Hmm, so you're another person who doesn't know what emo means.

Probably. I'm sure my definition is different than any other person. I just tend to use it to refer to anyone who's "depressed".

Please, elaborate upon your own definition.

Emo is (was) a fashion style, adapted in the late 1980's. It was based on a softer version of Punk Rock, and the music style was aptly named "emocore" it has nothing to do with depression, just a retro style of living.
In the 90's, the word "emotional" was adapted into the shortened version many people used to stereotype Goths.
So really, every time people use the term "emo" to describe, usually insult, depressive people, they're insulting Goths.
Look it up on Wikipedia, or watch the YouTube documentary, "how to be emo"

Yes, I suppose I would be using incorrectly, then. The internet has sort of altered the meaning of it, and I've been using it in that way. I'm just as likely to use "goth" instead, but emo just has more of a ring to it in my opinion.

Thanks for clearing that up, though.

No probs. I'm trying to spread the true meaning.

Wow thanks point dexter, or are you the guy who runs Wiki? I hate people who jump in and adjust their duct taped glasses and lay out "the law" armed with pocket protectors. Come on.. I call people who are over emotional Emo too.. I gives a fook if its really a goth thing or a version of punk rock.. though I can safely say I never met a goth that is fun to be around c.c


Anyways I loves you Meg =3

LOL!

I've been on Prozac for five years because I have clinical major depression. No reason at all to feel sad, everything going well in my life, and yet I would start crying for no reason and feel close to suicidal. It's often caused by a neurotransmitter imbalance, and there is a genetic component, meaning that it often has nothing to do with events in your life. Since starting the medication, I've felt more mentally balanced than ever before in my life (and my father, who has had similar tendencies, took my lead and started taking it as well, and it's helped him immensely).

I teach a course on abnormal psychology, and psychological disorders, including mood disorders, are very, very real, and medication is one of the most effective ways of controlling mood disorders.

I can certainly appreciate that. You create your own reality and if you believe in them they will work.

But I think many people who are "depressed" aren't actually depressed at all, they just want a magic pill to fix their problems. I used to be one of those people, and now that I'm honestly facing myself I'm a lot better off then when I was on antidepressants, but it all comes down to the individual.

Some of these new commercials are planting the "seeds of doubt" about them (surely you've seen the "70% of people on antidepressants still have unresolved symptoms" one). I think you might end up seeing more people being less responsive to the pills, which is pretty sad when you think about how many people are solely dependent on them.

I hope I haven't upset you or anything--I just take one of my many viewpoints and rant sometimes. I may not sing the praises of medication, but it does have its place. I do agree that mood disorders are a reality, but again most people are probably just seeking the magic pill.

It'd be really interesting to have a longer conversation with you about this kind of thing, seeing as you know a lot about it. I'd love to learn the current viewpoints on this stuff, since I've been surrounded by it for most of my life.

Well, I was a bit upset (okay, very upset) when I read your journal, but now that you're replied to my comment and have clarified your views, I feel better. I agree that medications are *seriously* overprescribed, and in some cases, psychotherapy works better than medication (usually the best bet is to use a combination of the two). However, the success rate for antidepressants is over 60%, so not sure where you got the 70% of people still have unresolved problems statistic...

I don't know what the commercial is for--they don't actually state which drug they're advertising--I just remember it makes me laugh every time I see it because, "Hey, if 70% of people are still having problems, maybe that's a hint they aren't working?"

I'm happy to hear that 60% are getting results, though. I really want more than anything else for people to be happy, and if that many people are improving, then that's good news to me.

And I am sorry I made you upset. I really didn't expect to get such a response. But it's very nice to here a success story since almost everything I've heard about antidepressants pegs them as all bad.

I posted a journal, if you're interested in more details about my own experience and opinions:
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/129654/

Seeing your bit of back-and-forth, I'm not really bothered now myself.

I can cite myself as another success story. I use Wellbutrin for my own depression problems. I've also had psychotherapy around it, as there are both biological and experiential factors to mine. I've tried going off of the medication, but it doesn't work out long-term. When I'm on medication, I can deal with my emotions better because they don't overwhelm me. I'd like it if I didn't need any medication, but it looks like that won't be the case. For all I know, there is also a placebo effect at work--I believe the medication will help me, and therefore it does. The end result, though, is that I can confront things and act like a relatively "normal" person. I accept that as a possible reality, but determining which is the case will be something for another time. Right now, it's working.

I'm sorry, but do you have absolutely ANY idea whatsoever about the subject at hand?

I mean, honestly? DO you?

I study abnormal psychology as one of my 6 major independant areas, and you sound like some paranoid crack-theorist. I'm with Micah on this. You honestly have ZERO idea about how psychological disorders work. The only reason I didn't correct you on how psychological disorders work is because Micah did the honors for me.

Hey, no reason to get upset, I'm just some idiot on the internet, you don't have to listen to me.

I cannot say I've studied psychological disorders, but I have lived with them all of my life. I've formulated my opinion on what I've lived through. And it's just that--my opinion. You have your own, and I may not wholly agree with it, but I can accept its validity as an opinion.

I'm actually happy to hear opposing points of view, unlike most people, but please don't get so upset, I'm not out to piss people off here.

Okay, I'll admit I got upset (you'll forgive me, this is a touchy subject for me), but you must understand that while there are people who use psychological disorders as excuses to get out of work, most people who have them are really suffering.

PLEASE, at least research the subject before you right a journal like this again. That's all I ask.

No problem.

Really, if anything, all this drama I've created is a form of research in itself. I feel happy I can get a response out of people, even if it is over the internets, and understand better what people think of such issues.

Gawd more nerds attacking you x.x its like the typo police or the annoying guys who write comments and point out blatently where you got your ideas or they say you sold it off something (even if you did or didn't).

It is your unsubstantiated and uneducated opinion. The thing of it is, all opinions are not created equal. Your opinion is not as significant or as trustworthy as the opinion of an MD, a psychiatrist, a QMHP, or a respite counselor.

Just because a guy's been sent to jail doesn't make him a lawyer.

I have adult ADD. No I do not use it to "skirt responsibilities" rather the opposite!!! I do not take prescription meds for it because there are so many other alternative options through diet, exercise, and natural supplements that balance out chemical imbalances without the use of pharmaceuticals. I agree that pharmaceuticals aren't the answer...but I DO NOT agree that mental illness is fictitious. My friends watch me struggle just to remember basic things on my off days. The people around those with depression can vouch for such symptoms as well, AND they can vouch for the legitimacy of those symptoms.

I'm glad to hear you're dealing with it by not using medication, and I wish you good luck with that. It's very rare to find someone who will admit to their problems and try to better themselves without a pill--that's really all I'm looking for here.

And I don't even agree with myself that mental illness is fictitious, just horribly over diagnosed--I just got carried away.

Let's face it. If medicine served no purpose, why would it exist and be in use with a large percent of the population? That's not to discredit holistic approaches or mind-over-matter. Some people aren't capable of doing those things without some support. People should always be aware of using anything as an emotional crutch for too long, but that's not to say there aren't some genuinely justifiable situations.

I agree. Medicine does have its place, but the emotional crutch situation seems entirely too common for my tastes.

If you really think about it, medication isn't the only emotional crutch, either--people, pets, jobs can all be ways to deny responsibilities.

But from my point of view, meds might also be sort of a mind-over-matter thing. If it's been drilled into our brains since we were born, why wouldn't they work?

Pharmaceutical companies make money off of illness. I'm not saying all medication is bad, but the majority of it is. Did you know that Kombucha tea cures most forms of cancer? And that coloidal silver, when applied to melanomas in their early stages will heal them? There are several known cures for AIDS...but you never hear about ANY of this because the pharmaceutical companies are making far too much money to just cure things.

Your post makes me smile.

"Kombucha tea cures most forms of cancer"

Is there actual empirical research showing this to be the case?

Probably not, but...

I WANT TO BELIEVE

</conspiracy theorist>

It would be nice if that were the case, but I very seriously doubt it.

I've had breast cancer, on top of everything else, and the only "cure" was a bilateral mastectomy and reconstructive surgery (implants).

I believe so, it's in several natural treatment medical publications. My friend's mom is a nutritionist and I've been studying extensively out of the publications she owns. :)

Glowering reviews in alternative medical publications? You think they'd bash or deny their bread and butter?

Televangelists routinely sell 'holy' items that they say will cure AIDS and cancer.

And one of the reasons AIDS is so widespread in Africa is due to the fact that they use traditional 'natural' cures to treat it.

I'm not talking traditional, here. I'm talking treatments that individual, independent scientists have done studies on. People don't believe or listen to it because it isn't mainstream enough. I am trying to acquire the website I found for a friend of mine. I sent it to him online, I'm just waiting to get it back.

Are these legitimate scientists publishing in peer reviewed journals, or loons operating out of their garages?

Individual, independent scientists have also come up with perpetual motion machines.

I eagerly await the website link.

What I'm gonna have to do, if everyone would PLEASE keep an open mind and be patient with me, is get the published info from my friend's mother. These are sizable publications, not just rags. I DO apologize that this is taking the time and effort that it is. All good things, however, come to those who wait. :)

I'm guessing these aren't peer-reviewed journals.

http://www.cancertutor.com/Other02/AIDS.html

"NO OTHER orthodox or alternative treatment for AIDS can be used with the Bob Beck Protocol."

That's an immediate red flag. It's fucking DANGEROUS to tell somebody to toss away all their medications and treatments and solely rely on the treatment provided by one individual.

"Their discovery was a cure for almost every disease known to mankind."

That's another one. Miracle cures for everything DON'T EXIST.


That's just two bits I've found in 30 seconds of browsing that set off warning signals. The Bob Beck method also seems to involve the use of magnets, which don't work.

From my research the majority of peer-reviewed studies on the Bob Beck method have shown that it does not work.

Oh Jesus Christ...

THE DAMNED WEBSITE LINKS TO DENIAL WEBSITES THAT HIV DOESN'T CAUSE AIDS!

You've managed to link me to quite a steaming pile there.

Cure for aids, eh? Where's this research being done, the university of your ass?

No, it was the University of your mom's ass! Actually, I'm trying to acquire that info now, I'll keep you posted.

http://www.cancertutor.com/Other02/AIDS.html

Analyzed and rejected above.

So just what the fuck is this mysterious bob beck protocol? All that website says is that you can't do it while eating garlic or your blood will electrify and kill you.

I call shenanigans.

Quackery is as old as America!

Quackery! I love quackery, because no matter how much we research, how much we achieve, there will always be guys like you that put your beliefs in quackery. Pharmaceutical companies DO make money off illness. It is an INDUSTRY. Industries make money. But your nonsense snake-oil peddlers also make money off illness. Colloidal silver is an outmoded treatment, useful for purifying water but completely eclipsed for decades by more effective antibiotics. As a dietary supplement and a miracle cure, it's horse-shit, peddled by scheisters to gullible fools.

Seriously. Listen to some Dr. Dean Edell, and put Ye Olde Miracle Cures back in the crazy drawer where they belong.

Tell that to the people I know who have used it and have had it work! I've seen this first hand. I don't know about you, but I believe first hand experiences over other things any day.

Uh huh.

Isolation of causation in a clinical setting. Unless you have that, you're just casting about in the dark, and believing anecdotes from charlatans and desperate people.


Three words: Double blind study. When reputable scientists do a double blind study and provide EVIDENCE, not anecdotes, not "my friend provieded thos most bodacious testimony!" but EVIDENCE that this stuff works, then hey! Game on. But until then, it's looney tunes. "First hand experience" is essentially meaningless when it comes to the objective effectiveness of a drug. Look up Orrin Hatch's legislation regarding the deregulation of dietary supplements. There's a reason these things are sold, and are allowed to claim all matter of wacky bullcrap, because legally it's wide open for them to do so. Facts. Facts, not claims. Facts and the scientific method, not your buddy's word.

You wouldn't happen to be investing in this stuff, would you?

That's exactly the problem. You won't see ANY of this in clinical studies, you won't see it in major university testing, Why? Because that's how the pharmaceutical companies WANT it. You can all it a conspiracy theory all you want. A few years back there was a news article discussing the discovery of a pharmaceutical cure for cancer. It was immediately dismissed because it didn't stand to make enough money. That's what boggles MY mind.

Good research isn't carried out by the pharmaceutical companies.

While the sale of the cure might not be too valuable, the PR value of such a dsicvoery would be TREMENDOUS. Being known as the company that fucking CURED CANCER would be a boon that NO COMPANY would dare to pass up!

And you DO see this stuff in clinical trials. That's what a double blind study is, it's a clinical trial to determine if a particular therapy, drug, medicine, herb, process, making of woo-woo noises, suppression of body thetans, voodoo, magic spell, or passing gas in a magic note actually has any sort of effect on a group of people.

The bigger, better organized, tighter controlled, and properly opperated studies, the SAME ONES that all modern medicine has to go through, have shown that homeopathy, magnets, nearly all herbal remedies, acupuncture, and all the like DON'T WORK.

The only time that alternative 'medicine' appears to work is in tiny, statistically insignificant samplings with poor controls.

It's not a conspiracy theory because pharma is part of the free market. Pharma companies compete with each other. They're fighting each other to make more effective drugs. You're huffing glue if you think they would collude to avoid an effective drug, they're in competition. You think pharma will run out of ways to make money if we beat cancer? You think we'll beat all cancers at the same time? Do you even KNOW anything about cancer?

Basically, you sound like a guy who distrusts authority, and believe that big pharma is "the man" so you're willing to throw your faith into all kinds of lunacy as an expression of how much you distrust large systems.

Without large systems you wouldn't have cars, you wouldn't have penicillin, you wouldn't have a hundred thousand medical and scientific advancements that you take for granted. If and when there is a real live honest-to-God cure for cancer, we'll all be using it. Don't even worry about it.

You remind me of those guys who refuse to believe in global warming, and concoct any number of hoops which the world has to jump through in order to invent it.

In addition, I am talking about independent scientific studies, not just anecdotal nonsense.

Show me real reputable science. Not "alternative" quacks.

http://www.cancertutor.com/Other02/AIDS.html

Analyzed and rejected above.

"This web site is for educational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for the diagnosis, treatment and advice of a qualified licensed professional. This site offers people medical information and tells them their alternative medical options, but in no way should anyone consider that this site represents the "practice of medicine." This site assumes no responsibility for how this material is used. Also note that this website frequently updates its contents, due to a variety of reasons, therefore, some information may be out of date. The statements regarding alternative treatments for cancer have not been evaluated by the FDA."

Wow, a crackpot web site! Awesome!

Yes, your anecdotal evidence boggles the imagination.

What you don't hear about are the dozen folks who had nothing happen for every person with a positive story to tell.

A handful of people getting better does not mean a product works. In medical trials one has to sample a large number of people and find out the rate of them getting over their problem without any medicinal intervention, just a sugar pill.

A medicine is only deemed effective if it significantly produces results above and beyond what the normal healing process does.

Placebo effect.

I'm going to the other side here on this one, at least as far as everyone else's opinion is going. Yeah, I believe Chemical Depression is real, but...

I really can't stand how there's always seemingly a pill for everything these days. Though chemical depression is a factor sometimes, it's just as easy to claim you need to use these drugs in order to cure something that really shouldn't be an issue.

I'm sorta in agreement on both ends here. I've been around people my entire life who use substances and perscription drugs, then blame it on something else, sometimes depression, so I can see how frustrating this is for you.

Though I see where you're coming from, there are some cases where people's heads are a bit broken. There are probably other solutions other than taking prozac and all, but I'm not a doctor for obvious reasons so I can't really say.

Where am I going with this? I don't know really. Just felt something needed to be said from the side who kind of agrees.

Thanks, I'm glad someone understands my point of view.

You sir, are an avsolute ass. I don't know how you can think that. How dare you insult people who have recognized that they have a problem and are trying to get their lives back in order. I have a friend who commited suicide earlier this year and yeah, it has been rough. Not because I have to put up with "faggotry emo shit", as you so ignorantly put it, but because I am truely sad for him and all of his family and friends. Stop and think that maybe the reason that people with suicidal tendencies finally decide to end it all is because of rude, unthoughtful, insensitive jerks like you.
I thought I was an asshole, but you definately got me beat there. I think you need these drugs that you've been bashing here, cause you definately have some issues to work through.
Peace.

Yes, I am an ass. But I can't say anything negative about people who are using antidepressant meds to actually better themselves. People who use it as an out, that's where I have my problem.

And I do think I may have a problem with suicide--not the one stated, but that I don't understand the reasoning behind it anymore. I feel incredibly sorry for people who would want to end their lives, but at the same time I just cannot understand why anyone would want to. I'd love to understand it, though, and I'd be willing to open-mindedly listen to anything more you have to say about it.

"I just cannot understand why anyone would want to end their lives"

Well, that's the thing. When you're clinically depressed, and your neurotransmitter levels are screwing with your moods, you don't need a reason. You just feel that way. It's like saying you don't understand why schizophrenic people have hallucinations - it's not something that needs to be understood, because it just *happens*, the sufferer has no control over it.

Well, your response seems alot more reasonable, your journal really made you come off like a serious ass. That's just from one asshole to another, first off.
Sometimes,allright, most of the time, I begin to feel depressed for one reason or another. Usually I'll just go to sleep or relax it away, but ocaissonaly it gets out of hand and the only things keeping from going over the edge are music and my beliefs. I use the music for a sort of self-therapy to get me through. Similarly, I feel that suicide is the greatest showing that you give up. That's not what I'm about. Also, I've never actually been diagnosed with any mental disorders, nor have I been prescription drugs. If I were, I still would probably not take the medication in favor of working through it on my own. Keep in mind, I am a Straight-Edge, so I don't want all kinds of medications, pharmaceuticals, etc, in my system. However, I say that anyone tho really needs the medication to get by should use it by all means.
Back to suicide, which I see that you were interested in understanding better. I've been close several times, sometimes with the means to carry it out and sometimes not. I get in that mindset when it seems that everything around me is falling apart. Nothing makes sense, things/people are pissing me off, whatever. It's quite the experience, really, when the nicest thing you can possibly think of is to die, to end it all. Unfortunately, as I said before, my friend reached that mindset and in this case, went forward. I remember that I was incredibly depressed for at least two weeks and during that time I could not get my mind off it. I'm better now, but I still think about it a couple times a week.
Long story short, do people abuse medications and use it for an out: yes. Do those medications also work to help people: also yes. As with just about everything, moderation and informed decision making are the difference between help and hurt.

I have Asperger's and I've always strived my hardest not to use it as an excuse for anything and get angry with /anyone/ who'd suggest that I would for that intrudes upon my honor. For awhile I was on Zoloft but I only took it when my anxiety levels skyrocketed out of control. Was never on it everyday. I've been off of it now since....2005 or so because I didn't want to keep relying on a pill. I've been coping just fine without it. Other people though don't cope so well and do need the medicine though I agree one has to be careful with antidepressants because they can change parts of your personality if you're not careful and even when I was on one the reason I wasn't on it everyday was because I didn't want any of that to happen.

Anyway it's a good thing not to lump a whole group of people together =P There are people with Asperger's that do lean upon it as an excuse to misbehave and not do anything and make those that aren't like that look bad.

You can induce deep depression with serotonin and noradrenaline blocking or depleting drugs. Inadequate levels of neurotransmitters in the brain result in disfunction as inevitably as trying to drive your car with an empty gas tank.

I suggest that you actually read some scientific literature; you can learn a lot with the help of the National Library of Medicine:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/

Yeah, I agree that people often don't want to deal with their problems.

But saying that mental illness like asperger's isn't real?

You're an ass. And I no longer want to watch you.

Well, technically he didn't say it wasn't real, he said he gets tired of people using it as an excuse to be an ass. Which they can do. I met a guy with Asperger's at college and he scared the shit out of me...got in my face and started yelling at me for no real reason while a group of us (including him) were playing a game. Now, I have a friend here who was diagnosed with Asperger's and he's never treated me like that...so if this guy's come in contact with the first, I can sorta see why he said what he said that...

Yeah, god forbid that it's possible that there are DIFFERING DEGREES OF SEVERITY for a disease!


The ignorance displayed by the original poster is intolerable. It's the exact sort of mindset used by racists, sexists, and other bigots.

I can see where you're coming from, but he has a good point (albeit he doesn't give it in a reasonable way): people should never use their disease/disorder as an excuse. If they know there's something wrong with themselves, they should try to fix it, whether through medication, therapy, or both. If there aren't many or any positive results, well, at least they tried. He's mostly ranting, I think, because his mom has made many bad choices and then blames it on her own disorder rather than taking responsibility for her actions...and I can see where he's coming from because I dealt with a bipolar/manic depressive roommate who treated me like total shit, for no good reason. I could understand that at times she was moody due to the disorder, but every time she had a problem with something, she took it out on me, when I did nothing to deserve it. When she'd be in a slightly better mood, she'd claim that it was her disorder that caused her to act the way she had...but having studied the disorder in my Psychology class, I knew that most of her behaviors (like, for instance, she lied all the time) were not due to the disorder, but rather because of faults in her personality.

There's also hope for this guy. He's not totally ignorant...because he's stated that he's open to hearing what others have to say to oppose his rant. Total bigots refuse to listen to any reason whatsoever.

But anyone who would just up and accuse asperger's sufferers of being fakers, and declaring common mental illness to be non-existant, and explain it all as personal flaws, is doing just that.

I suffer from clinical depression. And it didn't 'just happen', nor was I born that way. It was /caused/. I was misdiagnosed with ADHD as a child, but in fact never had it. Proper tests were not done, and ritalin was diagnosed to correct childlike behavior from a child.
Ritalin has a semi-permanent effect on brain chemistry. It damaged my chemical balance, permanently.
I now suffer from depression as a result. I've been on and off medication, but found coping mechanisms and friends much more effective, with much less painful side effects (welbutrin = inability to perform and flu-like symptoms, effexor = nervous tick [that didn't go away either after I stopped taking it], prozac = violently ill and bipolar-like mood swings.]

To say the hell i've been through due to a doctor's careless prescription is all just a trivial, made-up lie, is a MORTAL insult.

*Nods* Yeah. I totally see your point. And I didn't know Ritalin has a semi-permanent effect. I've been toying with the idea that I might suffer from depression myself, as I have a lot of trouble coping with life, even when life is going pretty well...and I was given Ritalin as a child too (and of course it didn't work, since I wasn't ADD). My best friend was also given Ritalin even though he also isn't ADD/ADHD, and while on the medication he stopped eating and sleeping much. I'll have to look into that more. Could I possibly IM you sometime via AIM? I'd like to hear more about it, since you seem to know what you're talking about.

I'm only repeating what was taught to me. [THe same person talked me OUT of persuing a lawsuit, tho..]

AIM: Silverbluegoth

Whered he say asperger's wasnt real?

Clinical Depression is not being bummed because fit is hitting the shan in your life.

Clinical Depression is not being incapable of handling the various difficulties and burdens that come up in one's day to day.

Clinical Depression has absolutely nothing to do with enjoying rainy days, wearing all black, abuse of cosmetic products or a tendency to endorse either bands or t-shirts with a tendency toward ironic titles.

Clinical Depression is a stomach churning, logical process denying, lump in throat producing malady that makes everyday functioning a chore on par with living under the weight of a Post Traumatic Stress disorder. There's a free falling, agonized sensation that is familiar to anyone who has suffered under the basic human condition but there is no outward cause. The depression is a chemical overload, an emotional fallacy and you can tell yourself this again and again, without improving your mood one bit.

When your upset about something real, you can always deal with the issue. You can apply various problem-solving techniques, convince yourself that eventually you'll move beyond it, or simply ignore it with any of the sundry defensive mechanism every human being has developed in a lifetime of wading through crap.

But how do you "deal" with nothing more then raw emotion?

Generally, you LOOK for something worth being that depressed over. This insane abyss that has no father, no seed beyond an internal short circuit, can't be dealt with or handled because it is NOT the result of external stimuli. Next thing you know, you've identified something, anything that is in your peripherals or on your mind and labeled it as cause, simply because it is easier to deal with a tangible problem rather then accept the fact that something within is not quite right.

Worse, you find your coping skills actually do lack any sort of traction. You become far too raw and ragged, too much a veteran of too long a war to be able to pull yourself out. Normal sadness becomes too much to bear simple because it comes on the heels of your latest bout with something profane and chemically induced. Even your happy times are out of sync. Have you ever really been around a clinical depressive when they get that rare moment of euphoria?

My personal favorite was the unstoppable giggles. All it took was a moment to reflect that there was no ten ton weight on my heart at the moment, and I began laughing. Everyone laughs with at first, then they notice your not stopping, then they notice the tears, even while you are literally guffawing yourself hoarse.

This is a battle with an unseen, illogical enemy and has nothing to do with people who can't cope with life. Frankly, they are coping with something that you are unlikely ever to have contact with except by association. I would seriously advise cutting them a little slack.

Personally, I have enough glass, cuts, scars and bruises to denote something was terribly off kilter within me. I've experienced it firsthand, both on medication and off. Ultimately, I DID use the stuff as a crutch. But you know, a crutch is a good metaphor here, because you use it to walk while you are unable to stand unaided. If you depend on it the rest of your life, you may find yourself chained to it. On the flip side, if you never make use of one, you may never stand at all.

I took medication because I had been asked to leave a university I was attending because I was seriously disturbing my classmates and because I showed several classic signs of a mind pushed beyond the breaking point. I took pills which helped me ACCEPT the therapy that would eventually be the first real chance I ever had at moving forward with my life.

Finally, consulting my doctor and appraising the situation with as close to a clear mind as I could, I decided I could take my first stumbling steps without the medication. Things were better in my life, I was a better person, though I had no more (and no less) bad days then anyone else. I had a few missteps, some falling back into bad behavior, but there was a difference, an edge taken off, enabled because I had allowed myself some time to heal.

Currently, I take no medication, I seek no counsel but my own and my families. I'm a much happier and wiser person. I am firmly convinced that had I never received the benefit of either pills or chats with a neutral party with perspective, I would not have made it past my 19th birthday. Call it a hunch based on the scars on my body, results of the much berated "selfish suicide attempts."

What you don't understand about the above is that they are NOT the by-product of a logical mind, they are not the gut reaction to a specific stress. Someone doesn't just up and off themselves because Steve would not take them to the prom. They are creations of a deluded survival instinct, triggered by a brain very much at war with itself. Ask anyone with real mental instability, they'll tell you that either they can NOT think properly from time to time, or that they think "perfectly." Both are indicators that wires are loosened. It takes just a moment for a depression to convince a weakened and weary mind that they are suffering and their very survival hinges on putting an end to an agonized life.

It tends to last for only a few moments, (barring romantic thoughts and bad music) but in those few moments, a trigger can be pulled, a bottle can be downed. The mania had me slamming my face through every glass window in the house. But it was the depression (and my father's taunting as he was in the next room) that had me swallowing the bottle of pills.

Afterwords, I was okay, perfectly fine. I was laughing about it, caked in blood, with lips stained the yellow of the pill's coating. How could I have been so stupid? Why would I have ever done such a thing? Obviously, this is NOT the sort of thing I would have done had I been thinking clearly. The problem is, it only takes a moment for a randomly firing synapse to end a life that likely, on better, saner days, would have just as soon lived.

Generally, people who live in close proximity to a sufferer of such an illness go one of two ways. The first is empathy, having witnessed the pain first hand and identifying with their loved one's agony. The second, is anger, rage at being forced to put up with the burdens of someone else, particularly when that someone was supposed to be taking care of THEM. Believe me, I know just how easy it is to fall prey to the latter.

My father has visions, hallucinations with full on audio and video. He refers to me as the Son of the King, tells me of the miracles I performed when I was a child, can't decide if he's a Native American prince or an exiled Hebrew national. His rages break bones and his selfishness is legendary to the point of mania. There are many times I hate the man, truly, absolutely hate. But I know part of what he's going through and I can't help but sympathize. If I thought he would take it, I sure as hell would get him whatever pills might ease the metaphorical demons within. He won't of course, and that is fine, but it has cost him his entire family.

Is it over-diagnosed? Is it overly medicated? Have we turned into a society that grasps at straws in order to alleviate personal responsibility? The answer to all three is probably yes. But the cure for that is education and the embracing of alternative therapies (positive psychology, exercise, etc) to try and work through issues that can be healed by such. What we do not need is a society that looks to demonize those who are well and truly sick because "its all in their heads."

Ultimately, this is no different then sticking everyone in a little box, waiting for some sort of religious experience that would exorcises these obvious demonic influences, and getting the stake outside ready for a good old fashioned burning should the divine fail to answer this plea

This comment is amazingly thought out, and describes better things better than I ever could hope to.

Thank you!

There are folks that do use catch-phrase mental illnesses as a crutch, an excuse, and a universal explanation for whatever went wrong in their lives.

There are folks that will hand out prescriptions as insta-fix pills, and plenty of folks that will take them around the clock as dangerous placebos because they think the pills are a replacement for making changes in their lives.

There are folks that self diagnose and self medicate themselves because taking pills/drugs/drinking is a lot easier than making difficult decisions to accept responsibility and move forward in their lives.

If you've met far more of these folks and they are your sole examples of mental illnesses then I am sorry... but the entirety of your rant is sickeningly disgusting, insulting, and incredibly self absorbed and deluded concerning anyone with a serious mental illness.

After reading your journal and most of the comments, I suppose I'll take a stab at commenting too. I understand this is your journal, so I'm not going to to TRY not to say anything negative, even though your journal did upset me a bit at first. In any case, I do have a comment about a certain mental disorder (that I know medications can help with) that I am rather intimately acquainted with.

My mother is manic depressive, a condition otherwise known as bipolar disorder. She's trying to do pretty much just what you described - Facing it herself, dealing with it on her own, without medications, and with familial help... And she's a pretty big mess because of it. She'll be okay for periods of time, and then she'll suddenly skyrocket out of control upwards, and become the very very scary woman I remember from my young childhood. It's like she's on speed. She moves very quickly, is sharp with everyone, and thinks everyone else is moving through molasses. I was thrown across rooms and smacked around a bit because I was "moving too fucking slow". Not saying I was horribly abused, but it was terribly frightening for my 5-9 year old self. She will also drink a lot while in manic state of being, stating that she can't feel the effects of the booze unless she drinks more. She does become very active and gets a lot of stuff done at the same time, but it's definately not normal behavior. After about a week of that mania, she will crash and burn... And be like a shell of her normal self. It will generally take her another week, perhaps two, to claw her way back out of the pit and to a stable life. It hurts me so much to watch her go through this vicious cycle. At one point, she did attempt medication, and I remember that she was happier in general, and broke ALMOST entirely out of that destructive pattern. Then she started reading self-help books and stopped taking medications... And it all started over again.

I offer that example as proof that sometimes, meds do help. Again, from what I've read in your journal here and the comments, you DO seem to be aware that there ARE some people who really do need medications to stabilize their mental state. Chemical imbalances do actually exist, and I do get upset when I see people running around saying things like "ALL depressed people are dumb and fucking pussies". Not saying you're one of them, but I've sure you've seen the type. I also agree with medications being over-perscibed... I just hope people that REALLY need the meds don't slip between the cracks because of that.

I totally agree with you that you should never ever use a disorder as an excuse to be an arsehole. I speak as someone who is bi-polar, but can't stand people seemingly brushing off their unacceptable behaviour with a 'oh, Im bi-polar don't you know?' attitude.

But you seem to not know a great deal about depression.
Some depression is a chemical imbalance, and NOTHING to do with what goes on around you. Some people's brains just don't produce enough serotonin (the happy chemical) so they are not physically able to feel 'up'. This means they can have a wonderful life, fantastic future etc and still feel down. Its biological, not mental.

Of course, you do get some people who really just need a kick up the arse and to realise how good they have it, whiney emo kids and attention seeking whiners, but for those who truely have a medical problem, its as valid as having lung cancer or kidney failure: its beyond your control.

The trick is finding out which people are genuinely suffering from a medical problem, and which are just feeling down or looking for a bit of attention. Too many people are misdiagnosed and have meds thrown at them which just make it all worse. Seems that particularly in the USA, anyone who feels a bit down is slapped with the label of 'depression' and put onto pills.
Here in the UK, things are slightly better, and meds aren't usually prescribed as a first resort, but more as a last.

Let's get this out of the way: TOM CRUISE!!!

A lot of others have commented on the scientific aspects of this journal, but you know what bugs me? People who assume that their own life experiences are indicative of the entire rest of the world. Now, I know this is partially human nature, but dammit, you can't just say, 'Oh, my mom does this, so everyone else must be like that too'. It's illogical to the point of making me want to rip my head in half.

It happens constantly: Because one person loses a lot of weight eating some weird diet, they write a book saying *everyone* should eat that diet. Because one person's illness was cured by doing something completely bizarre, they go on cable and tell everyone else to do it too. Similarly, people see one, or a few, instances of a problem and think it's like that everywhere.

This type of thinking is called _stereotyping_.

Yes, some drugs are overprescribed (especially to children) and yes, I think most drug companies utilize unspeakably heartless practices. In fact, I've grappled with mental illness my whole life and I've never been prescribed a single thing that's ever helped me in the slightest. Does that mean No One ever needs meds? Obviously not. Do my limited experiences give me the right to ridicule and condemn anyone who *is* helped by meds? Obviously NOT.

And just because you cannot conceive of something doesn't mean that no one else can. (I'm reminded suddenly of the creationists.) I can think of several reasons why someone would want to commit suicide; from chemical reactions in the brain to psychoses to drug impairment to guilt to religious insanity to peer harassment to abusive home life to wanting to be with someone else who's passed on. Just because you don't get it doesn't mean you've got any reason to call people who commit suicide such vicious names like 'fucking dumbasses'. I understand that it's natural for humans to assume that everyone else has the same intelligence level that they do, but that is absolutely not the case.

Also, I have zero sympathy for you getting trashed in virtually every comment on this journal. Okay, so you calm down and state your positions more clearly in your replies. Well then, Why Wasn't That What You Wrote In The First Place? I've come across this quite a few times and it annoys me greatly. Someone writes an ignorant and inflammatory piece of unthinking, unresearched, indefensible drama-garbage, then tries to save face by pretending they meant something else instead of doing the more difficult and more courageous thing; admitting they were wrong in the first place.

Last thing; I know everyone else does it but, as a gay person, I'm disgusted that you toss around the words 'fag' and 'faggot' so casually. Do you use 'nigger' the same way, perhaps? Or is that not "funny"?

Delete this journal and save yourself some embarrassment.

You know, I actually completely agree with you here. You brought up a lot of good and important points that have been mostly ignored in the responses. I'm impressed and I hope everyone reading this journal reads your post and takes something from it.

Wow. Thanks very much!

And yeah, I think one reason these points don't come up a lot is that when people see something like this that makes 'em mad 1) they focus on the main topic and 2) some of thse things are a little hard to define. I even had trouble defining 'em! It's like you're reading and you think, 'That's totally wrong!' and you _know_ it, but you can't put your finger on exactly why.

Or, in the case of the 'faggot' usage, it unfortunately happens so damn much on the 'net, I know I sometimes feel like it's not even worth bringing it up.

Yeah, as I was reading comments I was sort of formulating the same sort of post, then I saw it right there beside your icon. Instead or arguing over fine points of psychological discourse, it's more useful to address the underlying reasons behind someone's ass-hatery. I am pleased to see that my original impression of you was wrong, too. I suppose I was getting too caught up in the fight there.

You know, I hadn't even noticed that he was using words like 'faggot', I'm so used to seeing them tossed around.

After getting in a few FA fights, I've learned that it's just screamingly retarded to do so. One might as well put a shotgun in one's mouth. I still like a good debate where both parties are actively trying to reach a consensus, but all butting heads gets you is a forehead callus.

From now on, I'm really, REALLY trying to be as straightforward as I can. If I don't believe in it 100% and if I don't think I can back it up either factually or logically, I don't write it. And if someone wants to bait me, I leave. It's frustrating, but saves me much greater frustration later when it's 3:00 in the morning and I'm ranting at someone I don't even freakin' know and my chest feels like I'm having a heart attack. :p.

"You know, I hadn't even noticed that he was using words like 'faggot', I'm so used to seeing them tossed around."

Ain't that sad? The internet has thrown so much horrific nastiness at all of us, we're almost immune to little, but still hurtful, things.

The reason for depression isnt "just" about hating yourself and that you hate your life. Its more about disappointing ppl aswell.
Sure it could be about hating you and the life, but there is way more factions on why you suddely get suicidal thoughs.

It could be that for ex: that you suddenly dont have any money,
and despite the fact that you are working hard to get it you still
end up emty-pocketed. No money means: No vacation (nice to have vacation to get away from everything), not getting the time to spend much time around with your friends, borrowing money = debs. That could make you depressed enought to start thinking:
"Hey, maybe im not needed in this world?"

And that thing about "how much love God must have put into making you" does make you think you have to sucsess in front of him and when you cant do that despite all the tryes?
Well basicly it would be that you fail god? And another reason for suicide
is that you know ppl around you is ashamed of you and dont really want ya
to stick around because you are a burden to them (police, social thingy, society?, parents?)

It could also be a problem that cannot be solved like a disease/personal problems that make you into a depression that later on end up in suicide.

Suicide isnt a thing you decide over a night. You try in every possibal way to solve the problem you might have, before after some time (might talk about days, months, years) you cant find any hope at all for it to change.
But then again there might not be so many causes i just did for a example, but there is definitly some out there.

Anyway that what i think. There are so much reason why ppl would like to do suicide, and i think there is way more reasons. Some might be dumb, and some might acually have some meaning in it.

PS: This is no ranting-back-comment, but only giving you more info that the reason for thining suicide might not only be hating the world and hating yourself.

With <3
//Rickard

In the ammount of time you spent typing up such an ignorant rant, you could have googled depression, asperger's syndrome, and everything else you seem to be so pissed off about and spared us your ignorance. I'm in a particularly spiteful mood, so you'll get a piece-by-piece educational schooling that aims to dissect your lamest assertions and explain to you, with scientific data, why you need focus on the facts and not your uneducated observations.

"There's a myth in the medical community that says that low levels of serotonin cause depression"

First of all, the psychiatrical community (not medical) does not operate on a "cause and effect" mentality. It operates on correlations, meaning that Thing A may or may not be related to Thing B. Years upon years of research has fond a strong correlation between low serotonin levels and prevelance and/or severity of depression. This means, more often than not, low levels of serotonin may be used as an indicator for depression. It's not a myth, it's a strongly supported scientific hypothesis.

"If we're to believe that depression is an illness that cannot be fixed, only managed with life long drug treatment... then why am I so damn happy? Think about that one, Prozac-fags."

First of all, you're an ass. Secondly, it's called severity. Learn this word, because you seem to have a problem with understanding degrees and levels and words than mean anything other than "black and white". Depression can either hit you really really bad, meaning you lose the desire or ability to function through daily tasks, or mild where it doesn't blip on your daily radar. I have Asperger's Syndrome, and believe me I'll be getting to that later, and can function just fine on a daily basis. Whereas my friend Ed, a fellow Aspie, is barely able to hold a conversation with someone when he's not medicated with the proper dose of drugs. I hope that doesn't make him a fag. Oh noes.

"As I said before, medication is just a way to pussyfoot around dealing with your own feelings. And, being diagnosed with a mental illness is just a way to skirt your responsibilities in the real world."

You think every person diagnosed with mental illnesses came up with the idea to skirt their responsibilites together so that all the "normal functioning" people could do all the work for them, you pompous twit? You stand in front of a rehibilation group for people suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and explain to them the medication they're taking to regulate their anxiety, thus saving them from heart problems, is really just an excuse to hide their feelings. Walk up to someone with schizophrenia who is holding a job and explain to them that they're lying when they say taking their medication enables them to perform daily tasks, hold a job, and frankly HAVE responsibilities. Try to lecture a home for elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease to stop lying about losing their memory and stop taking their pills. You've already posted a rant to people on FA denying they can be perfectly capable to doing shit with their life if they've got a mental illness, so what's stopping from going to other venues? I'll even spot you gas money.

I'd make comments about your assumptions on your mother, but I don't know her so I have so no basis for a complaint. But I still find it sick that you would openly criticize her, publically humiliate her on the internet by exposing her financial problems and struggles with depression, and then try to sugar coat it by saying you love her. You're sooo sweet, I bet you kill your diabetic friends with your company alone. What a charming daughter.

"Asperger's used as an excuse for acting like an ass. Now, I don't usually attack autism because that's not something we can help; getting pumped full of mercury when you're growing up would tend to screw you up pretty bad. But for God's sake such a mild form like Asperger's shouldn't be used as an excuse to act like a fucktard."

Firstly, Asperger's Syndrome has zero research related to mercury. In the entire database of psychological research that I use on a regular basis to help me earn my bachelor's degree, I find not one article that even has Asperger's and Mercury mentioned in the same project. You're probably thinking about thimersoal poisoning which is treated like autism, but is not supported by the American Psychiatric Association as autism. Now then, Asperger's Syndrome is commonly known as a pervasive developmental disorder. People with PDD are labelled asses frequently because one of the main deficiencies listed is... communication problems.

""Oh, I can't communicate correctly because I have Asperger's =/ " Yeah, fuck those people."

And fuck you. The brain is used to formulate, interpret, and utilize language. Asperger's Syndrome is linked to severe deficiancies in language interpretation, thus Aspies can't communicate properly unless they train themselves to learn how to do so, which most don't do, or aren't capable to succeeding in. So fuck you for ignoring someone that lists a symptom of their disorder and denying it's validity.

And as for your whole rant on suicide, I'm glad you made it evidient to everyone that reads this not to ever consider you a friend when they're in need, because you have shown that you are incapabale of empathy, and sympathy for that matter. I'm glad you have enough confidence in yourself, because I don't, and I don't think I'm alone in here.

Get an education or risk a permanent reputation of being a ignorant whiner. For all of our sakes, take the time to research what you don't understand before you click "post" next time.

*applauds thunderously*

You certainly need to closely study the illnesses you mentioned to fully understand them. You clearly have trouble with empathy. You clearly do not know what the hell you are talking about and rather spouting off your very strong opinion than relying on medical facts.

Many people are going to find your post unenlightened and ignorant.

Pretending it's all just "emo" doesn't mean a thing. What does emo mean, being emotional? Isn't that part of being human? Unbalanced chemicals in the brain, NOT just saratonin but norepanephrine and dopamine play a part as well in clinical depression.

Do some studying. Stop being angry and jumping to too many conclusions that don't make sense.

You... don't seem to have known anyone who was ACTUALLY clinically depressed or otherwise mentally ill. I mean this respectfully, but this entry shows a large lack of understanding of what mental illnesses actually ARE.

Believe me, having unbalanced brain chemicals due to no fault of your own can be EXTREMELY damaging to one's life, and taking medication where it would be genuinely helpful is not 'pussyfooting around one's problems'.

Also, I'm really fucking tired of people who have no actual scientific basis behind their conclusions claiming that any emotional disorders 'don't exist'. I've dealt with enough of that in my life and it's really frustrating. YOU try dealing with depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder AND adult onset attention deficit disorder and see how YOU fare before you start spouting that they don't exist, ok?

Not intending to flame, just tired of the same old uneducated arguments.

Amen

It gets old being told to "get over it." Some people are so egocentric they can't comprehend issues that don't affect themselves personally.

Hi! You have no idea what you're talking about! A couple of anecdotes about your mother does not equal time spent as a clinical researcher, counselor for chronically mentally ill, or respite home worker. I'm sorry your childhood is miserable, but that doesn't change facts, research, or biology.

Wow... Interesting responses...

I think what most people fail to understand here is that Meg is VENTING. The bottom line is that people do indeed use mental illnesses as an excuse for taking responsibility in their own lives and that perscription drugs are over-abused.

I have decided to write a seperate journal entry titled "Take a chill pill" in response: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/129834/

You don't vent by lying about research. That's not venting, that's lying. That's making things up.

The problem is, really, when most people vent they tend to forget/ignore facts and reason, and just spew a bunch of nonsensical things to relieve anger, grief, or stress. I think this guy was doing just that...and educating him will help, if he bothers to read any replies. Getting angry at him just stresses yourself out, though...so I wonder if I'm the only one who's stayed calm while reading this journal. Really, he probably should've used Livejournal for this, as this is the type of rant that would fit so well there.

Venting on the internet allows for people who may respond with their own venting.

The studies I'd found previously mysteriously no longer exist. This is probably due to the pharmaceutical companies pulling their suppression bullshit. I'm sorry. I DO encourage people to try googleing these things on occasion, however, because every once in a while a private medical journal gets posted and is up long enough for people to read about it before it gets taken down in these blatant acts of suppression.

Or it never existed. Just like 'magnetic bracelets' don't make your non-magnetic body suddenly resistant to damage. Nor does sleeping inside a wireframe pyramid made of (expensive) brass welded together in someoneone's garage make you live twice as long. Nor does gluing a non-permeable plastic pack of sugar to your skin make your diabetes go away. These are all the same damn scams sold in the same damn tabloids.

Just like colloidal silver. Not only did it never, in any testing (even informal /by supporters/) cure any disease, it has caused several dozens of cases of a disease. Look up Argyria. The FDA banned it being sold as a medicine. You have to make it yourself now, and the kits can only be sold as a 'dietary supplement'.

I will, however, get the names of some books on the matter. If you can hold on to yourself that long! You don't have to get crappy and say something never existed. I can give you the link to the site, but it's no longer up... so what good would that do?

Actually, it would do some good. What's the site?

You forget: The internet, as a whole, is cached. Wayback machines can pull up a website if it ever existed, and was up for ~4 months or longer.
I can pull up every iteration and news update ever made on my own sites, for example. (Came in quite useful recently!)

www.cancertutor.com/other02/AIDS/HIV If you can get it to come up, I would be most greatful!!!

It's actually still there, you just got the link wrong.

http://www.cancertutor.com/Other02/AIDS.html

No Wayback Necessary.

Awesomesauce! Thank you so VERY much! :D

Now, to pull it apart.

"The Bob Beck Protocol will eliminate every microbe in a person's body within a month."

That's fatal. There's several hundred microbes your body NEEDS to survive.

But, some evidence FOR it, which I am loathe to repost, but is right from the published scientific community of a medical journal, reposted to Wikipedia:

"Blood electrification was originally developed in 1990 by researchers William Lyman and Steven Kaali, who observed that low electric current inactivated the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) but did not adversely affect healthy human blood cells in a test tube. In fact, their work suggested the electric current induced a facilitation of succinate dehydrogenase and ATPase activity in the mitochondria. This facilitation, in turn, is associated to an increase in the ATP production, increasing the cell's energy. It was published [1] in 1991. They patented a device for treating infected blood [2], which included the idea of implanting an electrical device in the veins of the patient. Robert C. Beck later noticed the required amount of current could be easily driven through bare skin, through electrodes, and used this non-intrusive method as part of the "Beck protocol". He suggested using 4 Hz alternating current.

Proponents now claim that, according to their experience, direct current gives more results than 4 Hz AC. Much of this is only anecdotal evidence and testimonial of their subjective feeling of improvement in their conditions. According to their reports, application of a 300 microamperes 6V Direct current is very effective in treating diverse diseases like cancer. [3] and diseases caused by bacteria [4] [5], like tuberculosis, toothaches and other infections. They also have reported drastic reductions in PCR-measured viral load of virus like the HIV [6] [7] and hepatitis-c, and non-measured improvements in diseases like herpes, flu, CFS, and others. Despite those reports, no controlled studies have been performed to evaluate this technique in vivo, just in vitro. There is no scientific explication of how this effect could be produced, as each of those conditions involve completely different mechanisms."



As for Cesium Chloride, it IS actually prescribed. I can walk /next door/ and talk to someone /right now/ who is taking it:
it is used as an alternative ONLY for when primary medication is ineffective or a tolerance has been developed by the virus. This is because it is extremely damaging to the cell walls, and causes an enormous amount of hemophilia and internal bleeding, and may cause contusions and brain hemmoraghing. Clinical trials also show it supresses less than half as many users as traditional medication.
It is currently the /primary drug used/ for some parts of africa, due to it's low cost.
However, it does NOT seem to mention here that this chemical compound is, basically, glass.
It is also used in cancer treatment, since it widely damages cells. Most cancer treatment is worked on the basic idea of stressing all the cells of the body equally, focusing aroudn the cancer, under the theory that cancer cells, being weaker, die first. At which point treatment stops to avoid widespread damage to the healthy cells.



And yes, I do know what the hell i'm talking about. My mother fought with uterine cancer for 5 years, and finally lost when I was 7. She, herself, was a doctor. And I still have access to her medical journals and filmed surgury tapes. (I also have a rather dated 1977 book listing every known prescription drug on the entire market at the time, including regulated, banned, and clinical trial medicine.)

Email me for further info sometime:
janglur[at]gmail.com

You'd be amazed how natural cancer is. It, by it's very nature, debunks 90% of the conspiracy theorists promoting 'natural remedies' solely on the grounds that natural remedies kill unnatural diseases.
Cancer is natural, and nothing new. Everything has always gotten, is getting, continues to get, and will always get, cancer. Because it's not 'got', it's occured.

I've been bipolar my whole life, and yes, since infancy. Mania, CAN make you do the stupid things you said. For bipolar disorder medication IS the best approach and not "pussyfooting around one's problems". NO "talking things out" don't work when your brain isn't wired right to begin with.

If your mother was diabetic would you tell her not to watch her diet and take insulin? No, you'd make sure she did everything properly. Mental illness is NO different. The brain is an organ too. It can be diseased to. Just because a thousand years ago the Church said if you were mentally ill you were possessed means today it's seen as a taboo.

I have taken medication for decades and it DOES help and it DOESN'T change who you are, it makes your thinking more clear. Mania and depression both can make you angry and aggressive. Recently I was having work problems due to not taking my medication properly. I started taking it again and lo and behold my mood is more stable.

yikes, this reeks of ignorance and selfishness.

Ive said it before... and ill say it again. i just love your take on life ^^