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Mental Health - Isn't This The Real Issue?

Mental Health As a Country-wide Topic

  • yes - we should openly discuss and confront this as a country

    Votes: 42 84.0%
  • no - it should remain closeted and silent, like it's always been

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Other - please explain

    Votes: 8 16.0%

  • Total voters
    50
Fair enough. In socialism we here use to have every health treatment for free, including mental health. How about what Obama promises, is it covered?

I have no idea. Considering the position this country is in, with such turmoil and unease - I can't foresee any part of the Obama Health Care plan ever working out for most of us.
 
Most people clearly understand that we all possess the same types of biological parts (for the most part). And even most can accept that while we have the same parts...that we also have variations of some parts such as hair color, eye color, skin color, body shape, etc.

But when it comes to issues that make us psychologically different...that's where "some" people have problems accepting differences. Some believe that everybody's brain is fundamentally wired the same way. That we all have the same capacity to exercise "choice" and "free will". I believe that for those who see all people having equal wiring...are prime examples of why we all should clearly know that we are all not wired the same.
 
If mental health was the same as cancer there would be funding for it. Right now the industry does not want to pay for mental health care, at least chronic, because there is no money in it. There is more to it, I think, but money is the bottom line.
Its more then just money....a very long range program, we need to develop GOOD psychologists, NOT the ones still in the 1600s. Then we need to get our people away from the 1600s.
 
As far as I'm concerned, the "real issue" is that far too many people think there is but one instead of realizing the complexity of the matter in such a way that they see a formula rather than one simple variable.

Far too many here argue "one of the above" instead of "all of the above".
 
I think far to many believe the human mind is simple, and easy to fix.

A "Dr. Phil 15 minute point of view" should be enough to "cure" everybody.

People also tend to compare themselves to others when it comes to how life's situations should be dealt with.

"I survived just fine with being bullied a little in grade school, so your excuse for your depression/behavior just doesn't fly. Suck it up and get on with life. I did."
 
When will America recognize the 800 pound gorilla in the room? When will the focus of concern and attention be directed at the true issue here?

Why is mental health still such a hush-hush topic? Something to be kept secret? Something to be be ashamed of or buried?

How can something that effects so many still be thought of as unspeakable and embarrassing?

Depression, anxiety, fear, anger, loneliness, hatred, and an overwhelming sense of hopelessness.

These things need far more attention than our country currently give them.

What will it take for people to open up about such things?

How can we improve our understanding and knowledge about these conditions and not treat them as weaknesses or things to be ashamed of, but as things that can be overcome and helped through?

If mental health had the same social stigma as cancer, would society be better off as a whole?

I have a big favor to ask and I know it will be ignored but can we PLEASE stop lumping the DD and AI with MENTAL ILLNESS> they are not the same at all.

We here on this site that are DD are not mentally ill and I personally find it offensive. SO can we?
 
I have a big favor to ask and I know it will be ignored but can we PLEASE stop lumping the DD and AI with MENTAL ILLNESS> they are not the same at all.

We here on this site that are DD are not mentally ill and I personally find it offensive. SO can we?

What is DD and AI specifically?
 
What is DD and AI specifically?

developmentally disabled and autistically impaired. They are neurological learning disabilities which impact to one extent or the other develop, functionality and some physiological issues. They are not mental issues in the sense that most people equate Mental illness with.

Mental illness is usually catagorized under neurotic and psychotic. Psychotics include schizophrenia,psychotic paranoia and MPS (multiple personality syndrome). People put in this catagory do not have the ability to know right from wrong and are normally not in touch with reality.

Neurotics are generally harmless and include certain types of phobias, neurotic paranoids and even some types of sociopaths.

So DD =/ MI
 
Mental health is the real issue IMHO. We may not like where the answers lie, in tact I doubt seriously that we will here about them in an unbiased manner, but mental health is the primary issue. Along the way, I believe, if the research were allowed to go where it leads we'd find, diet and prescription drugs to be massive contributing factors. Behind that I suspect we'd find television, movies and video games to significant contributing factors. All of these things are related to Big Bidness and I'm here to tell you Big Bidness ain't going to allow government to face the mental health issues head on. Believe it.
 
Mental health is the real issue IMHO. We may not like where the answers lie, in tact I doubt seriously that we will here about them in an unbiased manner, but mental health is the primary issue. Along the way, I believe, if the research were allowed to go where it leads we'd find, diet and prescription drugs to be massive contributing factors. Behind that I suspect we'd find television, movies and video games to significant contributing factors. All of these things are related to Big Bidness and I'm here to tell you Big Bidness ain't going to allow government to face the mental health issues head on. Believe it.

Ok mental health. Thats better at least its a start. Thank Risky.
 
Mental health is the real issue IMHO. We may not like where the answers lie, in tact I doubt seriously that we will here about them in an unbiased manner, but mental health is the primary issue. Along the way, I believe, if the research were allowed to go where it leads we'd find, diet and prescription drugs to be massive contributing factors. Behind that I suspect we'd find television, movies and video games to significant contributing factors. All of these things are related to Big Bidness and I'm here to tell you Big Bidness ain't going to allow government to face the mental health issues head on. Believe it.

I disagree with this assertion no real objective evidence from any relable source to prove it.

DD - is genetic pure and simple
MI - is genetic and neurophysiological with some variation.

Ask the national Autism society or the National mental health Institute if they agree. I would be very much surprised if they did.
 
When will America recognize the 800 pound gorilla in the room? When will the focus of concern and attention be directed at the true issue here?

Why is mental health still such a hush-hush topic? Something to be kept secret? Something to be be ashamed of or buried?

How can something that effects so many still be thought of as unspeakable and embarrassing?

Depression, anxiety, fear, anger, loneliness, hatred, and an overwhelming sense of hopelessness.

These things need far more attention than our country currently give them.

What will it take for people to open up about such things?

How can we improve our understanding and knowledge about these conditions and not treat them as weaknesses or things to be ashamed of, but as things that can be overcome and helped through?

If mental health had the same social stigma as cancer, would society be better off as a whole?

It isn't America. It is the politicians afraid of offending special interest groups that allow them careers... I have talked very openly about this issue since Columbine and I think that I have only talked with one person out of possibly a hundred that thought that guns were the issue. Everybody else agreed it was mental health or socio-economic.
 
I have a big favor to ask and I know it will be ignored but can we PLEASE stop lumping the DD and AI with MENTAL ILLNESS> they are not the same at all.

We here on this site that are DD are not mentally ill and I personally find it offensive. SO can we?

Mentally ill is an open term. It applies to pretty much all of us but is used to talk about people that fall outside the norm. Relax.
 
I disagree with this assertion no real objective evidence from any relable source to prove it.

DD - is genetic pure and simple
MI - is genetic and neurophysiological with some variation.

Ask the national Autism society or the National mental health Institute if they agree. I would be very much surprised if they did.

Sorry for the confusion. There's no question in my mind concerning the need for mental health. I'm think probably now more than ever. I would submit that the causes of mental health may have broadened or increased over a few decades due to an atrocious American diet and to the over use of prescriptions drugs in the U.S. While I believe research can and would point to both poor diet and prescription drugs/over medication to being major factors in contributing to mental health I believe Big Business will/would stand in the way of those truths being acknowledged. I don't believe that mood altering drugs, prescription or illegal, and gun use are necessarily a good combination.

I also suspect that electronic media plays a major part.
 
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When will America recognize the 800 pound gorilla in the room? When will the focus of concern and attention be directed at the true issue here?

Why is mental health still such a hush-hush topic? Something to be kept secret? Something to be be ashamed of or buried?

How can something that effects so many still be thought of as unspeakable and embarrassing?

Depression, anxiety, fear, anger, loneliness, hatred, and an overwhelming sense of hopelessness.

These things need far more attention than our country currently give them.

What will it take for people to open up about such things?

How can we improve our understanding and knowledge about these conditions and not treat them as weaknesses or things to be ashamed of, but as things that can be overcome and helped through?

If mental health had the same social stigma as cancer, would society be better off as a whole?

The same way we taught most people to understand that blacks are not subhuman or only good for nothing. Long years of education. this requires PROPERLY trained teachers, aides, counselors (psychological),, therapists etc. We first need to take religion out of the school mindset of teachers. (for example: saying that a DD child is an offense against God in class or that crying because you are being teased in rebellion against God by a TEACHER is unacceptable.) Both of these are real instances and NOTIING was done to the teacher because the system she worked for allowed and condoned such attitudes. In other places that teacher would have been fired or worse.

Anyhow. Thats thet first step. the second would be to make sure EVERY teacher, admin, staffer and aide knew precisely what the ADA says and what the federal laws are pertaining to such children.

Third - Inclusion whereever and whenever possible. Just because its INCONVENIENT for the teachers to be bothered by having such a child in thier class does not mean they are second class citizens or should be treated as such.

Fourth - Peer inclusion. Develop VOLUNTARY programs in schools that have NT (neurologically typical normal) kids paired up with these others. In many places this is called lunch bunch or learning buddies. They are extremely effective.

When my son was in 6th grade his school started this and no child wanted to be part of it. Finally 6 kids volunteered and by the end of his 7th year there was a waiting list. It became the IN thing to do. Not just for him but all these kids.

Do this for about 25 years and maybe we will make some progress but it has to be done everywhere and be consistent.
 
When will America recognize the 800 pound gorilla in the room? When will the focus of concern and attention be directed at the true issue here?

Why is mental health still such a hush-hush topic? Something to be kept secret? Something to be be ashamed of or buried?

How can something that effects so many still be thought of as unspeakable and embarrassing?

Depression, anxiety, fear, anger, loneliness, hatred, and an overwhelming sense of hopelessness.

These things need far more attention than our country currently give them.

What will it take for people to open up about such things?

How can we improve our understanding and knowledge about these conditions and not treat them as weaknesses or things to be ashamed of, but as things that can be overcome and helped through?

If mental health had the same social stigma as cancer, would society be better off as a whole?
I wouldn't say that mental health is "the real" issue. There are plenty of "real" issues. It is, however, a significant issue that is not given enough attention probably because even the people who are supposed to be reporting on it (the media) are turned off by the stigma.
 
Not all people, with mental illness present clear violent tendencies.
Sometimes, they just react out of no where.

I'd be very leery of restarting serious non voluntary institutionalization.
Sometimes it's used as a tool to take property from wealthy family members, sometimes it's used to shut people out of the world, etc.

Community based care, with a possibility of institutionalizing people, with clearly dangerous personalities, ok.
I could get on board, provided it's done right.

very well done. Good job.
 
Sorry for the confusion. There's no question in my mind concerning the need for mental health. I'm think probably now more than ever. I would submit that the causes of mental health may have broadened or increased over a few decades due to an atrocious American diet and to the over use of prescriptions drugs in the U.S. While I believe research can and would point to both poor diet and prescription drugs/over medication to being major factors in contributing to mental health I believe Big Business will/would stand in the way of those truths being acknowledged. I don't believe that mood altering drugs, prescription or illegal, and gun use are necessarily a good combination.

I also suspect that electronic media plays a major part.

I think you and I have talked about this before. Diet has nothing really to do with it, but its an opinion so I will leave it at that Nor is there any evidence that games movies or shows do and that I do know. Caviot - if the person is already 'distrubed" the influence of electronic media is IMHO not clear.
 
I know there are still, middle aged adults who were sterilized while in the care of institutions.
Now they had mental disabilities, but they weren't dangerous individuals.

To me, that's monstrous.

Oh yeah at late as the late 1960's
 
Sorry you are wrong look it up.

The point is that everybody has mental issues... some are just more severe than others. You are a kid, aren't you? No offense, just helps me understand who I am debating.
 
The point is that everybody has mental issues... some are just more severe than others. You are a kid, aren't you? No offense, just helps me understand who I am debating.

Yes another fail. I am probably older than you. I have been around REAL DD people my whole life and almost all the male members of my family are DD. I have a degree in Animal Behavior and Human Behaviorla Psychology and have given talks all over on DD and the role of Parents and teachers to that affect.

Really just a question. Who is Tony Attwood and what was the name of the book that started media interest in Aspergers Syndrome. Caviot time test.
 
Yes another fail. I am probably older than you. I have been around REAL DD people my whole life and almost all the male members of my family are DD. I have a degree in Animal Behavior and Human Behaviorla Psychology and have given talks all over on DD and the role of Parents and teachers to that affect.

Really just a question. Who is Tony Attwood and what was the name of the book that started media interest in Aspergers Syndrome. Caviot time test.

Fail on the kid part but not the mental challenges part. No idea nor do I care who that guy is. Not even gonna look it up to debate you with either.
 
Oh, and what is a REAL DD person?

...and you sound like a naive and angry kid, just sayin'.
 
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