Mental Illness: Just a label?

[Shaolin]

Does anyone here think mental illness is just a label?

I personally think it's used to just label someone who has a personality that isn't liked by the majority of people. Although i can see how people find it uncomfortable to be around someone talking about strange things, i think people in society should be more accepting.

I think mental illness is a normal healthy reaction to social circumstances.

I also think that the 'chemical' idea behind mental illness isn't too valid. I think it's an effect of the way your treated. The chemicals dictate your perosnality, but only we release the chemicals. For example if you fail a test, you will have less seretonin. At that point you could be diagnosed with depression.

Let's say alot of bad things happened and you had low levels of seretonin, are you depressed, or reacting to social situations in a normal way?

Also people who are psychotic, i think have too much of the chemical dopamine, but in almost all cases social withdrawl takes place first. Eventually the perosn starts to hallucinate, and create a world of their own. Perhaps this is a healthy reaction of your mind, to keep you entertained when your very lonely.

What are your views?

[<-Dying_to_Live->]

people can be born mentally retarded. its not fake.

[Shaolin]

Most people who are learning disabled are not mentally ill. Mental Retardation is not a mental illness.

However someone who is mentally retarded can also have a mental illness.

[<-Dying_to_Live->]

if a baby is born with 2 heads, they are automatically classified as having a defect, just because its not normal. if one person is at the learning level of a chimp, while every single other human being on earth is intelligent, its safe to say they have a defect. this defect we call mental retardation.

The fact that your trying to deny Mental Retardation is insulting to the millions of people world wide who have it. Its an insult to their families and friends as well. Saying that everyone who is mentally retarded was just raised under shitty parents is absolutely abominable, and i cant believe you would have the heart to disregard millions of lives in need of a more caring person than you

[Shaolin]

Whow. Someones trying to make me look bad!

I said mental retardation (or learning difficulties as it's more compassionatly put) are not mental illnesses. People with mental illnesses suffer from disorders such as Social Anxiety Disorder, Depression, Schizophrenia etc.

Mental retardation is not an 'illness', infact your offending the millions that suffer from it by saying it is an illness.

Mental retardation is not a 'defect', someone who has an IQ lower than 70 is mentally retarded, their learning abilities have been stunted from birth.

The difference is, someone with an illness was previously HEALTHY - they contract the illness, show symptoms and a doctor diagnoses such an illness and treats it.

Mental retardation is not a mental illness. If you want to see for yourself, go ahead and look it up in the DSM-IV, diagnostic statistical manual, volume 6. Oh and don't get it mixed up with Pervasive Developmental Disorder, thats the spectrum for disorders such as autism and aspergers syndrome.

Now stop being offensive to mentally retarded people, implying they are defected and ill is like saying you are defected and ill because you can't do your homework.

I warn you to be careful of what you say. What i say is not bullshit, im a social sciences student at college and everything i know about mental illness is read in psychology textbooks, or online information.

[<-Dying_to_Live->]

something that is "stunted" from birth IS a defect. i dont see why you're trying to redefine things. who cares?

you can call them, retarded, stupid, mentally ill, defective.... theres many terms, some more polite than others. either way, it all boils down to the same conditions and everyone will still know what youre talking about. Whether you call them mentally retarded or mentally ill is no different and shouldnt even be argued about. its just how the language works. its like calling someone a fag when theyre not really gay. it is the wrong word to use, but everyone still knows what you mean so it doesnt matter

[Shaolin]

Thomas Sczas (sp?) and Ronald D. Laing, stipulated that mental illness is the result of society and the way people have been treated.

Although it's noted that alot of disorders are biological in root and there are say structural abnormalities in the brains of psychotic individuals (larger ventricles) it's not clear wether it is a cause of, or effect of mental illness.

Personally i believe it to be an effect of living a normal life, except some situations result in chemical changes. IF you fall in love your brains chemical makeup changes, so why should it not change say if you were a victim of abuse. A psychatrist would label you as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but are these symptoms really just your minds way of reacting to abuse or traumatic incidents? I think so...

[<-Dying_to_Live->]

What are you trying to prove? That thers no such thing as mental retardation and everyone is normal and calling it a mental "illness" is a sin and lie?

Wow, it doesnt matter what they are called. Do you think they care what you call them? No. Do you think I care between the difference of you calling me a fag or just gay? No. People dont care what theyre called. get over it

[Shaolin]

something that is "stunted" from birth IS a defect. i dont see why you're trying to redefine things. who cares?

you can call them, retarded, stupid, mentally ill, defective.... theres many terms, some more polite than others. either way, it all boils down to the same conditions and everyone will still know what youre talking about. Whether you call them mentally retarded or mentally ill is no different and shouldnt even be argued about. its just how the language works. its like calling someone a fag when theyre not really gay. it is the wrong word to use, but everyone still knows what you mean so it doesnt matter

I told you to be careful. Mental illnesses are as i define (can't you fucking read?) illnesses that show symptoms, are contracted (just like physical illnesses) and can be treated you can also get better and recover from an illness, physical or mental.

By lumping people mentally ill people into the same category as learning disabled you are offending both groups. Mentally ill people have issues with their mind and need psychotherapy, and medication. Calling them retarded is damaging to their self confidence.

Also calling a retarded person 'crazy' or mentally ill, is just as offensive.

[<-Dying_to_Live->]

are you insane? calling someone retarded is the most polite way you can!!! thats what the word means!

[<-Dying_to_Live->]

who gives a shit about the symantics of the english language anyways? does it really matter if you think im using the wrong word?

[Shaolin]

Here is an example of how i prove my statements, this is something you don't do...

http://www.thearc.org/faqs/mimrqa.html

http://www.newyorkcityvoices.org/nov00r.html

I can give you more sources, but your terrible at keeping up an argument, Now your trying to change your original statement (oh who cares about the semantics of english language)...

Again: Mentally retarded people are disabled, just like someone who hasn't walked since birth. Both can contract say a cold, and they become Ill. Both can also contract a mental illness at some point in their life (not from birth, thats where your mixing things up).

A mentally retarded person can have a rewarding emotional life with good relationships. A person with a mental illness can have trouble there when they are experiancing symptoms. A mentally retarded person can live his whole life happy and content, or he could feel depressed at times, or even suffer from severe mentall illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

I told you to be careful.

[Shaolin]

are you insane? calling someone retarded is the most polite way you can!!! thats what the word means!

Firstly Insane is a legal term, it means that someone does not have the capacity to control themselves, as in i could go out and kill someone, did i do it because i wasnt in control of my behaviour, if so, i am insane.

Your right, retardation is a technical term. As once was Idiot, Moron, Flid, Psycho....

It was used so much as the butt in jokes, and now is a word to promote stigma. The term was technically scrapped and replaced with "developmentally disabled". It's a medical term yes, but its not a medical term for an illness.

[<-Dying_to_Live->]

so if i say it were, what are you going to do? reteach me english? redefign the dictionary? no. this is only something you can complain about but never change. so leave it

[Shaolin]

so if i say it were, what are you going to do? reteach me english? redefign the dictionary? no. this is only something you can complain about but never change. so leave it

But i can say you are wrong. Which you are and you claimed to me that i was insulting the learning disabled population, when infact you were, by claiming all of them were mentally ill (have disorders such as depression, schizophrenia etc).

You also insult people by using that term, i don't mind if you do, i don't really care about labels i just think if there are labels, atleast use them appropriatly because they apply to alot of people.

Oh and cosmos, im sorry that i am right and you are wrong. :)

[<-Dying_to_Live->]

mentally ill does not mean they have disorders such as depression, schizophrenia etc. i use that term to mean they are "learning impaired" as you like to call it.

[Shaolin]

mentally ill does not mean they have disorders such as depression, schizophrenia etc. i use that term to mean they are "learning impaired" as you like to call it.

Well, you are using the term incorrectly as i originally pointed out, and you were quick to say i was offending the retarded population.

So what do you call people with Mental Illnesses or Psychatric Disorders? Crazy? Insane? Stupid? Schiz? Psycho? MURDERER?

[<-Dying_to_Live->]

no, i call them mentally ill you stupid fool. all im saying is that i also use the term to include mentally retarded people. god. fool. with 18 posts, it really doesnt look like anyone gives a shit but you.

[boognish]

cosmos....are mentally challenged? cause i read his post, and it seems that he in no way shape or form insulted any mentally challenged personts. your flagrent disregard for the "plotically correct" term shows that you sir are insulting mentally challenged persons. also cosmos he clearly stated that mentally illnesses are contracted. mentaly challeneged people are born that way. or if they become that way from stroke, the mental disability is ussually permenent. an illness is treatable. how is mental disability able to be treated? huh? no it cant.

shaolin, back to your question, i think that most of this is made up. yes some people might have some things, but why is it happening now? why are people caring now? back in the 1910's people were probly acting like this, no one cared, why? everyone was like that. its just that now a days everyone is out to laugh at eachother. or get a bigger sickness. "so jon i found out today that im bi polar." "wow jim, i found out im scizo and manic depressive" so after this convo, to one up his friend jon will develop belimia and other things like that and eventually commit suicide since the drugs he was taking for his "diseases" were to much for his actuall heathy body

[<-Dying_to_Live->]

i dont understand where your going with that last part. are you suggesting that modern medicine kills more people than it helps?

[boognish]

for some people, yes. the anit depressents that cause people to commit suicide arnt cause the pill is bad, its cause that person didnt have that problem. have you ever heard of hypocondria? sp?
but when some one thinks whole heartedly that they have a sickness they might start showing signs of that sickness, the might not have it, but they look like and act like they do

[<-Dying_to_Live->]

ok ok i understand what your saying its clear now thanks. ;)

[Shaolin]

Boognish you have a good point, psychatry does kill alot of people. Id say not all psychatrists are naturally empathetic, and some people can react badly to that.

However from the early 20th century and before that mentally ill people were tortured - Witchs were infact most delusional and schizophrenic. They got burned for that and drowned.

'Insane Asylums' just kept all people who were very disturbed, locked up and tortured and put on show like animals.

However i think it needs to exist because, although mentally ill people are not as violent as the general population, some individuals who are mentally ill are at high risk of commiting a violent crime, but only a tiny number. However these are preventable and that's why we have doctors to treat them before it becomes a problem.

Mentally retarded people are not ill, they are not mentally ill. You cannot put htem in the same category because they mean completly different things. A mentally retarded person is disabled, a mentally ill person is ill. A disabled person cannot get better, an ill person can get better.

Although psychatry does save alot of peoples lives.

I believe society creates these mental illnesses through exposure to an environment and things that are in the atmosphere that the human body isnt designed to deal with.

People who are mentally ill, are this way because of their own bodies chemical makeup and societys pressure on them. Some people are more resiliant to stress others are not.

They are highly treatable and people can get better to a state where they feel comfortable about themselves and have a good social life. However the real question is wether mental illness is a natural reaction, and should we fight it off or experiance it fully to learn from it.

[Shaolin]

An interesting study in psychology i read about hte other day.

They experiment was to determine wether psychatrists really had a special ability to tell if someone was genuinly mentally ill or faking it. They made a sample of people get into the mental health system and be admitted into a hospital by faking it, saying they were hearing voices.

They all got into hospital and the doctors suspected many of the patients to be faking an illness, however when they tried to decipher who had a genuine illness they all said real patients!

The mentally ill people in the hospital were the ones who noticed these people were faking their experiances, noticing how they were always writing notes etc.

This shows that psychatrists and psychologists really cant tell the difference between someone who is ill and someone who is. They can very well accuratly diagnose someone, but if the person knows enough about the disease they can fake it.

Only expensive brain scans can shed light on any evidence if they even have a trace of mental illness. Little or too much brain chemicals can mean a mental illness but people who are normal also have these brain structures differences and are not ill.

[boognish]

one guy faked being retarded so that he could grope the female doctors when bathing time came along....it took them a year till they found out

[<-Dying_to_Live->]

im sorry guys, but you can't just redefine a language that has 341,000,000 native speakers, not to mention another 1 billion learners.

Dictionary dot com proves your full of shit.
You should check it out for yourself. But just in case you dont:
http://img13.exs.cx/img13/1695/screenshot0871ny.jpg

[boognish]

i dont get your point......

[<-Dying_to_Live->]

hes trying to prove that mental illness is not what we are suposed to call "mentally retarded" people, even though mentally retarded people fit into every single definition for mentally ill

[boognish]

no.....your thing even says "Any of various conditions characterized by impairment of an individual's normal cognitive....." that would mean that they wernt born mentally challenged but were made that way, and only physical means make someone mentally challlenged, and then they are like that for the rest of their lives

look at it: mental illness/ menatlly challenged

illness means "A disease"
a disease means: an impairment of the normal state of the living animal or plant body or one of its parts that interrupts or modifies the performance of the vital functions

this proves that a mental illness is a temporary disease that interrupts health, will return to normal


mentally challenged: a euphemism for mentally retarded or disabled
mentally retarded:people who are mentally retarded
helpful....lets try disabled: deprived of capability or effectiveness, especially impaired the physical abilities of
lets check deprive: To keep from possessing or enjoying; deny

so therefore mentaly challenged peoples have had the possesion of mind regularity impaired. permently

where as a illness is fixable. mental retardedness is untreatable.

[<-Dying_to_Live->]

you cant take the words apart and find definitions for them each, and expect it to mean the same thing. like the saying "whats up" if you looked up both words in the dictionary, you still wouldnt understand what the expression meant.

you can't just define illness and apply it to "mental illness", which means different things. tell me how a mentally retarded person doesnt fit into any of the above definitions

[boognish]

mentally challenged: permenant, untreat able
mentally ill: "fixable"

[Shaolin]

Cosmos i suggest you stop now!!!

You are digging yourself into a hole. Mental Illness is a psychatric term, im a psychology student, we have spent a great deal of time defining abnormality in lessons.

There are several different theories.

Biological Model, Cognitive Model, Learning Theory, Psychodynamic model.

This is from Dictionary.com

"mental illness

n : any disease of the mind; the psychological state of someone who has emotional or behavioral problems serious enough to require psychiatric intervention
"

Firstly, it states a 'disease of the mind'. Read boognishs post.

A disease of the mind is something which you contract. No one knows the cause of mental illness, but a strong theory is a biochemical imbalance. A mentally retarded person was born retarded, and is disabled, not diseased or ill.

Someone who was born with no legs, is disabled, not ill. Anyone disabled can also have a mental illness, its actually quite likely they do, because it's very hard to live your life when you are chronically disabled.

Don't tell us we are full of shit. I can understand how you could get the two mixed up, but please. I know your wrong, as a fact. There really is no point debating this issue because you don't even know what mental illness is.

To be honest, you should know what mental illness is, seeing as your on a forum which is all about it!

[Shaolin]

hes trying to prove that mental illness is not what we are suposed to call "mentally retarded" people, even though mentally retarded people fit into every single definition for mentally ill

Whow whow whow!

I just read that statement, particularily the "even though mentally retarded people fit into every single definition for mentally ill".

That's completly incorrect. A mentally retarded person is born with a disability.

A mental illness is an illness that usually first starts in your teenage years. Some theories say they are genetic, others say they are rooted in traumatic events that happened in your childhood.

A mentally retarded person is born like that. They do not have a diagnosis of "Mentally Retarded Disorder" as there is no such thing. Check it up in the DSM-IV if you don't believe me, the manual psychatrists use to diagnose mental illnesses.

Cognitive, Emotional and Behavioural are subjective to the person. All of these things change from person to person, as they grow and mature. People who have disturbances in these areas, but didn't have them before, and they are severe disturbances, are then diagnosed as mentally ill by a trained psychatrist.

People who are born mentally retarded can live a meaning full life. If they have any disturbances during their life, they could be experiancing symptoms of a mental illness.

Here is an example. (excuse the childish names)

Rod is 16, his IQ is 65. He is mentally retarded as his development hasn't reached it's full capacity and it's not very high, in terms of intelligence.

Rod has however a good life. He has a job, a girlfriend and takes part in group activities. He has many friends.

One day Rod was attacked by a kid named Cosmos, cosmos beat him up and shouted retard, spakko, crazy kid and creep at him while he did it.

Police found Rod crying and shaking, rocking back and fourth. He wouldn't speak about anything that happened to him.

A psychatrist gives him a psychoanalysis, and diagnosises him as post traumatic stress disorder, now Rod has to take medication (SSRI's such as Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft..) to treat this mental illness he has now acquired.

The cause of his mental illness is supported by the Psychodynamic Model, a traumatic event has caused him much suffering.

As a result his brain isn't producing as much seretonin as it used to (the happy chemical) and he's feeling depressed, he's also experiancing flashbacks, terrifying vivid memories of the event where Cosmos attacked him, because he was disabled. (Biological Model)

Understand it abit better now? Im a psychology student, and im not trying to offend you or anything, but if anyone knows more about this subject out of me and you Cosmos, it's me.

[<-Dying_to_Live->]

"a mental condition marked primarily by sufficient disorganization of personality, mind, and emotions to seriously impair the normal psychological and often social functioning of the individual"

how does a mentally "disabled/retarded/deficient" person not fall underneath that definition above

[Shaolin]

"a mental condition marked primarily by sufficient disorganization of personality, mind, and emotions to seriously impair the normal psychological and often social functioning of the individual"

how does a mentally "disabled/retarded/deficient" person not fall underneath that definition above

Read my fucking post, before you go around in public telling retarded people they have disorganisation of perosnality, mind and emotions.

They DON't, their perosnality is already formed by the time they are three, as the same is with every human.

Everyone has a different IQ, so by saying that your saying someone with a lower IQ than you is infact retarded.

ALso your saying mentally retarded people (who are mentally healthy) have problems with emotions, personality and cognitive abilities. They are very disabled mentally, but they are not mentally ill.

"sufficient disorganization" implys there had to be organisation in the first place, also by using the word sufficient.

The dicitonary definition is referring to mental illness, all different types of mental illnesses are listed in the DSM-IV (do i have to keep repeating this?) and not one of them is 'mentally retarded'.

So cosmos, if you know so much about psychology and mental illness tell me. If a mentally retarded person is automatically mentally ill, by your definition, does that mean they have 'lost their mind', or never had most of it in the first place?

Define the difference between a mentally ill person and a mentally retarded person. Oh wait, your saying they are the same.

Mentally retarded refers to someone who has their abilities stunted, mentally. Mental Illness refers to THOUSANDS of different disorders, that range from something very common like Depression to something very rare like Disassociative Identity Disorder.

Mentally retarded is not listed under any of those definitions.

Dictionary? Shall i use that same feeble defense, the semantics of english langauge?

Main Entry: re·tard·ed
Pronunciation: ri-'tärd-&d
Function: adjective
: slow or limited in intellectual or emotional development : characterized by mental retardation


Source: Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.


retarded

adj : relatively slow in mental or emotional or physical development; "providing a secure and sometimes happy life for the retarded" [ant: precocious]

Where in that definition does it indicate they are ILL? Just because i am say less organised than you, or less emotional than you, does not mean to say i am retarded. However if i was say hearing voices, i would be ill. The same applys to a mentally retarded person.

Stop supporting an argument you can't win, and ruining my threads.

[nwshc]

For once i support Shaolin.

[boognish]

also, and i keep repeating, mental illnesses are treatable. mental retardation is not treatable. mental illnesses are contracted. mental retadation is a born trait. mental illnesses are diseases. mental retardation is a disability

[Shaolin]

also, and i keep repeating, mental illnesses are treatable. mental retardation is not treatable. mental illnesses are contracted. mental retadation is a born trait. mental illnesses are diseases. mental retardation is a disability

Exactly!

Cosmos i think it's been established that mental illness and mental retardation, or learning difficulties, however it is labelled are completely differnet. IT doesn't matter what words you use, they mean essentially different things.

A slower person/retarded person/learning disabled person is just that. They are still humans who can experiance emotions and brain chemical changes, just like normal people do (and i hate to use the word normal). They can also experiance intense emotions, even those that could (arguably) lead them into a mental illness.

If two people have a child, and both they are both normal, some of their genes can interact badly when they child is formed and this can cause mental retarded, so can alot of complications at pregnancy.

As a result it is unfair to call someone Ill, because it implys they can get better, be treated etc The hard and painful truth is that they can't. They can of course live their life to the fullest potential, and be upstanding members in society. The stigma that these kinds of misconceptions about mentally retarded poeple holds them back.

They can fall ill to a mental illness, a mentally retarded person can be diagnosed with something like depression or schizophrenia (mental illness) but they never were diseases that are part of their disability, they just become a part of their life that some mentally disabled people have to cope with, aswell as the insults and stigma.

You might think they are all too 'unintelligent' to even comprehend what we are talking about. I goto an open access college, there is a whole section devoted to Special Needs, and i see them everyday at college when i walk through the entrance, there are many of them, socialising, having fun laughing smiling joking with normal and special needs people.

Both groups of normal and special needs people can have mental illnesses. Special needs people are not 'mentally ill' but i assume some of them are. Infact id guess they are more likely to be. Why? It's no surprise people are so judging in society, and if anything people are most cold hearted and ruthless to those that are in need the most.

Mentally retarded people don't have to suffer, they can live a forfilling life. So can people with mental illnesses.

Now please let's get back to topic, unless Cosmos has something else to add. Perhaps some scientific data backing up his theory that mentally ill and mentally retarded mean the same thing.

[Shaolin]

Back to the topic.

If mental illnesses are reactions (and usually are first diagnosed during a very stressfull period in life) does this mean that they are healthy reactions to unhealthy situations, and are a learning process. OR does it mean they need to be treated and resisted.

If psychology is completly wrong about hte issue, it could be that resisting these mental illnesses is denying someone a part of who they are meant to be. If a person hears voice, why should that be considered ill.

There are several different criteria for mental illness. Such as Failure to Function Adequatly and Statistical Infrequency.

Just think about Statistical infrequency, that means the behaviour which is define as abnormal isn't as common in society. But just because not everyone hears voices, or has to complete routine everyday to feel normal, does that mean they are abnormal?

Why should something that isn't so common be abnormal. Being a genius isn't considered being mentally ill, however alot of peopl do have that stereotype of the 'mad genius' like Einstein.

SO if being a genius isn't so common in society, should that be a mental illness?

[boognish]

well it depends, if the child grew up d's and e's aand had an iq of 101 and got out of college and became a bum. then 5 years later built a time machine retook an iq tes and scored 280 then yes. but your intelligence is usually born with. really smart, really slow, normalish. it can be developed yes, but treated? how would you treat that illness? watching toons for 3 months straight? well then sign me up. but i agree that illnesses should be let to go their course, unless the illness makes the person a threat. like the voices. if its having a convo with them or helping them with their home work what ever. that voice should not be killed, if a child developed scizophrenia and started hearing voices, and was put on meds and the voice died, that child might slip in depression similar to if a child lost his parents before his very eyes. or the child will develop more dangerous peoples to help bring back the old friend. most children i think go through scizophrenia, i.e. imaginary friends. but like kids, adults should be able to have these friends as much. to the child the voice is a person, a soul, not a chemical inbalance. therefore to the child or person when the meds take effect and kill the voice you the doctor just killed his/her best friend. but like is said if the voice is dangerous, kill it and help the child. if the child was tramatized by the voice getting rid of it might stop the creation of more and more social and mental problems. class is ending soon. got to end here

[Shaolin]

Boognish you brought up a very very good point, the anti-psychatry movement led by RD Laing, a very very influencial psychologist, came up with the theory (along with Thomas Szasc) that Schizophrenia is part of developing someones identity.

The theory is something like, schizophrenia (and psychosis) is caused by a percieved "lose lose situation" such as no alternative, or escape. The minds reaction is that the identity of hte perosn was not strong enough to cope, so it trys to a form a new one.

Dreams tell us our desires, and dreams are very similiar to hallucinations. Having a dream about falling can say indicate someone is facing a losing situation. In comparison, a schizophrenic who hears voices, that tells him or her ot kill themself, is subconsciously wanting to kill themselves because their life has led them to a dead end. However some hallucinations turn into bizarre delusions, like aliens and paranoia - Sound familiar to dreams? The content is often bizarre in dreams, just as they are in hallucinations.

SO if people do have hallucinations and they are very common (not everyone who has hallucinations goes psychotic, or schizophrenic) - then that might indicate that they are a healthy 'wake up' call.

The person has faced a terrible situation and can't get out, the voices are the guide. Commonly hallucinations tell people to kill themselves, and alot of schizophrenic people do, that is one way out of a no win situation.

When people are hospitalised, they are doped full of medication and can barely remember to take their medication, let alone comprehend what the hallucinations are trying to indicate.

If someone faces hallucinations that are paranoid, perhaps this person has spent most of their life in fear, and this is a wake up call to start not fearing hte world.

The real world had become too hard to bear (and saddly this is the case with alot of people - schizophrenic or not) - and as a result they withdraw from friendships, and create a world of their own.

Now is psychatry heliping this situation, or turning it into a more 'managable' one. Afterall Anti-Psychotic medication, is otherwise known as 'heavy tranquilisers'

Anyway i find it to be a very interesting subject, and not alot is known about this mysterious illness that effects alot of people, and alot of people have suffered from it, and alot of people have put it too good use (for example John Nash)

[Shaolin]

What you were saying about imaginary friends is also quite interesting.

As a content for a hallucination (in my theory, an internal desire expressed odly in the conscious world, when it should be in a dream) - having imaginary friends could infact be a 'wake up' call to a schizophrenic, that they subconsciously want friends, but turned their back on them. Almost all cases of schizophrenia, start off with the person experiancing withdrawl from society.

Just pondering but - How many of you think Schizophrenia is a split personality? If you don't please don't say! (I might make a thread about this)

[Anonymous]

mental retardation is real. its definately not fake.

[Shaolin]

mental retardation is real. its definately not fake.

Excellent work there Sherlock, you've just said what everyone has been saying, even Cosmos.

[Anonymous]

i know, i just wanted to have a say so, SMART ASS!!!!

[Shaolin]

Please calm down, i've never done anything to delliberatly insult you.

You did state the obvious though, of course it's real. We can see it and they can feel it.

[<-Dying_to_Live->]

so who cares if he says it?

[Shaolin]

so who cares if he says it?

No one, except he got offended by my joke. Calling him sherlock was a joke, because hte hwole thread has been huge posts about silly semantics of language, and he comes along and says "mental retarded is definatly real, its not fake".

Like we didn't know, or "excellent work sherlock" or state the obvious.

[boognish]

we finally got into a discussion and bam. an interupption