do you have a mental illness?

[mwallace056]

do you have a mental illness?

I have autism but  there are days i believe i have something new that never been discover before.

 

[cassthecatlover]

Nope.

I don't have anything against people with a mental illness, though. My mom and dad have a minor mental illness (I mean, it's not very bad), but I don't know what it is I'm afraid. Maybe it's autism. 

  But I shouldn't say anymore without asking them.

 

[mwallace056]

well don't assume things. i assume thing too, but i try to make positive or neutral  assumptions. 

 

[denice]

I have fought major depression all my life, I don't know if that is considered mental illness.  

My mother had major issues and was under a psychiatrist's care for a number of years.  That was in the 50s and 60s though and things have changed a lot since then.  All they did then was Freudean based therapy and tranquilizers.  Looking back I think she had a Borderline personality and people with Borderllne personalities are very difficult to live with and really aren't capable of parenting.

I know I have an attachment disorder of some type which is probably the root cause of depression.  A lot of people think serial killers when they think of attachment disorder, total lack of empathy but attachment disorders are across a large spectrum.  Codependency has been a buzz word for quite some time and is a type of attachment disorder.  I go more towards avoiding attachments, it takes a long time for me.  I can be very difficult to get along with if I don't keep myself in check until I do form an attachment with someone.  It's probably a combination of a defense mechanism and the modeling from my mother.

That's the end of my bearing my soul, something I very rarely do even with the protection of anonymity from the internet.

 

[mwallace056]

 
I have fought major depression all my life, I don't know if that is considered mental illness.  

My mother had major issues and was under a psychiatrist's care for a number of years.  That was in the 50s and 60s though and things have changed a lot since then.  All they did then was Freudean based therapy and tranquilizers.  Looking back I think she had a Borderline personality and people with Borderllne personalities are very difficult to live with and really aren't capable of parenting.

I know I have an attachment disorder of some type which is probably the root cause of depression.  A lot of people think serial killers when they think of attachment disorder, total lack of empathy but attachment disorders are across a large spectrum.  Codependency has been a buzz word for quite some time and is a type of attachment disorder.  I go more towards avoiding attachments, it takes a long time for me.  I can be very difficult to get along with if I don't keep myself in check until I do form an attachment with someone.  It's probably a combination of a defense mechanism and the modeling from my mother.

That's the end of my bearing my soul, something I very rarely do even with the protection of anonymity from the internet.

I am pretty sure it in the dsm so it is considered a mental illness. i have to look. do you deal with the misconceptions that people have about depression? 

 

[mwallace056]

if anyone have a question about autism, feel free to ask. 

 

[natalie_ca]

I have depression.

 

[Docs Mom]

Depression, started in my early forties. Well controlled till 2011...on a humorous note, they say cats (pets) help with depression. So I just imagine how much worse I would be without ALL my kitties...

 

[Willowy]

I dont think ASDs are considered mental illness. Autism is neurological, not related to brain chemistry like mental illnesses. But. . .it is in the DSM so I don't know the technicalities :dk:.

I probably am On The Spectrum. I would say Asperger's but that's not a thing anymore (they took it out of the DSM, it's just all-encompassing "autism spectrum disorders" now). But I've never been diagnosed---I'm not too fond of doctors, sorry to say. Just a guess based on how I am, plus a long family history of oddity. . .

 

[mwallace056]

I dont think ASDs are considered mental illness. Autism is neurological, not related to brain chemistry like mental illnesses. But. . .it is in the DSM so I don't know the technicalities

.

I probably am On The Spectrum. I would say Asperger's but that's not a thing anymore

(they took it out of the DSM, it's just all-encompassing "autism spectrum disorders" now). But I've never been diagnosed---I'm not too fond of doctors, sorry to say. Just a guess based on how I am, plus a long family history of oddity. . .

yeah i think you may be right about it not being a mental illness.

 

[mwallace056]

what do you think of autistics when it comes to feeling, empathy or love? do you think they are capable or not capable being empathetic?  

 

[jcat]

what do you think of autistics when it comes to feeling, empathy or love? do you think they are capable or not capable being empathetic?  

Capable, but some might not be able to convey it to others very well, while others may appear to be focusing on another person or being, e.g., pet, almost to the exclusion of other people. I was a teacher for over 30 years and had some students who'd been diagnosed as having Asperger's. That's just my impression based on my experience with those students.

 

[nicolina]

I have pretty bad social anxiety and depression. I also have a bit of generalised anxiety and panic anxiety. (also ADD)

I started therapy and medication late last year and I'm slowly working towards getting better. It's hard though.

Considering I can't work or study I sometimes struggle to make ends meet with all the costs of having cats. I'm lucky to still be living at home.

 
what do you think of autistics when it comes to feeling, empathy or love? do you think they are capable or not capable being empathetic?  

My uncle has autism and we have a lot in common because of my social anxiety and ADD. We always sit together at family dinners because we get overwhelmed by the same things and need to take breaks.

He definitely feels empathy and love. He's really caring and he loves his dog so so much! He always makes sure I feel comfortable when there's a lot of people.

 

[mwallace056]

Capable, but some might not be able to convey it to others very well, while others may appear to be focusing on another person or being, e.g., pet, almost to the exclusion of other people. I was a teacher for over 30 years and had some students who'd been diagnosed as having Asperger's. That's just my impression based on my experience with those students.

i agree, i have autism, i feel empathy and love and shows it like any normal person very well but i hide it. but other people with ASD may not know how to show it or what appropriate way to show it.

 

[Kat0121]

 
what do you think of autistics when it comes to feeling, empathy or love? do you think they are capable or not capable being empathetic?  

I think they are. Many people with autism have assistance animals to help them with just that and it's proved to be quite successful. That being said, I would say that it would also depend on how severe any particular person's case is. 

 

[luvmyparker]

I have social anxiety, depression, PTSD and an eating disorder. Been in therapy for almost 3 years now.

 

[mwallace056]

 
I think they are. Many people with autism have assistance animals to help them with just that and it's proved to be quite successful. That being said, I would say that it would also depend on how severe any particular person's case is. 

that probably because we autistics  generally feel more comfortable around animals then around humans. we don't have to worry how a animal treat us. they not going to treat us like we are dumb or talk to us like we are dumb. there some people that use that tone i ignore it but it frustrating. for that reason i preferred to be around cats.

 

[di and bob]

I've never been diagnosed, but I know I've fought depression off and on. When I watched my Chrissy get hit by that car that never stopped, it profoundly affected my life. I often have flashbacks and start crying, or have dreams about it and wake up crying. I actually lost control of my bladder when I saw what I saw, and I can definitely say it was the most terrible moment of my life. It comes back to life in a flash if I let it, and it's hard to force it out of my mind. I can say it IS better after two years, but I have a feeling that it is something that will be with me for the rest of my life. Animals DO help with ANY illness, be it physical or mental, their unconditional and nonjudgmental love is healing and soothing to anyone in more ways then one.

 

[denice]

There are a lot of misconceptions out there about mental or neurological illnesses.  Things have gotten better but many people do still have misconceptions.  The way I understand autism it runs the gamut from very mild to very severe.  I have never heard of lack of empathy being part of autism.  I have heard that the main issue with autism is ability to communicate with and interact with other people and their environment.  People who have severe autism are completely uncommunicative at least in a way that most people can understand.

Schizophrenia has been really misunderstood, most people believe that all schizophrenics are capable of violence when it is actually only a small percentage.  That being said when I run into a homeless person who is delusional I am very guarded and get away as soon as possible.  If the person is schizophrenic I have no way of knowing if the person is part of the majority or the small minority.  The person could also be on drugs or brain damaged from long term drug use.  My reaction to someone doing that with a delusional person I don't know could be seen as a misconception when it's actually what I believe to be necessary to be safe.

The only people I have heard of as completely lacking empathy are psychopaths and antisocial personalities.  There is a division in the mental health community if it is even a mental illness or not.  If it is a mental illness it is one that nothing can be done to treat.  That is why the mental health community doesn't allow the diagnoses to be given to anyone under 18 because of the hopelessness of it.  People under 18 are labeled as having an attachment disorder rather than antisocial.

 

[mwallace056]

 
There are a lot of misconceptions out there about mental or neurological illnesses.  Things have gotten better but many people do still have misconceptions.  The way I understand autism it runs the gamut from very mild to very severe.  I have never heard of lack of empathy being part of autism.  I have heard that the main issue with autism is ability to communicate with and interact with other people and their environment.  People who have severe autism are completely uncommunicative at least in a way that most people can understand.

Schizophrenia has been really misunderstood, most people believe that all schizophrenics are capable of violence when it is actually only a small percentage.  That being said when I run into a homeless person who is delusional I am very guarded and get away as soon as possible.  If the person is schizophrenic I have no way of knowing if the person is part of the majority or the small minority.  The person could also be on drugs or brain damaged from long term drug use.  My reaction to someone doing that with a delusional person I don't know could be seen as a misconception when it's actually what I believe to be necessary to be safe.

The only people I have heard of as completely lacking empathy are psychopaths and antisocial personalities.  There is a division in the mental health community if it is even a mental illness or not.  If it is a mental illness it is one that nothing can be done to treat.  That is why the mental health community doesn't allow the diagnoses to be given to anyone under 18 because of the hopelessness of it.  People under 18 are labeled as having an attachment disorder rather than antisocial.

i agree with pretty much everything you said. there are professionals who tell parents their autistic kid will never feel love, empathy.

i don't know hardly anything about schizophrenia.

i remember there was a study that found that psychopaths don't lack feeling, they just lost the connection to that part of the brain.