The Disorders and Character Flaws Thread

[Freebase Dali]

Originally Posted by jackhammer

I do think that many many people 'assume' disorders instead of facing up to the real world.


Again. I will not negate genuine Mental disorders out of hand but even 50 years ago many were unheard of.

I have been through tons of **** in my life but I will not hide behind a medical term in order for me to function unless it directly impacts upon my life.

There are so many people out there messed up and I feel for them but there are many too who are just down and lack purpose. Life is a crock people. We all have to deal with it.

I agree in the sense that there are people who tend to use the guise of sickness as a crutch for not being able to cope with life, but if it's actually a physical/chemical problem, there's really not much that can be done about it by will alone. I know you realize that, but you bring up a very interesting question with the statement "even 50 years ago many were unheard of"...
I'm sure you recognize something like paranoid schizophrenia as being an actual disorder. But before it was studied and confirmed as a disorder, I'm pretty sure people thought sufferers were inflicted with demons or something equally ridiculous. The point being, with the changing times, our knowledge grows (or at least changes) and our perspectives will follow suit. While it's convenient to place a solution at the door of issues we try to compartmentalize in the absence of proof, it holds no practical value to the people who do believe they're suffering if they actually happen to be suffering.