I think it is better not to judge in general. You never really know unless you are maybe aware of that person's state of mind and how they think and work, but even then... someone who is a trained medical professional may be able to see things you can't and they are the ones properly equipped to fully handle the symptoms.

In general, actual proven medical cases seriously should be brought into light and society loves to make things a 'sensation'... really, it's about awareness for diseases that are shurked off. The pill popper part of culture has been around for a while now and is a separate issue I think... however, I would say the pill popping does almost certainly increase cases in which treatment is not thoroughly explored or misdiagnoses occur because doctors believe in only medicating away the symptoms.

I was in church for Easter when a family came and sat in front of us. Their kid was totally out of control. Most people's inclination would be to judge, criticize, humiliate the family... but the whole time, no amount of parenting, as much as they tried to talk 1-1 on with him was working and he was just cognitively unaware of the significance of anything told to him or going on around him. It was like he was in his own world and his cognitive and social processes were sped up x 1000. Clearly they were overwhelmed and I felt bad for the mother who looked understandably worn and overwhelmed and she could not focus on the service for even a second without him interrupting with something. I don't really believe in medicating away problems, but I think in some cases the counter-stigma that is created by the thought we are over-medicating our kids might've actually stop some people from seeking treatment... I don't believe in medication and it's heart-breaking to want to admit maybe something is wrong with your child mentally, but I think they were completely overwhelmed and the parent's attempts to solve it as if it were a behavioral issue saddened me because clearly it was not working at all.

For myself, I have a chronic pain syndrome that took me 7 1/2 years to get diagnosed. Believe me, I had plenty of doctors who tried to medicate my issue away instead of actually helping me. Actually, haha--a funny thing... the doctor who let me go on 3 months with a serious infection without treating me kept trying to diagnose me with depression though she was not a therapist. I kept telling her I was in so much pain and having problems and she kept shrugging it off and asking me all kinds of personal/mental stuff that was generally not her business. My grandmother had to threaten them to get my records pulled so I could go to a legitimate doctor. She was a quack I think. It was a nightmare and for most of those years I went home with every excuse you could think of just generally ignoring the problem, because the doctor(s) had no explanation and myself and my family was in denial anything was wrong. I have worse problems now as some things have progressed, so it's not ignorable anymore anyway. However, I was finally diagnosed in '06, and it has been interesting road in life up until now...

So even despite all that crap, really I have more reason to be angry about 'depression' being overdiagnosed than any, but I still just think... there are always two sides to the coin. As much as the negative side effects of our culture are "annoying", how often does that effect the average person? It's understandable if you have met someone who has had a problem you thought legitimately was misdiagnosed, but it shouldn't go against the grain of helping those who legitimately have the disease. It does also in some ways help bring to light some other diseases that otherwise may go unnoticed because we are taking those situations more seriously.

I was part of a research program for my issues and my grandfather's side (also I carry it) carries a gene that develops another rare disease that also my mother, my and my grandfather who are disabled with also participate regularly in research for a cure. I know first hand doctors and modern medicine is not perfect--and that there are still many diseases that need more  awareness to get proper funding and research for them. For every "unnecessary" diagnosis, you have a disease that is getting more and more attention and funding to research that will help those who are legitimately sick in the longrun. So for me, it's the tradeoffs of the realities of life. That is just life in general. Society is not perfect, but I'm glad for the awareness the diseas(es) are getting as a result of the "pandemic" mentality that is probably more overblown in the media far more than there is an actual pandemic.

And you have zero idea what you're talking about.  You have no idea how your emotions being off can make every day difficult.  Getting it together takes willpower, and depression can sap that from you.  You have no motivation, because you don't feel happy, you don't feel hopeful, you don't feel like you can or will go anywhere, even if you try.  Depression isn't an excuse for somebody's life falling apart, it's a REASON for it.  Getting back on your feet is important to overcoming depression but simply saying things like "snap out of it" or "grow up and deal with it" will not help a person who is legitimately depressed.  So do not try that, It will not help, it will only do harm.

Human emotions have a base line, what you feel when you have nothing else to fee.  Ideally, this is happy, or content.  Depression happens when a person should feel those, but instead feels sad, anxious or angry.  I had an anxiety problem that led to depression.  I buried my emotions because if I didn't, I was crippled by anxiety.  Anxiety over nothing.  For no reason.  It was simply what I felt, with no triggers or stresses or anything to make me feel that way.  I played WoW and other games for hours on end, doing nothing, running in circles, reading chat, for no reason other than to focus on something, anything, other than what I was feeling.  I didn't even realize why I was doing it.  I had to push my feeling away, because I wasn't capable of feeling positive feelings. If I opened myself up to feel something, all I felt was bad.  Nothing could make me feel good, only distract me for a moment.  The anxiety was always there, I couldn't will it away or think happy thoughts.

I couldn't hold a job - the anxiety would build up to the point I couldn't function.  I had trouble in school, I would throw and break things, skip classes because I was too angry to do anything.  One time I couldn't find a parking spot for class, so I drove three hours away, missing work, so I wouldn't have to deal with what I was feeling - that's CRAZY but that's what messed up emotions can do to you.  Making mountains out of molehills wasn't my choice - I didn't even realize what was wrong with me.  When I began to figure it out (with help) I was able to manage better, but what really helped was medication that took the anxiety away.  When I first started taking it...I found that I could relax.  I could RELAX.  I hadn't even realized it, but I was absolutely incapable of relaxation for YEARS.  Relaxation is critical to being a functional person, and I couldn't do it at all!

Every day was a battle against my feelings, and I was losing.  I was not in control, no matter how I wanted to be, and that drove me crazy.  To the point that I considered doing drastic things (not suicide, I don't consider that a viable option) and DID drastic things just to...well I guess to communicate how I felt, but I never felt like anyone ever understood how I felt.  It's very difficult to understand, unless you've experienced it. Many people, like the person I have quoted, don't even try to understand.

I'm not 100% today.  I still have random spikes of anxiety and depression, but it's not crippling, and it's usually triggered by something and I know what and why.  I can deal with it now.  Sometimes I still have random bursts of intense anxiety over silly thoughs like "who was the 3rd president of the U.S?" but they are short-lived and go away after a few seconds.  I still tend to bury my emotions because I'm afraid of what I might feel.  But I'm improved from where I once was.  In my case, medication was the answer.  I had constant, persistent, invasive anxiety that was out of my control, and now I do not.  I am, once again, in control.

So I do get upset when people believe that depression is a lie, an excuse, or "all in your head."  Because when people believe that, it hinders the progress of those who are depressed.  It holds them back, makes them hide their depression instead of seeking help.  It makes them feel worse for being stigmatized and feeling like nobody can undertand what they feel.  You just make the world a worse place when dismiss mental illness.

I agree with this completely. Situations most of the time are just not that black and white and there is always more than meets the eye. If you are dealing with a life situation, especially with other people involved, there should always be some amount of empathy anyway no matter how much a person annoys or frustrates you. You do not have the information to set them straight on their path and to 'prove' their illness is 'fake' anyway. That is why they are seeking help. Generally getting angry or becoming passive aggressive towards someone because you think they are using a diagnosis as something of an excuse will not improve the situation.

If I am dealing with a person with a immaturity issue and that person shows no effort and has lack of desire to get a job done, then that can be pointed out and addressed if it's job related... but trying to tell people their illness is fake or how to run their lives is not really our place, because that is for a medical professional to help them and for them to solve by themselves.

I separate the personal issues from the general business being done when it comes to work. Just like I don't want people to pre-judge me, I do not pre-judge them. The thing is, if you have a medical problem that may cause problems at work, you just have to handle that as best as you can in your own time... this is hard sometimes because some people bring their personal life issues into the job even though it's not a good idea. However, if a job is not getting done and it's been pointed out and documented, then they need to seek treatment for their illness if it is interfering that badly with work. People can only create reasonable accomodations for others, but bullying and treating that person as they are faking it is unnecessary. I didn't like the stress that was created when my employers were taking me aside for missing work too much due to my health problems, but I understood their position and that it was strictly business....

Antagonizing the situation because you have an opinion wouldn't help anything. If it's a friend who you believe is using this as a reason for not being a good friend, then it's even more pointless to do so and then just don't associate with that person and let them go on with their life rather than create drama... there's no reason to punish somebody else because you have a pre-judgement about mental illness diagnoses in society. That's why I prefer no-nonsense, reserve your judgement ahead of time approach... I don't have to totally believe anything a person ever says, but if it's not justified, then don't put more on their plate than they already have if they are having a maturity/psychological issue. Clearly, if you don't have a mental problem and can't relate, you can't tell the other person how to go about solving their issue anyway...

and you = universal you/everyone, nobody specific. I have a tendency to write that way and I need to be careful about that habit...

I beleive you both are correct. You speak with a doctor and advise them of any little symptom (especially walk in clinics) and they are ready to prescribe you an assortment of anti depressents. Then there are the attention seekers who now put on the act of being over depressed or fake schizophrenic symptoms in order for people to feel bad because their on medication without realizing the real damage they are doing.

Our water is seriously contaminated  and I would state that those who drink unfiltered tap water over long periods of time will probably develop anxiety/depression disorders,etc due to drugs in the water, high contents of heavy metal and the controversial flouride (which is a whole other subject). That is why I own a berkey water filtration system with the flouride filter.

though there will obviously be people faking systems, and doctors misdiagnosing, etc. 

it's extremely naive to think that these things don't exist, and drugs don't work and all doctors are complete hacks. That trials comparing things to placebo are completely falsefied

 A lot of the drugs that deal with bipolar have severe side affects, and other things like schizophrenia where you have to get your blood drawn frequently have severe risks, A lot of the drugs that studiesshow  combat it most effectively cause Tardive Dyskinesia, valproic acid which can shutdown liver etc. So it's not necessarily sunshine and rainbows. These aren't drugs like Xanax, Ambien, etc (which have they're uses. But, have a recreational capability and thus it has people faking things seeking it).

I mean I guess technically someone could be like ZOMG look what I have to go through, feel sorry for me, etc. but that issue is a personality trait, not anything to do with being bipolar. Bipolar does not make you an imbecile.

A funny thing is, whenever somebody finds out in my life they're like "you don't act bipolar". That's the point and it's not something some of the people I know that are bipolar try to advertise, especially with the negative perception it has.

Obviously if they're someone close to you they're going to notice when things aren't necessarily right. But, even then it doesn't give you a license to act like a dick. Nothing does, unless ofcourse you want to act like a dick.

I agree with this. I was told I was bipolar and depressed as a kid. I  went through the whole taking anti-depression medication thing.  None of the medication was really effective. As a kid,I half-heartedly tried to commit sucide several times,but as an adult,I've learned not to act on my feelings. I still don't really care about my life,one way are the other,but it's all about just going through the motions with me. The one thing that keeps me going,is wanting to see my sister's kids grown up. I think a better question would be. Is autisim the greatest epidemic of our time? I tend to hear about that way more. 

Here in the states I feel like most most people are over medicated. I dont want to take any drugs ever and refuse to get flu shots and I dont get the flu anymore than someone that had the shots. I take Vitamins and eat right to combat illness.

My fiance had to pick up an anti biotic one time from a pharmacy and the line of people to pick up drugs on a Sat. was insane to me. I started thinking this is exactly what the drug companies want. Every person on multiple drugs some to cure just side effects from the other drugs they take.

I hear commercials on the radio for a drug that is supposed to help you feel less tired if you work a night shift and one of the side effects is trouble sleeping WTF

I agree with some of the comments in this thread about children now growing up on medication than as adults wanting some kind of drug for every little thing.

Also one issue somewhat related is I'm seeing kids 4 and 5 years old now wanting to use hand sanitazer. When I was a kid I rolled around in the dirt stuff little kids are supposed to do. Kids need germs it builds the immune system and now in this culture people are scared of germs and it causes kids to be sicker as adults and creates super bugs that are immune to sanitizers and antibiotics. The stuff kills 99.9 % of germs that .1% lives on and grows and and becomes a super bug.

I think in general society now not just this debate people are more scared of stuff then they ever were in the past. Probably because of the media which IMO causes people to want guns to protect themselves from perceived threats and drugs because docs say it will make them feel better and sanitizer to kill all germs that might make you sick.

Good Thread

I was bipolar too. You dont need any medication. 

It is basically an inbalance between the mental and the physical plane.

You need to ground your energies. Do sports, go into nature, balance and allow your energies to flow.

prof, do you actually think that 40% of Americans have these disorders? I completely believe they are real, but I think most are misdiagnosed and given prescriptions out of laziness, greediness (or both) of bad doctors.

People really try to find things to blame their problems on and it's a super easy scapegoat.

Yes i'll do that the next time i'm seeing things, thinking about running my head into walls or getting on ebay and trying to buy things, i'll go "do sports, balance my energies".