The medication stigma is based on basically magic thinking: That medicine is alien, external, unnatural while the human body is pure and natural. Therefore any difference between medicated and unmedicated is artificial and caused by the medicine.
No, the body is fucking dropping terror chemicals in my bloodstream. It is changing my personality from easygoing and outgoing to snippy and reclusive. The body is malfunctioning and changing my personality for the worse.
The medicine is reducing the amount and effectiveness of the body’s excess of terror chemicals. It restores normality.
theres also the possibility that life today is truly a terrible situation for many, and your body refuses to lie to itself.
and its way better than it usually has been.
hugs you
I know this doesn’t change what your body is doing to you, but I hope it at least makes you feel loved.
Thanks, friend! I’m all in all in a consistent good place and living a very active functional life, but it’s 30% medication, 30% being stubbornly careful of what I let into my head, and 40% luck.
But no one thinks the same about statins, for example
It’s not medication, it’s medication that addresses mental illness
Nah, I ran into it going on thyroid hormones too. My parents had a couple church friends that were absolutely adamant that I needed to take the ‘natural’ desiccated pig thyroid instead of the ‘unnatural’ synthetic thyroid hormones. Their faith said that their god doesn’t make mistakes, that either he wants you to have this condition, or he’s provided a perfect natural remedy, so synthetic medicines existing is hubris.
It’s more common with mental health meds, but it’s not like there’s a law saying it’s the only meds people can be shitty about.
“Don’t you think that eating healthy food every days is changing you from who you really are?”
munches on bacon flavored doritos judgingly
For me, I have a stigma to medication because the side effects are terrifying. I almost died from SSRIs, I got very ill and also suicidal. On benzos, I got paradoxically anxious and angry after cessation/when I wasn’t taking them (I am not an angry person). I took them as prescribed - always.
I only got more and more unstable after taking various psychiatric drugs, and everyone in my family who has taken psychiatric drugs was not better off for it. Seems like suicidal ideation is a common reaction for those in my family. Perhaps there is a genetic cause for it, like how we metabolize drugs.
I don’t know a single person in my life who has had a good experience, but if you or someone you know has had a good experience, I’m happy for you. It’s just unfair to say it’s magical thinking when there are real life reasons why people are hesitant.
Generally agree but nr 4 pushes the stigma aspect. You should not be needing to take mental health medication every day just because you need to slave for some rich dick.
If you are free of stressing components like a toxic workplace, toxic friends, social pressure and alienation and still feel like you need chemical help and/or you literally have hallucinations, then you should medicate. Currently the vast majority is medicating (anecdotal) to cope with the shithole we live in.
I medicate because otherwise I’d get nothing done. And that’s not just work related, I mean my own personal projects and hobbies.
I used to think I could get by without, but as I turned 30 and was still procrastinating 90% of my free time away despite me desperately wanting to do something and that in turn also affecting my personal relationships. I needed to go sell help for medication. Even though I wasn’t hallucinating.
And thats totally fine. I didnt say dont use medication. I said stop the stigma.
Fair
You could also look at it like, you were conditioned to think that procrastinating/being unproductive is a bad thing. In the end, it could be that the things you do while procrastinating are the things you actually want, and the other stuff is just stuff that you think you’re supposed to do.
Of course, you know yourself best. But for me, once I started seeing the procrastination activities as the actual activities I want to do, I really just stopped doing most of the other stuff, and now I’m entirely unproductive, not doing anything much, and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.
In the end, it could be that the things you do while procrastinating are the things you actually want, and the other stuff is just stuff that you think you’re supposed to do.
It depends very heavily on what one does while procrastinating and whether I feel like I am avoiding doing the thing that I want/should be doing and how I feel about it afterwards. If I choose to play games instead of cleaning, that doesn’t even feel like procrastination for me, it was just choosing something else.
But if I’m choosing something else just to avoid doing the other thing then it feels like procrastination. Right now I’m procrastinating by making this post instead of replying to something I don’t want to deal with. That is different than when I choose to browse and post instead of cleaning if I just feel like browsing more than cleaning. That’s just prioritizing.
Ugh, I should really stop procrastinating and deal with that other thing. Maybe I’ll procrastinate some more by cleaning instead of dealing with that thing…
True. What happens if you don’t do the other thing you’re avoiding right now?
The problem gets worse as more and more people overreact to a misunderstanding. I did take care of it shortly after posting.
If the thing I am avoiding doesn’t have negative consequences then I don’t feel like avoiding it is procrastination, just choosing something else. That is the difference for me.
For example, avoiding cleaning is only procrastination if there is a negative consequence like mold buildup or it causes issues my sinuses to have a fit from excess dust. Or if being disorganized hinders my ability to do the things I want. For me, procrastination isn’t defined by someone else.
Nah i have loads of things i want to do do, personal programming projects, woodworking, DIY but instead I would just watch YouTube and play games because they were easier
I genereally agree, but I feel some nuance is missing: That is assuming a “harmful” environment is total toxicity and something you can just leave with no ill effects.
Sometimes the environment that hurts you is normal-ish and even “nice”, but you personally are sensitive to some aspects of it, making it exhausting. It gives you purpose and happiness and you may not want to leave it.
Sometimes you have to stick to a harsh job because you have responsibilities. I’d rather take reasonably harmless medicine like melatonin and beta blockers to reduce the effects of stress and have a fulfilling life raising and supporting my kids, than saying “Work and life makes dad sad. I need to move to Spain and be a bartender at a beach. Sorry kids, I’m sure someone will find you a foster home bye.”
Sure, nuance all day. I agree that i havent pointed out every aspect but as you said, the general point is valid.
Sounds like daddy needs a workers revolution.
That was essentially my point.
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Thats not what I said but okay. I even put a marker on my text that it was anecdotal. Cant help there I think.
A LOT of people suffer from society and the pile of shit we’re turning the world into. A LOT of people who do suffer dont even understand they do. And of course some people have no other choice but my point was that a lot (in my experience) dont even entertain the thought.
Thanks, I got confused on what both the comic and you were saying!
It’s not comparable. Whenever I see these posts, it always feels as if the author is suggesting that mental illness is just like a flu, you just get it accidentally and can’t help it and you just need to rest to get over it.
But that is completely wrong. Unless you have developed schizophrenia or bipolar etc, that’s a whole different kettle of fish which will likely require medication for the rest of your life. You need to help yourself out of depression and anxiety etc. You can’t wait around for it to disappear, you need to see a therapist, take your ass outside and force yourself into uncomfortable situations.
You’ll have days you can’t do anything and that’s completely okay. But I feel like the ‘nurturing’ of mental health can do some harm.
I feel you might be missing the joke, from my interpretation of it you are in agreement.
My read is that it is implying that mental illness are real diseases, but they’re treated like you should just get over them, which would be ridiculous if you were bleeding out, but since they aren’t usually visible people will just tell you that you should just be better.
See Soteria Houses. Schizophrenia or psychosis is not always a permanent state that requires medication for the rest of the patient’s life. Soteria Houses achieve remission in individuals with little to no psychiatric medication. They use antipsychotics for stabilization, in controlled doses, and usually (to the best of my knowledge) only for a few months - though every case is different.
Okay, see ‘likely’.
If you have a physical illness you go to physical therapy, so if you have a mental illness you should go to mental therapy.
Agoraphobia is a really fun one. “Just go outside! You’ll feel better if you hang out with people!” I’d love to! I’d love for my brain to not put up a great big roadblock that says “you are not going to be able to go into Walmart” or “you cannot complete that piece of paperwork.” That’s the problem I have. If it was as simple as just doing the thing, I’d be doing the thing.
Where’s the sports ball coach saying “walk it off” to a person with no legs?
If you say ‘mental illness’ 3 times in the mirror, someone with a Live Laugh Love t-shirt will appear behind you and ask if you’ve tried going outside.
Haha brilliant 😄
I agree with the message but its not entirely true becsuse once you treat the gaping wound, going on walks and just basic physical activity actually helps. It sounds stupid but touching grass is one of the best things you can do when youre in a bad place. Also this one adresses like one of the slides, the rest is bullshit people constantly tell eachother. Actually looking at the person on a deeper level and not just the surface helps a lot. What doesnt help is most people depressed nowadays arent depressed from some personal thing but from the cold hard truth that the world is a horrible place thats falling apart.
Who is going to tell them?
(I have seen a few of these very examples.)
Especially the first one
Yeah, that would be weird. Except physical illnesses and mental illnesses are not exactly the same.
The difference is that when you’re physically sick, there usually isn’t much you can do to help yourself, but there’s a lot you can do about many mental illnesses. I’m not saying it’s easy or that mentally ill people don’t need support and care, but these are not comparable.
That’s exactly what I’m saying. I don’t agree with the comic.
Welcome to the Netherlands…
Just take a paracetamol
Awful cropping
Thanks Ive changed it
People act this way because they know how cold and callous the world is. No one cares if you have a mental disorder or psychological difficulties and if you are unable to hold down a job your future will take place living in the street. It is a harsh and brutal reality. Good luck.
I care, and I know a lot of other people do as well.
Caring is something you do not something you feel. What exactly do you do to help them?
Well considering that a lot of people suffering are experiencing economic problems in my country or problems with their environment; like not being able to receive health care and suffering from treatable physical illness, not being able to get out of sticky situations with abusive people or dynamics, having employment issues, or being homeless/in debt and so forth - I can’t exactly give them a place to live or give them money because I really have none to give.
In those cases, what can I personally do for them? Of course I can listen, I can give solicited advice, and I can point them to the resources they have access to.
I advocate for those resources to be more accessible for all. Health-allowing, I want to volunteer my time and become more politically active.
So you are saying that you go to homeless camps and explain to them what resources are available to them and personally assist them with applying for those resources?
Considering that I have volunteered my time to help and feed the homeless when I was healthy, and have volunteered a significant amount of time in my life, I’d be willing to if I had an organization alongside me.
Why do you feel the need to purity test me?
None of this has anything to do with our conversation and I have no tests for you. I hope you the best and good luck.
Hope probably requires action too, otherwise nothing backs it up and grounds it into reality.
Thanks for chatting, sorry it wasn’t worthwhile for you - it was worth it for me.
I’ll keep working on myself, and when I am the shining beacon that even you could stand beside, maybe we could have another chat about caring and action.
Oh I’m sorry i misread your response. You’re saying you don’t do anything to help them but you want to seem like you do. That you’re a fake ass poser, pretending to care in some virtue signaling fraud so others will think favorably of you even though you haven’t actually done anything to deserve it. Now I understand. Like I said at the start of this waste of time of a conversation, the vast majority of people don’t care.
You’re saying you don’t do anything to help them but you want to seem like you do.
I am not doing well. It’s not an excuse and it doesn’t make me lesser. I am working to be healthy. You are free to perceive reality however you wish, I choose to believe the world is a friendly place. If I was healthy, I would be able to do more for myself as well as others.
I have experienced some pretty terrible things. I know very well that life can be unkind, but I still persevere and I’m working towards healing. Thanks for your feedback, not everybody is the saint you expect them to be, but it doesn’t make them lesser or bad.
Yeah definitely feel like at least in America we treat physical illness that way a lot of the time too
