posted March 02, 2011 06:26 PM            

The thing I am pondering is that when you see a "weird" person ,can they help it?

There are all forms of being weird and we all ARE,I am quite sure lol

posted March 02, 2011 06:28 PM            

The spectrum of mental health is proportional to how realistically you view yourself.

posted March 02, 2011 07:01 PM            

As for the repeated question about the mentally ill and being a jerk, as a GENERAL rule those jerks & bullies claiming to be mentally ill (and I'm not arguing them, though maybe I should) generally behave better to those they know can and will kick their butts. A friend of mine even shared about how an "out of control" mentally ill guy suddenly found self-control when my friend met him with a shotgun as the mentally ill guy tried kicking his door in. Ever since then he continued to menace others but ignored the guy who pulled a shotgun on him. But as many say "crazy doesn't mean stupid."

And I'd like to add that I visited a psychiatric hospital a few months ago visiting someone who had attempted suicide. What I found amazing was how NORMAL most of those locked up were, not really any different or more dysfunctional than plenty of other people I know. Granted, they were generally kept doped up but then many "normal" people drink & drug a lot, too.

And every time I visited I had to give up my purse and asked if I had any weapons on me before I could enter the unit. One time the guy doing this apologized and I truthfully told him that I'm used to such treatment since high school...and there are plenty of people around me I don't even trust with fingernail files.

posted March 02, 2011 08:06 PM            

Of course, allowing it to take place only reinforces those circuits. This is why some people want to use electroconvulsive therapy as a first line treatment for bipolar, and it is so highly recommended in some areas. The kindling effect with bipolar disorder is a lot more to fight off as bipolar almost always gets worse with age unless it's extremely well managed. Then there are genetic twins and one goes bipolar and the other is fine.

I talk about this too much, but sometimes the distortion is a part of the healing process. Like in kundalini when it's poorly handled or you're cleaning out your 3rd chakra and one day you're egotistical and the next day super insecure.

Certainly some people don't heal shamanic initiations and some heal enough that they are functional but they're still a little off. Many successful shaman still act rather mentally ill at times.

There are people who suppress their wounds and function fine and people who can't. I think if we were in a more emotionally functioning society, there would be less mental illness, and people with distortions (we all have some) would function better.

I was reading one book saying that bipolar disorder was really an umbrella term, and they found that with many people whom lithium was an effective treatment, it was really more of a heavy metal poisoning than anything else, which wouldn't get better without chelation treatment. Some people just react poorly to the toxins in our environment too, or have celiac disease (another thing commonly misdiagnosed as bipolar). I have hypothyroidism too, and without treatment using conventional medicine, you can't expect the brain fog and depression to go away.

I know some of that was stating the obvious.

posted March 03, 2011 09:06 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by PlutoSquared:
I agree with the first part, totally. The latter point depends on the mentally ill individual, because some people suffer from severe chemical imbalances that are beyond perspective.

Regarding warped perspective: Mentally ill people can't help themselves, without having a better "lens" to see themselves through.

Otherwise, what seems to be the norm: ill people isolate themselves and surround themselves with individuals who will reinforce bad behaviors or allow the ill individual to continue to "hide" from a real perspective of themselves.

ALOT depends on the intention of the mentally ill person, as well. They have to want to consider how their actions effect others, and have true intent to change/improve/recover.

People CAN get needed help from medication, experienced therapists (who are educated, and have good, professional intentions), and from a supportive/progressive community of people.

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posted March 03, 2011 10:48 AM            

The reason celiac disease is commonly misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder, with the individual subsequently loaded up on antipsychotics, is the rage and lethargic brain fog that goes with it. Celiac disease is actually decently common among northern european populations. Making matters worse, to diagnose it conclusively some people need an intestinal biopsy because it does not always show up on bloodwork.

There was a woman who was diagnosed with severe schizoaffective disorder and spent the entirety of her life in hospital and trying to beat anyone who was over her. They finally took her to a holistic treatment center where they discovered she was severely allergic to nearly everything. Through many years of accupuncture treatments to reverse her allergies, she gradually got better and after spending her whole life in institutions was holding down a full time job with her own apartment etc, a perfectly normal and productive member of society.