Quote:
Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard
It isn't ignorance it is a difference of opinion. I really don't think that people with mental illness are helpless, I still believe that there is an element of free will to actually receive treatment, to say that there isn't any free will left is a misnomer. I have experience with mental illness, both from a family, personal and professional standpoint by the way, I have a solid understanding of the impact that it can have on the individual - I will say however that people always have a semblance of free will regardless of mental illness. It may be more difficult but people have a choice to pick up the phone, to talk to someone, to get help - to say that someone doesn't have a choice in the matter is in my opinion at least incorrect. People aren't helpless to the mental illness - free will is the essence of being human and I don't think that is lost.
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You do know that a lot of people suffering from mental illnesses don't perceive that they are ill right.
Just like a lot of people with Depression hide their symptoms because of social perceptions of that disease and they believe that it will pass either with time of self medication so they don't believe that they either need to reach out for help or that nobody can help them.
The brain doesn't sit outside of itself look at how it works and the Super-ego doesn't suddenly pop up and scream, your're f$cked up dude(BTW can I get a hell ya for using the term superego?)
Mental illness is framed around perception, the guy who cut off his victims head on the bus went off of medication because he didn't think he was that sick, and when he murdered that boy, it was perfectly normal to do so in his perception at the time.
Its not as easy as expecting a sick person to be able to decide to get help, that's cookie cutter bs psychology.
It usually takes an outside source to realize that a person is in distress and force them to get help.
A person that's hallucinating believes that those hallucinations are normal and part of their perception of their reality. They don't walk up to you and say, dude I think somethings wrong with me because that Dog told me to kill you. They're belief is that the dog did tell him to kill you and that's normal.
I don't want to be super harsh in this thread, but a lot of people are basing their theories of mental illness from the viewpoint of a normal healthy menatl state. being in control at every moment.