Common mental disorders

Do you have a moral responsibility to try and understand them?

 

I dont really understand the question...

 

I think I mean do you feel that each individual should kind of see it as a duty to know a little about people with mental health problems, especially those considered to make a person "criminally insane", or do you feel happy to leave all judgement on the matter to the authorities or psychiatrists and to not personally have a clue about what caused that person's behaviour?

 

I think that ''mental disorders'' is a term used way too loosely nowadays and that if we looked hard enough, we could ALL be diagnosed with ''mental disorders'', so no I don't think that we should all learn the DSM-IV by heart, but I do think that being more compassionate and comunderstanding is always good.

 

The most common mental disorder is confusion and I don't think it can be understood.

 

the world is so fucked up today that the norm is to have a disorder...its the orderly people who are the minority now

 

The impact that mental illness has on society seems reason enough for aware and engaged people to at least understand the basics of the most common types of mental illness. Either compassion or curiosity would drive most people into some basic understanding of how symptoms present and what one might expect from an affected person.

 

One in 5 of us has a mental illness. Yes I think we should strive to understand the most common ones. Given those stats, if you have a family of 5 or more then one in our families is bound to get something. Depression is the most common I think. Knowing the basics could help those in need.

 

I am mentally ill. I don't expect everyone to understand my disorders but I do expect to be treated with the same respect that everyone else deserves. People just need to be NICE to each other and if they have to, agree to disagree and let it be. It's as simple as that, isn't it? It should be! But my opinion rarely seems to matter because after all, I'm mentally ill...

 

Ironically, today was my last day of my mental health clinical rotation. I've always had a basic level of compassion for them, but I admittedly thought it would be terribly frustrating to work with them. However, my clinical experience has made me realize just how bad these people have it with regards to how society treats them--even if they're not homeless, as many are. I have a lot more compassion for them now, and I really wish the general public was made more aware. I think psychology should be mandatory in high school.

 

I think that the same standards apply to this as anything else. Those with the desire to be educated and understanding of the world will seek out knowledge and understanding. The rest will live in ignorance.

Personally speaking, my knowledge of mental disorders has actually caused me to be a bit hard towards people with mental disorders that throw them around like its some kind of excuse.

I have sympathy for people with mental illnesses. I think mental disorders are, for the most part, bullshit. I say this as someone who went through clinical depression for two years, who could easily be diagnosed with general anxiety disorder if I ever sought treatment, and who has turned ADHD into a creative process.

Sometimes understanding a disorder doesn't always lead to understanding and compassion for the person with the disorder.

 

Only as much as they expect others to do the same for them.

Unless its been changed, I'm pretty sure the saying is "Walk a mile in anothers shoes" not "walk a mile in anothers shoes if you think they are sane".

 

exactly!!!

:sunny:

 

Maybe something more like tolerance, not understanding.
I personally find most mental and some physical disorders highly interesting

 

My first wife used to work at a mentally handicapped home.

The word "retard" went out of my vocabulary pretty quickly. That and understanding and compassion for others that I used to feel uncomfortable around... Well I still feel uncomfortable around them, but I understand them.

 

No.

I think it behooves reasonable people to be compassionate towards others if they have developmental problems, but I don't think more than a cursory knowledge of them is necessary to have that compassion.

I'm sure there are some I don't know anything about. Like Fregoli Delusion. That's apparently when you believe different people are in fact a single person who are in disguise.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fregoli_delusion

 

yeah dude, each brain is different...Its crazy as hell

 

as somebody with an schizoaffective disorder i am more understanding and show a little more compassion toward that person then the normal average joe

 

this has got to be thread of the year ;p
i agree completely with Meliai...its all in the head man, youre fine

 

With this comes the erroneous assumption that anything in your head is incapable of causing your harm, while only things 'outside' are capable of harming you.