild schizophrenia and borderline sociopath (I was on anti-psycho pills which ruin you). Apart from the depression (which I fight against still) I don't need too much treatment, just counselling as and when I want it. I don't take any medication (anymore), I found learning to deal with it worked so much better than giving in to pills again. I see it as been special, because there a lot of good things about been mentally ill sometimes e.g. art, understanding others etc...
I agree with you. Pills just mask the problem, and these kinds of illnesses really can have beneficial effects. Though I'd never consider them worth it.