posted February 24, 2011 01:11 AM            

THE AUTHOR, Lawrence Stevens, J.D.

posted February 24, 2011 01:11 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Randall:
Well, we can just agree to disagree. Empathy is a learned trait gained at a young age. Some people do learn it later in life, though. I have certainly met my fair share of the type, that's for sure. Empathy only indicates a properly working brain in that society values that trait. At different times in history, perhaps other traits were more valued relative to today's society. But I am not in the crazy person rehab business, and I refuse to submit myself to people like that. I have done so enough in the past, and now I choose two things: 1. Not to be a victim. And 2. To surround myself with what I consider mentallybalanced and emotionally healthy individuals. No more sociopaths for me. I ain't no hero. I can't save anyone.

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posted February 24, 2011 01:20 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Randall:
Raj, I took Deviant Behavior in college, which was actually a criminal justice course, and the professor and coursework pretty much agreed with what you just posted. Understanding the motivations for crime and how the criminal mind differs from what we consider normal is indeed a challenge.

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Yes indeed its a challenge...but im quite aware that problems which are claimed to be psychiatric in nature is nothing more than being gullible!in my opinion

Its rather a pitiable situation for me...that people are judged so fast!
People are too quick to label others as mad!
A part of mind games played by the so called sane society...i presume.

posted February 24, 2011 01:37 AM            

"... all 5 million to 6 million children on these drugs [for hyperactivity] are normal. The country's been led to believe that all painful emotions are a mental illness and the leadership of the APA [American Psychiatric Association] knows very well that they are representing it as a disease when there is no scientific data to confirm any mental illness." Neurologist Fred Baughman, quoted in Insight magazine

"...there is no evidence that these mental illnesses, such as ADHD, exist." Psychiatrist Peter Breggin, quoted in Insight magazine.

"In medicine, strict criteria exist for calling a condition a disease. In addition to a predictable cluster of symptoms, the cause of the symptoms or some understanding of their physiology must be established. ... Psychiatry is unique among medical specialties in that... We do not yet have proof either of the cause or the physiology for any psychiatric diagnosis. ... In recent decades, we have had no shortage of alleged biochemical imbalances for psychiatric conditions. Diligent though these attempts have been, not one has been proven. Quite the contrary. In every instance where such an imbalance was thought to have been found, it was later proven false. ... No claim of a gene for a psychiatric condition has stood the test of time, in spite of popular misinformation."
Joseph Glenmullen, M.D., clinical instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical
School

First, no biological etiology has been proven for any psychiatric disorder (except Alzheimer's disease, which has a genetic component) in spite of decades of research. ... So don't accept the myth that we can make an 'accurate diagnosis.' ... Neither should you believe that your problems are due solely to a 'chemical imbalance.'" Edward Drummond, M.D., Associate Medical Director at Seacoast Mental Health Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in his book The Complete Guide to Psychiatric Drugs

posted February 24, 2011 05:29 AM            

I completely agree with you. I am currently studying basic behaviourism with my current studies. It makes for a logical argument. There are quite harsh criticisms about behaviourism, the main one being that it implies human beings do not have free will and is therefore deterministic, a little like psychodynamic theory in this regard. From an integreted eclectic perspective, not one school of thought has all the answers, although humanistic thinking comes pretty close to it

With regards to Boderline Personality Disorder I agree, I think it is 100% learned behaviour. Firstly and arguably it was created to define the behaviour that did not fit the diagnosis of the symptoms of classed mental illness. Secondly Boderline Personality Disorder is NOT treated with drugs, unless there is diagnosis of depression and anxiety etc and the appropriate drugs for those conditions would be given.

People look at mental illness differently. Some see it as a physical and physiological dis-ease, whereas others see it as emotional and mental dis-ease.
I personally tend to see Scitzophrenia, manic depression and delusional disorders as physiological,biological, as well as mental and emotional conditions. Physiological and biological imbalances need usually need medication to return to the "normal" state.
That however does not mean that they originated as a physiological disorder. Some cases might have genetic influence but triggered by environmental factors, and there are too many environmental factors that count.

Borderline Personality Disorder is what it is...Borderline. The person is at the cusp of a delusional way of being. They can still control their behaviours and so it is behavioural.

However some people who are diagnosed as having Boderline personality disorder are simply diagnosed incorrectly. (As is the case with diagnosed and undiagnosed mental illness)

However diagnosis in conjunction with medication can be the start of a person becoming their disease.......That is something to ponder.

PlutoSquared learned behaviour is not just acquired by imitation. Learning behaviours from parents is the first type of imprinting and learning that occurs but it is not the only way to learn behaviours. As children and adults we learn strategies and behaviours to get what we want, to have our needs met. We ALL do it. Some behaviours are healthy, some are not. Sometimes we experiment with various types of behaviour and see which is more effective. Behaviour can be manipulative, coersive, covert, overt, assertion....... But we learn them all. We just stick with what we know works.....according to behaviourism.

Some people really do not subscrine to any of the mental illnesses as having been anything BUT learned behaviour that has eventually caused pyhsiological, psychological, temporary or permanent damage.

posted February 24, 2011 09:24 AM            

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Originally posted by Mblake81:
Every gemeni I have known has had this trait.

Males and Females, It did not matter.

They have a divergence of mind/spirit/energy, Or whatever it is you can imagine there.

It is essentially a born in split personality.

Twins.

Both wanna know about the subject.

You can watch the energy switch in the eyes, and body language.

Some hide it a little better than others, And some are not so obvious.

Any time I engage in a argument/conversation (because usually both happen, Unless you are really liked by that gemeni), I have to go through the game of showing both sides and making it interesting, because one of them will sometimes not like it out of spite, just to see what happens.

Present company excluded, But damn it drives me crazy.

I could almost climb a wall sometimes.

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How can you seriously have the moxy to make this statement? ALL Geminis display this trait?

I think ALL people at some point in their lives will display traits of BPD, some people recognize it and grow, some continue along another path.

You grow and progress or you don't.

posted February 24, 2011 09:47 AM            

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Originally posted by PlutoSquared:

As far as Mblake having too much "moxy", that seems like a personal viewpoint, that's extremely subjective. Because from my side of the pond, I have no issue with Mblake making an observation based on his experiences with Geminis.

We are, after all, here making observations of certain sun signs based on astrology - positive and negative, in order to learn and assert our own viewpoints. There's nothing wrong with that.

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Yes i have noticed that two sided tendency in geminis...I dont think anybody here is labelling it as a disorder..but rather a trait.

posted February 24, 2011 09:49 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by rajji:
Yes i have noticed that two sided tendency in geminis...I dont think anybody here is labelling it as a disorder..but rather a trait.

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posted February 24, 2011 11:14 AM            

Pluto-Squared if you view behviourism from the perspective of evolution you might see it differently.

The article that you posted highlights that behaviourism is valid. That actual physical, physiological evolution in humans occured BECAUSE of eventual change in human behaviour ...(a change from emotive responses of anger and aggression to learning laguage and effective communication).This has been reinforced enough to genetically create a hard-wired behavioural-biological process, one that occurs in most 18 mnths to 4 year old children.
..........................................

"I am not sure whether or not, currently, during therapy, my sister believes she is "mentally ill".

For me, the idea of believing or disbelief is inconsequential, as it is obvious by her self-management or lack thereof, that there's a serious problem.

I am not sold on the idea of behaviorism, and by your posturing I suspect you are tending to believe people who "believe they are mentally ill, are (because they believe it)"...?

I think mental illness and Personality disorders survive without one's belief in them, and also meet a very "primitive" criteria pretty well. The square peg fits in the square hole, so I believe it "

That is ABSOLUTELY NOT what I'm saying!!!
I was not diagnosed as having a mental illness, but my behaviours were out of whack and it was actually easier for OTHER people to believe that I was mentally ill. This is not to put blame because I can understand that with limited knowledge people might come to those conclusions. However they were wrong.

I am saying quite the opposite. I actually DID believe (because other people close to me believed it)...that I was mentally ill because I couldn't understand my actions. I was acting out, under stressful anxious experience and others were judging my behaviour based on non-stressful situations.

There is enough room for other theories even within behaviourism, which is a perspective and an approach to the human condition and not a fully fledged establishment, philosophy or religion. Behaviourism is only one half of Cognitive behavioural therapy...

posted February 24, 2011 11:15 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by EverEvolvingSpirit:
How can you seriously have the moxy to make this statement? ALL Geminis display this trait?

I think ALL people at some point in their lives will display traits of BPD, some people recognize it and grow, some continue along another path.

You grow and progress or you don't.

I suppose "growing" is what psychiatrist label as spontaneous remission :/

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I said every gemini ------I------ have known, personally, as in people in life that I know and talk to.

They had it.

That is my MOXY