We have a lot of views per post here

[Droopy]

People are looking a lot, but not a whole lot of folks are participating. I realize that some of them are just people looking for something juicy to post somewhere else and get their kicks. But I bet that there are a lot of folks out there who want to post but don't for some reason. What do you have to say to them?

When we got together to form this little group one of the ideas behind it was to destigmatize mental illness by talking about it in the open where everyone could see it. This is more than a support group. Anybody in the world can look at this forum and read what we say here. That's a beautiful thing my friends.

[knowbody0]

1. hey Droopy

beautiful. I've been programed to never spread my dread, laying it out here is a cleansing treasure.

[mopinko]

2. spread my dread- good one.

this is a great little forum. i have learned so much from all of you. hope the lurkers have, too.

[EFerrari]

3. Droopy! So excellent to read you.

You know something, I've been posting to the net on mental health issues for a decade.

I'm free, lol!

:toast:

It is indeed a beautiful thing.

[mzteris]

4. ***Anybody in the world can look at this forum . . .

. . .and read what we say here. ***

Actually, it's a SCARY thing. At least, it is for me. :scared:

[Droopy]

5. We're still anonymous

The idea is to take the SCARY out of mental illness. There is a lot of ignorance when it comes to mental health issues. The reason for that is that people usually don't talk about it out in the open. People think of violence and sociopathic behavior when they think about mental illness. The reality is that the vast majority of us have never hurt anyone and are just struggling to fit in with the rest of society.

[mzteris]

6. not 'that' anonymous, though,

I kinda wish it were. . .

I know the stigma attached. I don't even want to use the word "mental illness". Is "depression" a mental illness? Is anxiety? Is being (probably) somewhere on the aspie spectrum a mental illness?

BTW - is going through menopause making me "mentally ill"? I know it's making me (even MORE) moody, depressed, anxious, insomniac, etc...

Is suffering from PTSD a mental illness?

I think people still think insane asylum and straight jacket when the phrase "mentally ill" is used.

Maybe - like instead of using "learning disability" we now use "learning difference" - there could be another phrase that more accurately (and less threateningly) describes what's going on with 'us'?

[Droopy]

7. Mental illness just means that something is wrong with your brain

PTSD, severe anxiety (panic attacks), and severe depression are all mental illnesses. I guess you could call them brain disorders or brain diseases if you wanted to. The medication that people often take for mental illnesses makes chemical changes in their brains. The medicine actually changes the biology of your brain. For that reason there is a movement to classify mental illnesses as brain diseases- an actual physical disease.

[mopinko]

9. i have a brain disease that is not considered

a mental illness- fibromyalgia. it appears to be a neurochemical uptake defect in the pain transmitters. it causes muscle cramping and pain, fatigue, brain fog, and often depression. imho, there is thismuch difference between it and other brain malfunction. there are plenty of others- parkinsons, alzheimers, epilepsy......
i wholeheartedly support the effort to call mental illness what it it- brain disease, just like so many other brain diseases. i think mental illness is a better handle than crazy or whatever. but it is a relic of past ignorance.

[Droopy]

11. Call it what you will

It doesn't matter much to me. Brain disorder, brain disease, insane, crazy, bonkers, a french fry short of a happy meal. I personally like to refer to myself as being a beer short of a six pack. :)

[Pharaoh]

10. Not so much something wrong with your brain

I don't look at it that way. I feel I am more awake to what is truly going on in the world, this causes me anxiety and depression, I am actually more sane and more conscious than those that wander through life in blissful ignorance.

And I've also learned not to care too much about what others think of me. If they are spewing something negative about me it is usually their own insecurities.

But yes Droopy I love this forum, and I think the high number of views is due to people seeking answers even if they are not ready to come out of the closet. It is a comfort to these lurkers to find answers they might find helpful.

[Droopy]

12. I can see that view to a certain extent

But being aware of what's going on in the world does not cause people to have severe mental illnesses like schizophrenia. There is documented proof that severe brain disorders are a result of a physical abnormality in the brain. I can post some of that proof here if you'd like.

[Pharaoh]

13. agreed

but depression and anxiety is not schizophrenia.

[hunter]

8. What do I have to say? I have to say Hello!

:hi:

[hedgehog]

14. I don't always reply because I am being cautious.

I don't want to be sending the wrong advice to someone I don't know especially if their view of the situation could be distorted.

[hunter]

15. Speaking of your own experience is not sending advice.

I can say about myself that left to my own devices I would be a crazy hermit living by myself. I was incapable of maintaining normal sorts of social relationships until my mid-twenties. I was "asked" to leave college twice for my bizarre behavior, and the only jobs I held were for employers who tolerated my eccentricities.

Fortunately I was able to graduate from college and I've found a place where I am functional, and yes, it does involve medication. Nevertheless, I have had bad experiences following the mental health advice of others -- professionals included. But the darkest periods of my life have always been when I didn't have anyone I could trust -- so there really isn't any option but to trust someone. The bargain I usually make with myself is that whenever I'm in the darkness I will trust someone for a few minutes (at least) and see what happens. The bad thing has always been that I usually don't recognize that I'm in the dark for a long, long time. I've always had the ability to rationalize almost anything, even crazy things.

If I have any advice it's that everyone is different and they have to find what works for them, and this is a constant process.

[hedgehog]

16. True that

Sharing experience helps as long as we all remember that each person is unique. It helps to know that others have been/ are where we have been/are even if the way out is different!

[EFerrari]

18. Sometimes I think the fact of the response is more important

than the content of the statement.

[Pharaoh]

17. well I am on the cusp

of becoming a crazy old hermit! But yes , we need contact with others or we can spiral into the darkness quite easily.

[gemdem]

19. Sometimes the viewing rather than the posting is what's important

Just knowing that you're not alone makes a HUGE difference. It's so easy to feel isolated, that no one else understands. Checking in here provides hope -- not kicks. (If someone is looking for kicks here, they might need more help than this group can offer.) It's safe and comforting to check in and to make sure that others whom you know only through this board are okay, too.

Any way, that's how I approach it.

Thanks to everyone for being here for all of us. :-)

[Droopy]

20. I'm glad that others get something out of this forum

even though they might not post. And you are right about others seeing that they are not alone in their time of need. One of the first things that I did when I got out of the hospital after I was diagnosed was to read about what other people had to say about mental illness. I looked for books written by patients not doctors. It was comforting to me to know that there were others out there who went through something like I went through and came out on the other side to tell the story.

[varkam]

21. I lurk around here a good deal

but I rarely post, mostly because I feel I don't have anything to add. I'm working on dealing with my own problems, but part of me just thinks that I don't really have anything useful to say.

[Lilith Velkor]

22. I'm still here

The meds n' therapy thing didn't work out for me, so I just have to figure out how to live with my condition and try not to talk about it too much, because I'm sick to death of people pretending they understand and empathize when they're really just trying to sell me something.

And besides...they really did lie about the WMD and they really were tapping our phones, therefore I ain't the one who's crazy. :woohoo: :cry:

[Droopy]

23. Nobody is trying to sell you something here

I contribute to this forum because I sincerely like to talk about mental illness and the issues that arise from being sick. I take medication, but I'm not here to try to persuade other people to do the same. How people deal with mental health issues is their own personal choice. However, I would like to hear about how you cope with the problems that arise from possibly being ill and not having anyone to turn to for help. We are here for support, but nobody here can really help you if you need something more than empathy.

[oceanspirit]

24. Not trying to be a smarty pants here but . . .

I wasn't here then. LOL. I used to be in a Mental Illness (mainly bp forum) before, and I spent most of my day consumed with writing in it. There is so much out there to be shared with Mental Illness, that I think it just takes a couple of people to start a thread, and if others find it similar in their own experiences then bam . . . others write back.

With my big mouth, and being such an advocate on Education about Mental Illness, i think I really will have alot to say here, and probably will. LOL

Oceanspirit