Pseudo Aplogia to Stamenflicker;Re the Nyth of Depression

[Dancing David]

(To stop derailing Stamen's thread about the onotology of the descriptors applied to mental illness, and because I usualy find Stamen to be a very erudite and funny poster.)

People with mental illness have existed throughout human history and in fact i have mmet some dogs who people would think had an ideal life that have suffered from depression and something that sure looked like catatonia.

What bugs me is the fact that there is a philosophical bais against americans and others aknowledging that menatl illness exists.

Religous: You are not right with god, you should pray more, you are evil.

Puritan secular morals: You are lazy and worthless, just pull yourself up by your boots and get on with it.

Societal values: If people just beat thier kids more this wouldn't happen, it is because we allowed gay marriage that this happened.

American farmer morals: You just got to deal with it, why my brother cut his foot off, and he finished the harvest before he went to the hospital, you don't need no dang medicine, just suck it up.

Family morals: My family member hasn't got a mebntal illness, you aren't helping them enough, it is the medicine that made them sick.


All of these are philosophical values derived from culture and experince and they are based upon one thing, the WOO belief that mental illness is not biologicaly based.

[blutoski]

(To stop derailing Stamen's thread about the onotology of the descriptors applied to mental illness, and because I usualy find Stamen to be a very erudite and funny poster.)

I'm curious about why you think you were derailing the thread? This seems on topic.

[andyandy]

Society is based on empathy - an ability to relate to our neighbors. Perhaps this was the single most important factor in man's evolution....allowing us to form group bonds and paving the way for civilisation.....
and with mental illness, how can one empathize? How can you put yourself in the shoes of a schizophrenic or manic depressant? Without that bond, society is largely unsympathetic.......

The sad truth is that for society it's just easier to ignore mental illness....
Studies consistently show correlations between mental health and homelessness, poverty and with likelihood of incarceration.....

indeed, as soon as you go down the route of examining mental/chemical abnormalities, then damage to the frontal lobe, a lack of serotonin or an excess of testosterone are just three factors which seem to lead to a predisposition to criminal behaviour.....

and what does this all mean? Where does this leave free will? To what extent are we in control of our own thoughts and actions?
It's easier just to brush any considerations of mental health or chemical imbalances under the carpet....

[Dancing David]

Society is based on empathy - an ability to relate to our neighbors. Perhaps this was the single most important factor in man's evolution....allowing us to form group bonds and paving the way for civilisation.....


So true, i believe it to be the only edge of ancestors had, more important than string even, but cooperation does require more than empathy.

and with mental illness, how can one empathize? How can you put yourself in the shoes of a schizophrenic or manic depressant? Without that bond, society is largely unsympathetic.......

One can easily empathize with mental illness, we all know the feelings of despair and hopelessness of depression,
or the terrible angst of anxiety,

but it would be true that bipolar disorder and scizophrenia are harder to ampathise with,
there is a spectrum to bipolar disorder and most likelly schizophrenia.


The sad truth is that for society it's just easier to ignore mental illness....
Studies consistently show correlations between mental health and homelessness, poverty and with likelihood of incarceration.....

indeed, as soon as you go down the route of examining mental/chemical abnormalities, then damage to the frontal lobe, a lack of serotonin or an excess of testosterone are just three factors which seem to lead to a predisposition to criminal behaviour.....

and what does this all mean? Where does this leave free will? To what extent are we in control of our own thoughts and actions?
It's easier just to brush any considerations of mental health or chemical imbalances under the carpet....

I was looking at the denial factors and you have addressed a huge motivator for denial, people are uncomfortable with it and therefore would prefer to ignore it.

There is in traditional societies a real stigma associated with mental illness, in that families will deny that family memebrs sent to the asylum ever existed. Probably an example of the 'pink monkey syndrome' where a group of monkeys or chickens will kill one of thier associates if they are died pink.

But I think it goes back to immaterialism and the 'moral' need that some people have to explain the world in unscientific terms.