I think most mental illnesses are really in people's heads. Any thoughts?

Question

Don't get me wrong. I recognize mental illnesses as legitimate illnesses that can devastate people's lives. I know--my father is schizophrenic and my mother is bipolar. However, I am seeing more and more in the youth culture that depression is becoming "the thing." Or things like Borderline Personality. Life is hard, but I think often people yield to their worst instincts (especially my generation, due to narcissism) and start feeling sorry for themselves, or thinking about all that's wrong in their lives. I'm sick about hearing teenagers talk about self-injury and drug-addiction. These are things that at some point, you choose. They take you over, but you have that point where you CHOOSE. And therefore, I think granting psychiatric disability should be a more stringent process, or even diagnosing anything as a mental illness. I think most people would just benefit from realizing that life is life, helping the less fortunate, etc. What do you think, esp. in regards to teenagers?

I'm not talking tramatic experiences or chemical imbalances.

I'm talking about people (all people--I just notice it becoming more prevalent with the younger--perhaps college generation) whose lives don't go perfectly and are behave as anyone does--anxiety, sadness, etc..

But think life owes them happiness. And therefore convince themselves something is wrong with them.

No one's going to find inner peace in a pill anyway.

It's expensive, taking care of these whiny people when people are really starving and suffering and abused.

Answer 1

I am a teenager who suffers from bi polar I no I do it runs in the family and and at times I show all the signs but im a firm believer of not letting it be my excuse and not going to some doctor to label me so i feel 'inner peace and can move on and find a cure' i am moving on some days are hard but often its those who dont talk about it that suffer not the girls sitting next to me talking about how they were so 'depressed' this happened in the oc blah blah its turned into an emotion! i think its all in how we let it effect us and it shouldnt be a cool craze the 'in' thing, we should focus on making our society appreciative we have never had it better (some of us that is) yet we have all become aware of our 'depression' and 'break downs'! i fully agree with you we all have problems some peoples extremely serious and they are the ones that need the time and attention, and some are just looking for the easier way out something to blame when it all goes wrong. So congratulations for being the first person ive heard to speak up about it!

Answer 2

To an extent, I understand where you're coming from and why you would think the way you do. BUT. Many years ago, it wasn't that "mental illnesses" weren't really heard of because they weren't RECOGNIZED as such. They were sent to assylums back then. Not released back into society to learn how to function with an illness. Depression is real. Mental illness is real. If your parents are ill like you say they are...you know they don't have a choice in how they feel. I believe that is the way it is for most teens these days, not because it's deemed the "norm" for society, but because it can be treated better now than it was back then. Often times mental illnesses go untreated because they are not diagnosed, or diagnosed properly. I recently read that for some people are pre-dispositioned to be at a certain level of happiness. And others are always happy. Though you may not be a really happy person (you know the type) you could find contentment with your life.

I also believe if teens these days had more grown ups they could talk to, and that was actually taking an interest in their lives, they wouldn't be getting into as much trouble as they are. Teens face lot of issues these days. They need reilable people they can turn to. Help them, guide them.

Some times it is a chemical imbalance, others, I believe may be partly due to neglect..and people in general are afraid to talk to other people because they think there is some thing wrong with them if they try to open up to someone.
Answer to your question though..like I said..if there was more communication and observance in the home, teens would know they could get help if they needed it. Parents could help them with their coping skills.

Answer 3

I sometimes do think that people do jump to medicationg their children to fast when maybe just some good talk therapy would work however i do have depression with anxiety and i can tell you that is very real and very scary. now that i am on meds i feel better and can function, because before i always felt like i was going to die every day and couldn't sleep or eat. However i keep seeing on here a lot of websites being offered against psyciatry and psycology and i find that a little extreme. I f you ask anybody who has been thrugh being diagnosed it is not an exact science. and sometimes people feel like lab rats trying to get their meds right. However with teenagers it does seem that people are wanting to control them a little bit with drugs and maybe that is just me, I do however think that it is very real for some and not for others maybe even just a way to get parents off their back. I don't know just a thought.

Answer 4

All true mental illnesses ARE chemical imbalances. It is as simple as diabetes. A chemical imbalance that the person has no control over. It is not their fault and they do NOT deserve critisism.
As for the whole cutting yourself/emo/teen depression thing...well in some cases it IS genuine. Cutting can be done because the person feels extreme emotional pain, and physical pain is used as a distraction and escape.
It does seem to have become popular. I think this is simply a form of trying to fit in and attention seeking. They do it to seem special and be taken note of.
Unfortuneately, participating in this behavior for extended periods creates a real problem. It becomes so engrained in their personality that they soon are unable to separate their true emotions from the ones that they have falsified.
It is a real problem, as it becomes hard to distinguish between genuine teen depression and attention seeking. BOTH require appropriate treatment/counselling and must be dealt with.
I think it is a great shame that people that COULD be happy choose to destroy themselves like this, when thousands of others are yearning to escape their mental illnesses and lead normal lives.

Answer 5

i am a teenager and i am bipolar. i don't agree with your opinion but i don't disagree either. before i was diagnosed i would cry at night thinking that something was wrong with me, that i was alone in the world and that i would never be able to love myself. and then something would happen and i would pretend that my feelings of self-hate and my anger at the world were just as you said "in my head". and then another thing would happen and i would find myself with blood draining down my wrists and endless bottles of painkillers.lining my bedroom floor. and then i would go back to my life and tell my self no, i didn't just go postal on my little sister and almost stab her cause she borrowed my bracelet without telling me. and no i didn't just snort that line because i would never do drugs. and no i didn't just glide those scissors against the inside of my thigh.because it felt better. it would be hypocritical to say that certain acts are innately wrong while other acts are not wrong because that person has a disease that prevents her/him from thinking rationally. who are we to judge someone, who has the right to say that a certain person needs help while another is just a drama queen? and i understand that the easy way out is to say i am manic depressive, or i have borderline personality disorder, or i am bipolar...but for the people who really have these mental diseases, to say that they choose to do drugs, or they choose to self-mutilate themselves, that is an insult. . people drink or do drugs to escape reality, because to people like me that high you get, takes you away from your own self-loathing, your own nightmare. and if you can't escape your world, even death is appealing b/c your pain overcomes your body to the point that you don't care whether you will ever fit in, b/c in the end all you want to do is stop the pain.

Answer 6

While your argument hold some water, not all cases are "in people's heads". Some are genetically pre-disposed. So whatever environment this type of person is subjected to, he will most surely develop the mental illness. It's true that majority of personality disorders are ralated to lifestyle or environmental factors. I totally agree with you on that. But I guess the culprit here is the quality, not quantitiy, of time one's parents or guardians have spent with their kids during the "growing -up" years, that will determine their tendency to choose the right options in the future. Given that, I guess it's unfair to exclude these types of people and subject them to stringent measures in granting mental disability claims. Everyone has a right to this same process. It just so happened that they made the wrong choices in life. But who doesn't? We're just humans. To err is human...

Answer 7

Well if you remember as a teenager, "everything" affects you. You are in the process of identifying who you are and what you will be for the rest of your life. Do you think that depression could be one of those identities that some teenagers become....your right....in some instances a person does have a choice to change situations...but then there are mentall illness that cannot be changed, just helped with medicine.

Answer 8

More often than not,most people who have been diagnosed with a mental illness,actually have it,most commonly things such as AD;HD(attention-defecit;hyperactivity disorder),BPD(bi-polar disorder,and other such mental disabilities often occur at the genetic level. Some can be inherited,through something traumatic such a PTSD(post-traumatic-stress-disorder),most mental illnesses are genetic by nature. Sometimes such things are psychosomatic,meaning it really is all in their heads,it really is up to the doctor/psychiatrist to decide whether the person has a genetic mental disorder or has a mental illness.

Answer 9

I think the mental illness epidemic is directly related to the malnutrition of our nation. When you mess with the food chain, you mess with your brain chemicals. Our culture now allows us to talk about mental illness, but nobody is home to listen, and too many parents of teens are still growing up themselves--and cannot relay wisdom to their teens. In 50 years, our culture has undergone drastic changes--from no premarital sex to free love, and from home garden food to test tube food. Our teens are paying the price for all of our "experimentation." Until we figure out a balance, our teens will continue to whine.

Answer 10

Since your brain is in your head I would have to say that mental illness is in their heads. Depression is real however, and one of the many reasons it is on the upswing is that teens are not getting the healthy diet their brain need in the its chemical processes. Many teens eat processed foods and the vitamins and minerals have often been reduced by the way the food is made.