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Mental Illness

When you realize you are debating someone who may be mentally ill, you

  • Keep going

    Votes: 1 6.7%
  • Pull back

    Votes: 4 26.7%
  • See if you can trigger a meltdown

    Votes: 3 20.0%
  • Check to see if they're okay

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Ask Captain Courtesy to see if they're okay

    Votes: 2 13.3%
  • Other

    Votes: 5 33.3%

  • Total voters
    15

BDBoop

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Ever suddenly realize that there's a really good chance that you are baiting somebody who is mentally ill?
 
All the time.
 
Okay, there's a poll up now.

Twice in recent history I've decided not to poke the possible patient.
 
Occasionally. Though sometimes the mentally ill aren't as fragile as we would think. During my dark bouts of depression what somebody said was almost unheard. Positive or negative, it didn't affect me.
 
But what if the reason you came to the conclusion was because they started coming undone? I don't want to further aggravate somebody who's already in anguish (even if what's coming across the pike is something else entirely).
 
Okay, there's a poll up now.

Twice in recent history I've decided not to poke the possible patient.

I wondered why you backed off of me. :mrgreen:
 
As a forum junkie, yeah, it's happened a couple times. Sometimes I and others on the thread wouldn't realize it at first, and then suddenly a nuclear-magnitude meltdown of semi-coherence. Then you feel bad for not catching it.

I'm a little more aware of it now. If it's abusive I report it, if it's just somewhat unhinged I leave it.
 
Occasionally. Though sometimes the mentally ill aren't as fragile as we would think. During my dark bouts of depression what somebody said was almost unheard. Positive or negative, it didn't affect me.

Tessa, I want some of your blood.

When you say that it didn't affect you. Whata mean?

Do you think all forms of mental illness are exaggerated by those who live with them.?
 
As a forum junkie, yeah, it's happened a couple times. Sometimes I and others on the thread wouldn't realize it at first, and then suddenly a nuclear-magnitude meltdown of semi-coherence. Then you feel bad for not catching it.

I'm a little more aware of it now. If it's abusive I report it, if it's just somewhat unhinged I leave it.

It's hard to back off when their (perceived) illness has them attempting to engage you with every post. I just click on the button to respond, say what I want and hit the same button again, thereby erasing my post.
 
It is something I have thought about. Smack talk can be fun, but not at the point that you may actually be hurting someone or making a emotional problem worse. If I suddenly feel as if there is an issue going on with the person I'll back off immediately. It doesn't happen often but I do think it happens. It is a serious concern and I'd contact a mod if I thought something was up. I have contacted a mod to report a post once in over 10 years and it was because of concern I had for a poster (not on this board). I also sent a private message to two other posters and asked them to back off. Smack isn't fun if you are hurting someone.
 
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I voted other because depending on the poster i have done: 1 Keep Going, 2 Pull Back, 3 See if you can trigger a meltdown and 5 Ask Captain Courtesy to see if they're okay

:D
 
RT, that's my sentiment exactly. I remember waaay back in the day, my sister and I were going back and forth. Nothing ever phased that girl, and that's where I was operating from. Anyway, at that age neither of us was willing to be wrong or not have the last word, so it kept going. She burst into tears. I was stunned. I had no idea I was doing anything but interacting.

Obviously, I'm not saying she's mentally ill. But sometimes people are going through **** and we have No Idea.
 
Tessa, I want some of your blood.

When you say that it didn't affect you. Whata mean?

Do you think all forms of mental illness are exaggerated by those who live with them.?

No, not at all. I'm saying that sometimes we treat people with kid gloves when they don't want or need to be treated that way. Like an ignorant lady who speaks slowly to the guy with down syndrome bagging her groceries. We worry about their mental state so we treat them like an uncooked egg, which may not be as helpful as we think.
 
I voted other because depending on the poster i have done: 1 Keep Going, 2 Pull Back, 3 See if you can trigger a meltdown and 5 Ask Captain Courtesy to see if they're okay

:D

I wondered who the "other" was. Now I need to wonder who the other, "other" was. :D
 
It's hard to back off when their (perceived) illness has them attempting to engage you with every post. I just click on the button to respond, say what I want and hit the same button again, thereby erasing my post.

It is, especially if they're attacking you or others. Sometimes I write a reply and just close the thread without posting it. ;)
 
No, not at all. I'm saying that sometimes we treat people with kid gloves when they don't want or need to be treated that way. Like an ignorant lady who speaks slowly to the guy with down syndrome bagging her groceries. We worry about their mental state so we treat them like an uncooked egg, which may not be as helpful as we think.

Oh, yeah. No, that's not what I'm talking about at all.
 
It is, especially if they're attacking you or others. Sometimes I write a reply and just close the thread without posting it. ;)

"Minnesota Nice" rears it's ugly head at the damnedest times. :lamo
 
I go along with Risky's solution, which is notifying a Mod. The entire community becomes a victim. Usually there's no way to debate with someone "mentally ill".
 
Tessa, I want some of your blood.

When you say that it didn't affect you. Whata mean?

Do you think all forms of mental illness are exaggerated by those who live with them.?

I am not Tessa and I don't speak for her. :) But I think there are definitely forms of mental illness that are externally reactive, and those that aren't. And within every category of mental illness there's a pretty big scale of ways it can manifest. Doesn't necessarily mean the person it's ill or in pain - just that their illness doesn't respond to outside factors. Thus, it's not a fragile state of mind necessarily.
 
I wondered who the "other" was. Now I need to wonder who the other, "other" was. :D

LOL you should of made the poll public, I make all my polls public that way when people with a mental illness spam them you can see the real results :D
 
LOL you should of made the poll public, I make all my polls public that way when people with a mental illness spam them you can see the real results :D

I never notice the option. Ah, well.
 
"Minnesota Nice" rears it's ugly head at the damnedest times. :lamo

Oh, I am more than willing to arm up for battle with someone... just not if they're already too busy battling something else. Doesn't seem fair. Also doesn't stop me from feeling irritated by it.

I detest Minnesota nice. ;)
 
It's my thread, and I'll derail it if I want to.

Are you native Minnesotan?
 
It's my thread, and I'll derail it if I want to.

Are you native Minnesotan?

I am. I lack the accent, the mannerism, the pasty complextion, and I have spent most of my adult life living elsewhere, but I am.
 
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