I challenge any psychologist to come up with a meaningful definition of “mental illness”. The label has become a tool of commerce in our society. The term “mental illness” has significant commercial meaning (e.g. pharmaceutical sales, counseling sessions, etc.), and is also a legal basis for many forms of control (e.g. prosecution and imprisonment, liability in law suits, etc).
So the actual meaning of Mental Illness has been corrupted by commerce and society to the point that it no longer fits actual “mental illness” – the unhealthy state of mind that impacts behavior in ways that ultimately impact physical well-being.
Today we have individuals with “intellectually disabilities”, when yesterday we had individuals who were “mentally retarded”.
Yesterday “those people” were something (a label). They were someone who had something you and I don’t have (such as an illness or disease).
Today, they are someone just like you except they are LACKING something you and I have… such as intellectual capacity. Today, it seems, they are much more similar to you and I than they used to be.
The Grumpy Old Man is a classic example of changing times alienating an individual who holds outdated core beliefs, or for whom community has changed away from including him, despite his physical presence within that community.
Should he accept the modern ways and abandon his own beliefs, or simply move away? The only other option is to become the Grumpy Old Man yelling at the kids to “Get Off the Lawn!”
Dysphoria is most often used TODAY as a qualifier for transgendered people, or clinically when describing certain aspects of bipolar disorder. But the concept applies even to Grumpy Old Man, who suffers intense distress and unease in today’s neighborhood. If you want to question the concept, research the incidence of suicidal thinking among alienated elders struggling with this dysphoria. It’s more common than you might believe.
The concept of “mental illness” is a false construct, originally used as a way to assure ourselves that we were not like them, and not at risk of becoming like them (because we don’t have what they have). Mental illness is currently used as a label, or excuse to exert control over individuals.
Yet, each of us suffers mental illness of some sort, at some time. Of course we don’t ever want any clinician nor bureaucrat to apply that label to us, but if we want to be healthy, we must recognize that illness is not the opposite of wellness. Illness and wellness are on the same continuum.
We move through various states of wellness (which includes illness) throughout our lives. Or, one could say we similarly exist along a continuum of illness throughout our lives. It’s the same thing.
In 2014, the United States lives in a state of relative dysphoria compared to prior times. People are down, angry, reluctant, anxious, and negative, and it seems many more suffer “mental illness” than previously recognized in other times. The news media is full of craziness. The actions of others seem inane. The norms are being tossed about. We are each, in various ways and under various conditions, being alienated and labeled.
But rather than focus on the definition of normal or “them” vs “us”, life is really about maintaining wellness and health in these challenging times.
How are YOU doing in this Dysphoriana we live in right now? Are you doing well, or getting sucked down into the muck of dysphoria?