Antilia.

[donttread]

You are the one who believes that the idiotic idea that 44 million Americans are suffering from a mental illness is much too low.

Even most psychologists are concerned about what they are calling the epidemic of over diagnosis of mental health disorders. Especially in children.

You don't seem to get my point. I don't know how many people meet the DSM criteria for MI but I know we're all a little bit crazy and most of us function. For a while at least. But men are dying at high rates from things like suicide , sometimes without a diagnosis. That's undiagnosed crazy, and depression. I agree that kids are over diagnosed and diagnosed too young in some cases.
However, MI is as real as physical illness and can be just as deadly.
Your statements lead me to believe, hopefully in error, that you lump all MI into one big category. Do you understand anything about the difference for example between depression, ADD , Borderline Personality disorder and Schizophrenia?
They are as different as lung cancer ( usually caused by addiction) and an ulcer .

[CCitizen]

Your statements lead me to believe, hopefully in error, that you lump all MI into one big category. Do you understand anything about the difference for example between depression, ADD , Borderline Personality disorder and Schizophrenia?

I have Moderate Autism and Moderate Depression. I am not ashamed of my conditions -- I am proud of them.

Many artists and singers had/have Schizophrenia. Some great artists took/take hallucinogens to induce Insanity -- without it Talent may be dull.

[Captdon]

That doesn't mean you have a mental disability. Many people have an aptitude for certain things and can't seem to grasp other subjects. That's life. That's normal.

No it goes far beyond that. It's not a mental disorder at all. It what I am. donttread said it was a mental disorder. He's wrong as usual. I simply see things differently and have to try to translate what I see to what other people see.

I had a job where I needed to determine the time on a job. I could do it by looking at the work but not the papers. I could do in a hour what should have taken a day. I was well-liked for that. I "saw" the way it would go. It's not a talent I developed; it was the way I am.

I can't do math above a 8th grade level, if that. Thank God for calculators.

[Captdon]

Congrats but some people walk around with Pneumonia and some die from it. Disease has degrees , some people are better prepared to cope with it as well whether that be a healthier immune system or a stronger family support system. I meet all the requirements for inattentive ADD myself. I still think it's over diagnosed in kids but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist .
I agree the most mentally ill people are not long term disabled but some are.
What I really hate is when some posters ( I'm not saying you) lump all mental illness together like it's one illness that all people afflicted have to the same degree . So I try to make comparisons to physical illnesses to illustrate my point.
Do you disagree?

I think what is considered a mental illness is ill-defined and over diagnosed. I think it is usually a cop out. I know some people are really disabled mentally and physically. I don't believe it's 44 million. this society couldn't function if that were true. I believe it is done as an excuse for people's failures.
I;m not saying you but if there are fewer mental and physically disabled people a lot of jobs would be lost.