why is the mind?

Question

when a person has a mental illness why cant we control our minds to stop it. does it mean we are weak people....i hate having to take medications!

Answer 1

i wish so much of the time that i could control these things. my ocd and depression feel like they are killing me sometimes. and i can't do anything about it. why are we riddled with pills for the rest of our lives? it's like there really is just one choice. maybe have you tried therapy?
~you are not alone.

Answer 2

The mind is a machine, not a computer, (no offense to TheBadMan we are just using different metaphores.) and sometimes a machine is quirky. I have suffered from Chronic Pain, depression and trouble sleeping for 17 years and I don't like taking the medication, but if I don't then my quality of life suffers.

There is nothing physically wrong with me like, cancer, diabetes, or a broken leg; but the pain is real, and it is undeniable, and when I take medication to treat the pain it feels better. I am not faking it and I am not a hypochondriac. The pain I feel is real, it is strong, and it is disabling (Both the Veterans Administration and Social Security agree with that).

All this pain causes depression, and gives me trouble sleeping. So I have to take medication for it and accept the limitations. Believe me if I could wish myself well I would. My last job was my dream job, but I lost it because I couldn’t go to work, or if I was at work I made stupid mistakes. So now I have to live below the National Poverty Level. Nobody wants to live this way. Many men feel that their job defines their life! I want to work, but I can’t. I want to not be depressed, and not feel constant pain, but I can’t.

I am not a weak person. I made it through basic training and into the Army. I have experienced pain so strong that I don’t feel hunger pains any more. I have cut myself or burned myself and have not even noticed it. I had a horrible roommate once, a Jersey boy and a good “scrapper.” One night we had an argument and he punched me in the nose. It didn’t faze me a bit. I didn’t feel any pain, and he was shocked. Later I told my friends that if I got into a real fight with him, he might break my arm, but I would win the fight, because the pain from a broken arm is what I have to deal with (of course the pain medication helps) daily.

Throughout my illness I have thought of my medication as my ammunition in my fight! Unlike most “mental patients” I want to take my medication, and if I don’t have it I get pretty mean about it, and demand it. I have asked my doctor for medication, sometimes they give it to me (if it is medically proper), and sometimes they don’t. I have 22% kidney failure because of all the pain medication I used to take, so now I take less, but I haven’t stopped fighting and I won’t! Your medication is your tool, your defense, and your ammunition in your fight to make each day! Don’t take more than you need, but take what you need, and the doctor has a good idea what that is. If you don’t like the medication then ask your doctor to try another, or try and find a medication that can treat the side effects.

I have to take Ultram every 6-8 hours for the pain. Sometimes I can get myself distracted and go a little longer, and sometimes I feel like I want that medication only an hour or two after I have taken it. So I wait. I use a sign to keep track of the time and I take the medication ONLY in the perscribed amount. Because if I abuse it then it won’t work for me.

Answer 3

The brain is a complex structure. There are glands which produce hormones that control everything from body temp, hunger/thirst, organ functioning, sleep/wakefulness and moods. A mental illness is caused by an imbalance of certain particular hormones. This can be caused by a number of factors such as stress, injury, diet, toxins etc. No, it does not mean you are a weak person.

Answer 4

Yo Gen--I'm going to give you something to think about---sometimes we people are alot like a car--let's say that car is beautiful --and it runs great with one exception--the radiator doesn't keep the motor cool enough so it overheats and shuts off--then we find that if we put an additve in the radiator--everything is fine----no problems--but everyday we have to put that additive in--it is not the car's fault it needs the additive or that the problem exists--and with the additive nothing is different than the normal everyday super nice car---Just because you need an additive to run cool and better is no sign that you are weak or less or should feel down and it is a drag I'm sure to be stuck in this routine everyday of having to do the additive--but if it makes you run better and makes everything work better--that should be what you do---hang tuff little pal--things are going to be just fine---you've got alot of miles to go before you're ready to park--------

Answer 5

Mind is like microprocessor of computer and your thoughts and habits are software running on it. your negative thoughts are viruses which destroys everything in it and thus your life.No one likes long term medication, but these are like anti-virus tools. First of all, don't think that you are weak.Positive thoughts and positive attitude helps in treatment. Remove all viruses (negative thoughts/ windows) from mind and fill it with positive one (Linux).

Answer 6

be thankful you have the med's you need. lots of folks who need them don't get them and end up being tortured and abused in facilities. (different countries mostly). and no, i've never believed a person is weak OR stupid because they have a condition. that's just non-sense anyway.

Answer 7

It's thought to be a chemical imbalance...unfortunately you have to take meds to correct that balance...Does not mean you are weak...just imbalanced....