Are people with mental illnesses books?

Question

Hi. I have autism and often people tell me what it's like to be me!
Have you ever experienced simiilar things?
People read books about autism and assume they know who I am and how I think.
1. You have that opinion because you think in terms of little boxes.
2. You think/say that because people with autism.....
3. etc

Sometimes I feel that I am not a unique person with my own thoughts and opinions. Do others also have this? I notice this the most with psychiarists and psychologists.

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I quick side question: (They cost points! :) ). What is the difference between a "handicap" , "disability" , "mental illness" , etc?: Which terms are used for which situation?

Answer 1

Hi Kim, I have autism too, so I have similar experiences. I like to meet other people with autism like me. We all are unique in our own way, no two people are the same, that's what makes us special. Because is everybody was the same, the world would be kind of boreing. Hmmmm, lets see about that question, I think that handicap people are the people who are in wheelchairs and a disability is someone who has trouble learning and a mental illness is like a birth defect in the brain. I hope that question is right. I know it's hard to live with autism, because some people don't understand us, but its good to find people who do understand our situation and help us. Just because we have autism, does not make us weird, it just makes us special. God has a reason for these things and if he wanted us to have autism, so be it. I have learned to live with autism over the years and it just made me a stronger person in the end :) Take care, and good luck.

Answer 2

for one people are not books. you cant meet one person that is autistic and say that they are all the same.

I dont have autism, but i have worked with autistic children.

A handicap is a condition that makes daily life difficult. It is often used to describe limb loss and wheelchair confined.

A disability is cognative learning depreviation or barrier to learning. Examples of this category would include blind, hearing impaired and sensory deprived.

Mental illnesses are illnesses that occur within the brain and inhibit function of growth or emotions. examples in this category would include those suffering from depression, mania, euphoria, and the criminally insane.

Answer 3

You're definitely unique. No one is exactly the same as the next person, even if the people in question all have the same trait, such as autism. People with autism are all different from one another, but there are similarities in thinking and processing among people with autism.

I think that if people in the mental health field are making statements like the ones you mention it is probably an attempt to help you understand your own thought processes and normalize your way of thinking in relation to other autistic people. This could possibly be a way of helping you to understand the differences in most autistic peoples' way of thinking as compared to the larger society.

Another thing is that I think that psychiatrists and psychologists tend to notice the similarities between people more often than other people. I think this is because people in the mental health field see people all day with the same types of diagnoses. Even though each client has their own personality, there are many similarities in the way people experience their particular diagnosis. People in the mental health field use those similarities to help them help others.

Perhaps in their attempt to help you they are making it sound like you are not unique? It might be interesting to ask the psychiatrist or psychologist this question directly.

As for people not in the mental health field who respond to you like you mentioned... Well I think that it is a misguided attempt to align themselves with you, to show you that they understand where you're coming from, in order to connect with you. I think that this way of responding is more common now that there are many publications about autism available to those not in the academic fields.

But you are most definitely unique.

Answer 4

To me they all mean the same to have a severe mental illness can be a handicap or disability. Mental illness can disable you and handicap you for instance you may be handicapped or disabled regarding employment or leaving your house because of agrophopbia or paranoia. I hope this helps you it is only my opinion as I am a survivor of mental illness and for many years my illness debilitated me and became a handicap. I think you are a unique person God bless you.

Answer 5

Impulse. Smack. Go Ask Alice. Girl, Interrupted. Undone. The Perks of Being a Wallflower Story Of A Girl. :] Good luck.

Answer 6

Time I heard that autistics can be smart so maybe thats why , i dont know.

Answer 7

how can you have Autism and be able to comprehend and form such complex questions?

Answer 8

sorry mate can't help ya

Answer 9

this question makes no sence