Is there really such thing as a mental illness or is it just a copout?

Question

FOR EXAMPLE BIPOLAR DISORDER... MY MOM SAYS IT DOESNT EXIST.

she says people with behavioral problems who want an excuse to act bad use bipolar disorder to excuse it

Answer 1

Is your mom an MD? or a psychiatrist or psychologist?
Bipolar is a mental illness, but you need to be diagnosed with it by a licensed doctor, or psychiatrist. You will not know if you have it unless you do.

What Is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic-depressive illness, is a condition that affects more than two million Americans. People who have this illness tend to experience extreme mood swings, along with other specific symptoms and behaviors. These mood swings or "episodes" can take three forms: manic episodes, depressive episodes, or "mixed" episodes.
The symptoms of a manic episode often include elevated mood (feeling extremely happy), being extremely irritable and anxious, talking too fast and too much, and having an unusual increase in energy and a reduced need for sleep. It's also very common for someone to act impulsively during a manic episode, and engage in behaviors that are risky or that they later regret, like spending sprees. And in over half of all manic episodes, people are troubled by delusions or hallucinations. For example, they may think they have a relationship with someone famous, claim to be an expert in an area they really know nothing about, feel paranoid (unusually fearful), or hear voices that are not there.

The symptoms of a depressive episode often include an overwhelming feeling of emptiness or sadness, a lack of energy, a loss of interest in things, trouble concentrating, changes in normal sleep or appetite, and/or thoughts of dying or suicide.

A mixed episode includes symptoms that are both manic and depressive.

What causes it?

The symptoms of bipolar disorder are thought to be caused by an imbalance of key chemicals in the brain. The brain is made up of billions of nerve cells that move a constant stream of information from one to the other. To keep the information flowing, the cells release chemicals known as "neurotransmitters." Two key neurotransmitters that are needed for brain function are dopamine and serotonin, which play a crucial role in emotional health.

Many scientists believe that when the levels of these neurotransmitters aren't quite right, it may result in bipolar disorder. For instance, too much dopamine in certain parts of the brain can cause symptoms such as delusions, while too little dopamine in other parts of the brain can cause symptoms such as a lack of emotion and energy.



If you have any questions about your health or medicines, talk to your healthcare professional.

Medicine can play a key role in helping you manage your symptoms and extreme mood swings, and help make your behavior more even and predictable.

Answer 2

Hello

I am both a person with bipolar and a medical student doing research on bipolar.

Mental illness does exist, and it's an illness. However, just like any other illness, some persons with it do use it as an excuse.

I am guilty of having done it myself... at some point I came to the realization that hadn't I stopped playing bipolar when I was fine nobody would have helped anymore when I had a real emergency.

I've been stable for the last 2 years, approximately since when I dumped my bipolar father who was triggering the heck out of me, playing bipolar just to have things his way....

Answer 3

There's definitely such a thing a mental illness. The brain is the most complicated thing you will ever have to deal with. It would be an unqualified miracle if stuff didn't wrong with it once in a while. Funny farms and tranquilizers are necessary in severe cases.

There isn't such a rock solid understanding of mental illness as the psychiatric profession would have you believe, however.

Basically I would say, yeah you should make an effort to act normal as far as possible, and if you just can't do it, well, there's always the funny farm and tranquilizers.

Realistically, I think that's about the state of the art.

Answer 4

Sigh. How many times do I have to justify my mental health, or the mental health of others. If she thinks a bio-chemical disorder of the brain doesn't exist. Then tell her she must believe heart attack patients are just not pumping their heart hard enough, and seizure patients are just dancing.

Mental illness is not made up. It's a true illness -- your brain is as succeptable to decay and wrong connections, just like anything below the neck.

If you have been officially diagnosed by a doctor, then it is not a copout. Sure, some people WITH the disorder might milk it for what it's worth.. but that is the same as someone "well". Besides, if someone was using it as a copout -- it's a helluva expensive way to do it. Medications are plenty and expensive.... and you may as well be sick, if you'd do that anyways.

It's a disorder. It's real life.

Answer 5

Naturally Older People say this for a reason, and it is because they didnt have good psychiatrists back then. They didnt have conventional medicine either. Now they have many tests and evaluations to determine BiPolar along with many other illnesses. People who don't believe in Bipolar are ignorant to the fact. I was not looking to become BiPolar. I infact did an online Mental Health Evaluation from a Professional Site and was recommended to see a Pdoc right away!!! I knew nothing about BiPolar and never heard the word before; SO IN CONCLUSION, A Licensed Psychiatrist who goes to school for 8 years to become a regular doctor and then another 4 to psych school knows their **** I'm sorry! 12 years of school is a long time and I went to four different doctors and they all said the same thing for me. One doc was a psychologist, two were psychiatrists, and one was Internal Medicine and they all said BiPolar/Anxiety Disorder mainly Social Anxiety Disorder for me! That together is 42 YEARS COMBINED EXPERIENCE TELLING ME THIS!!!! PLUS, I got approved for disability on my first shot! That in itself is a major task! The DSM IV gives the clear symptoms so its all in the medical books and people who dont believe, or who mock depression and make fun,,, well; "When your family memeber or best friend ends up dead one day from Depression related to BP, then lets have those ignorant to the fact make their statement then!" END OF STORY!

Answer 6

this is incorrect. first of all: tell ur mom--hahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahaa. i was diagnosed as bipolar i CERTAINLY do not act out in anyway. i was not looking for it to happen. i am a conservative, quiet girl who was valedictorian of my hs class. symptoms had been noticed in me for years before i ever sought any sort of treatment or diagnosis. i would experience long periods of uncontrollable mania in which i was basically a work-aholic insomniac, and super social and outgoing, and other periods of depression in which i would shut down and become withdrawn. i was embarrased about the way i was, and sacrificed alot in order to compensate and be an impressive student and athlete. in college i fell into a depressive state that was particularly long. i worked really hard to hold things together, but was eventually forced to go home and take incompletes for the rest of the semester. i was never considered lazy by anyone. in fact, i was at the top of many of my classes, and very well liked. most of my problems were actually due to the physical toll that bipolarity takes. i was very, very ill. medications have helped me alot, and im back on track. there is no way that the symptoms are imagined. tho im not a doctor, im sure someone will expand on the fact that there is scientific proof of chemical irregularities and stuff.

Answer 7

Bipolar disorder is a real mental illness.
There are chemical imbalances in the brain that cause people's minds to malfunction or to work differently than most.
There is medical and scientific proof that Bipolar disorder does exist.

Answer 8

The word "bipolar" is simply a label used to categorise a list of psychosocial traits that Psychiatry considers to be improper or abnormal in society. Psychiatry defines these traits as a "mental illness", and promotes it as a "disease" that requires "treatment".

It is not a "disease", despite claims or implications made by certain psychiatric and pharmaceutical organisations. There is NO credible scientific evidence that shows the existence of what constitutes "bipolar" as a biological/neurological disorder, brain abnormality or "chemical imbalance".

"For a disease to exist there must be a tangible, objective physical abnormality that can be determined by a test such as, but not limited to, blood or urine test, X-Ray, brain scan or biopsy. All reputable doctors would agree: No physical abnormality, no disease. In psychiatry, no test or brain scan exists to prove that a 'mental disorder' is a physical disease. Disingenuous comparisons between physical and mental illness and medicine are simply part of psychiatry's orchestrated but fraudulent public relations and marketing campaign." Fred Baughman, MD., Neurologist & Pediatric Neurologist.

"Chemical imbalance…it’s a shorthand term really, it’s probably drug industry derived… We don’t have tests because to do it, you’d probably have to take a chunk of brain out of someone - not a good idea." Dr. Mark Graff, Chair of the Committee of Public Affairs for the American Psychiatric Association. July, 2005.

Symptoms that psychiatry labels as "bipolar" (or it's related disorders), can stem from any number of variable sources. Many people, for example, have overcome "bipolar" through megavitamin therapy and effective nutrition. A growing wealth of evidence supports that underlying nutritional deficiencies can cause even the most severe mental disorders, including symptoms labelled as "schizophrenia" [See source refs]

Bottom line? Psychiatry is a belief-system, a "faith", not a science. Despite the huge marketing strategies, the so-called "research" and all the propaganda thrown at the world, there is not one iota of scientific evidence that proves that "bipolar" or ANY mental illness, in fact, exists as an actual --medical disease--.

The U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health states: “The precise causes (etiology) of mental disorders are not known” and that “there is no definitive lesion, laboratory test, or abnormality in brain tissue that can identify the illness.”

If you have been told differently then know this: You have been lied to.

For more information, please visit:

http://groups.msn.com/psychbusters
Decoding Psychiatric Propaganda

For information on non-drug / alternative approaches:
- http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/default.htm#B
- http://www.pendulum.org/articles/articles_misc_lisaalt.html
- http://www.truehope.com/_empowerplus/empowerplus.asp
- http://www.mentalhealthproject.com/content.asp?id_Content=1575

Answer 9

Mental illness is very real and many times a terrifying and confusing disease. None of us that suffer from it, whether it is, depression, panic,anxiety, paranoid, BP or any of the other disorders associated with mental illness want it, but we are destined to try and live with it and live a life that no one else would want to have.

Answer 10

Honey, I have bipolar disorder. I was diagnosed when I was 26. I've spent thousands of dollars, and continue to spend money, have spent hours upon hours that if added up would probably account years of my life, trying to deal with the disorder and to get rid of it. It's hurt me, and those I love and no amount of excuses can erase that hurt. Mostly the hurt was directed at myself and my loved ones hurt by seeing someone THEY love hurting.

Can your mother explain why I would fix myself up with a marvelous excuse for behaving badly just to spend the better part of my adult life trying to get rid of it?

Your mother is unenlightened... I say that because my behavior is too well managed to say that she's a bonehead.