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Question:

>Ok…I know this is nitpicky…especially from someone like me…. >But I know that we all see p-docs and such to get diagnosed and for >meds…but this is a PHYSICAL ILLNESS (yes I stress this)…why then is it >still classified as a MENTAL ILLNESS? >Not to belittle this or anything…just seems that if it’s a physical >illness…then it should be given the same satatus as a physical illness >(and take some of the sterotypes, stigma, etc) off it and focus more on what >makes it tick…..

What about epilepsy? What about AIDS? What about sexually transmitted diseases? These are physical illnesses that have strong stigmas attached. Bipolar needs to be classified with other mental illnesses for as long as we continue to need to be treated by Pdocs and Phospitals… ie pretty much long enough for them to work out the biological backgrounds to the other mental illnesses too! I wouldn’t fancy being manic on a general surgery ward, would you? Conversely would you fancy being on a general surgery ward with a few bipolars dotted about for entertainment? Nope, didn’t think so. It would also be medically very inefficient. Would we get much in the way of occupational therapy? Doubt it. Jay H I’ve been Jay H, Empty Cage, Canarybird And in my madder, manic moments, the Crow, the Morrigan or the Phoenix. Right now I’m rather better, so how does Small Phoenix sound to you?

Response:

Jacque — mental illness IS physical illness.  all behavior and thought originates in the brain, a biological, physical organ controlling physical events. nothing you think or do is not biological and physical in origin. the question is:  how best to treat?  with "self-controlled" behavior/thought, or meds or both? what is "psychological"?  Where does "psychological" reside if not the brain?  There is nothing more intractable or more respectable about med-treatable illnesses than those which respond better to self-control efforts of behavior/thought. This dichotomy of "physical/mental" is not useful, i think.  it might be best to just let go of it and get treated. shukoku – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Ok…I know this is nitpicky…especially from someone like me…. >But I know that we all see p-docs and such to get diagnosed and for >meds…but this is a PHYSICAL ILLNESS (yes I stress this)…why then is it >still classified as a MENTAL ILLNESS? >Not to belittle this or anything…just seems that if it’s a physical >illness…then it should be given the same satatus as a physical illness >(and take some of the sterotypes, stigma, etc) off it and focus more on what >makes it tick….. >Jacque Miller >ICQ 10876877

Response:

<Posted and Mailed to Jacque> <Snip Happens!> >Know how you feel…this subject has just been nagging at me the last 3 >weeks since diagnosis and I guess I’m in the *Anger* phase of *grief* over >being diagnosed this way.

I have found that I stay mainly in the Acceptance phase. But from time to time I retrogress to Anger over the fundamental unfairness of it all. Then I must force myself to work my way forward back to Acceptance. >When I had depression, it wasn’t as bad "you might get over it and not have >to be on meds" was the prognosis…

Clinical Depression is no picnic either! But admittedly the outlook is somewhat more optimistic than for BP. >Now, with BP, it’s a whole new ballgame…one where I didn’t write the >rules, or pick the methods of play…just sat down in the middle of the >field and told "play"…..

One thing that makes this "game" so interesting is that without prior notice, your brain can decide to change the rules — and not bother to let you in on them. We are moving targets — with variable speeds. Admittedly difficult to hit. >Jacque Miller >ICQ 10876877

Best wishes from, James Thought for the Day: Acceptance Does Not Mean Acquiescence! — * Since I do not get a complete Newsfeed, I would appreciate receiving * * a copy of any responding posts. Please also indicate if you are      * * posting as well as emailing me. Thanks for helping me out!           *

Response:

Forget about the stigma—-if it was simply a medical/physical illness then insurances would HAVE to PAY for it!!!!!!

Response:

hello! i think the stigma towards ‘mental illness’ is greater than that for any physical illness is mostly because for a physical illness, the person inflicted is ill. for a mental illness, sometimes people are afraid the person might hurt THEM. something that is not understood is of course feared, just as cancer was once feared as the ‘life-ender’ but mental illness is something we dont quite understand and something that might ‘hurt other people’. take aids for example. before, when people thought the virus could be transmitted just by being around the patient, they avoided aids patients the way they avoided someone with mental illness. its all about ‘fear of being hurt’. another factor is that unlike physical illness, it is more difficult to accept that a mental illness is not the person ’s fault. we dont blame a person for getting diabetes but we usually blame a person for being mentally ill – as if the person was too weak or maybe even *wanted* to be ill as ‘an excuse’ for all the weird things the person may be doing. unless they have it in their families or in themselves, most people will continue to have this stigma. sad but true. jane

Response:

Ok…that’s one reason that I can accept for the classification. But it still doesn’t cover the reasoning behind it.  It’s like this: insurance companies spend most of their money on the last 2 weeks of life (or something to that effect..I know it’s at the end of life and I know it’s not that long), and will not spend the money on prevention or education! Prevention and/or education can prevent alot of the problems that the insurance companies see.  Then they can start keeping some of their almighty $ profits that they don’t like parting with. In the case of ‘mental illness’ (as you all well know I hate that lable) this would be covering therapy and p-docs, regular monitoring, hospilization, etc.  If nothing to CYA themselfs in case of lawsuits because of wrongfull death (I’m NOT advacation suicide,etc. for those of you that might construe this as that.  I’m NOT.  But I do relize we live in a sue happy society and we need to stem it…this might be one way). I don’t know…all I want is a fair shake…and that I won’t get if I state that I have this openly in public.  A good portion of us are in proffessions that HELP people…and we’re not that prone to hurt others…we normally hurt ourselfs for the most part. Yes…more rantings from me…this is a sore spot and simple answers are never the right one for a complicated issure.  But ‘neurochemical imbalace’ caused by ‘natural factors outside of the patient’s control’ would seem sufficient to get this out of the closet and out to the general public to educate them that we’re not all psychotic killers or something to that effect…. Jacque Miller ICQ 10876877

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Forget about the stigma—-if it was simply a medical/physical illness then >insurances would HAVE to PAY for it!!!!!! >This is the REAL answer.  I didn’t think that many others had figured >it out. >Roy >47 and still bipolar

Response:

Ok…I know this is nitpicky…especially from someone like me…. But I know that we all see p-docs and such to get diagnosed and for meds…but this is a PHYSICAL ILLNESS (yes I stress this)…why then is it still classified as a MENTAL ILLNESS? Not to belittle this or anything…just seems that if it’s a physical illness…then it should be given the same satatus as a physical illness (and take some of the sterotypes, stigma, etc) off it and focus more on what makes it tick….. Jacque Miller ICQ 10876877

Response:

Alex…that’s part of why I was asking the silly question in the first place. I’m also Asthmatic, morbidly obese, etc.  Don’t care at this point who knows what I am and all that.  But the labeling of ‘Mental Illness’ is a major pain in the rear. If my job found out (only a couple of close freinds at work know that I’m BP and on meds right now), and no matter what our background is (medical…strongly medical.  LPN’s & RN’s)  I know that I’ll get the looks and the scrutiny that being ‘Mentally Ill" would bring. I just feel that we should get the same shake as those that have a purely physical illness that attacks only  an ‘approved’ body system….that’s all.  Not that it’s happend yet, but for so many out there that I’ve read about, and I’ve known in the past…it’s purely unfair  (Well, I should know that ‘fair’ is a dirty 4 letter dirty word just like Mother said it was), that’s all. Jacque Miller ICQ10876877 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >x-no-archive: yes > But I know that we all see p-docs and such to get diagnosed and for > meds…but this is a PHYSICAL ILLNESS (yes I stress this)…why then is it > still classified as a MENTAL ILLNESS? >For the same reason that asthma is considered a "respiratory illness." >Bipolar has biological factors, but it affects the mind.  Unfortunately, >"mental illness" has a far greater stigma than "respiratory illness." >But it shouldn’t. > Not to belittle this or anything…just seems that if it’s a physical > illness…then it should be given the same satatus as a physical illness > (and take some of the sterotypes, stigma, etc) off it and focus more on what > makes it tick….. >I certainly agree with you there.  But I don’t think that just changing the >status from "mental illness" to "physical illness" will change the >stigma.  I’ve heard people make nasty, snide comments about "So-and-so is >so weird; maybe she has a biochemical imbalance."  I’ve even heard simiar >comments made about violent criminals. >There are so many factors I could type about this forever.  I agree with >you in many ways.  For example, I’ve heard people refer to those of us >who take medications as "drug addicts" using "chemical cop-outs."  Do >they say the same things about asthmatics who use inhalers? >Alex >– >For more information about this service, send e-mail to:

Response:

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