[firemonkey]

PEOPLE with depression and anxiety should not be described as ''mentally ill'' because it labels them as potentially ''dangerous, crazy and violent'', a group of psychologists has claimed.

The Australian College of Specialist Psychologists believes the term ''mental illness'' can put people off seeking treatment and it should only be used for psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

In a discussion paper sent to Mental Health Minister Mark Butler this month, college president Jillian Horton said depression and anxiety should be described as ''psychological disorders'' to avoid patients being pushed into a medical model of treatment and given drugs they may not need.


Dr Horton also took aim at beyondblue, telling The Sunday Age the national depression agency should not call depression a mental illness in its awareness campaigns.

''Mental illness is a term that in many people's minds is linked to the old asylum days and people being crazy and unpredictable and violent. If someone's depressed or anxious and they're being labelled mentally ill, it is stigmatising and it puts a lot of people off getting help,'' Dr Horton said. ''Beyondblue has done a lot of good with regard to reducing stigmatisation but I think it's been a mistake that they've used that term 'mental illness' in relation to depression. There's a huge difference in level of function, in terms of disability between someone who has schizophrenia and someone who's depressed or anxious.''

However, David Castle, head of psychiatry at Melbourne's St Vincent's hospital, said it was flawed thinking. ''There are plenty of people with schizophrenia who function extremely effectively and have full-time jobs and there are plenty of people with severe depression and severe anxiety disorders who are totally incapable of doing anything. You're trying to destigmatise one group by over-stigmatising another group and that's just totally unfair,'' Professor Castle said.

Beyondblue chief executive Kate Carnell said the organisation would continue to refer to depression and anxiety as mental disorders because this is how they are listed in both the International Classification of Diseases and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - documents used worldwide by physicians to diagnose health problems.

''Our whole argument has been that people should see mental illness the same way as they see physical illness - it's something you need to seek help for, get treatment and you'll get better,'' Ms Carnell said. ''I can't help but read their recommendations and think that there might be a bit of self-interest from private practice psychologists here.''

In last year's budget, the federal government cut the number of Medicare-funded psychological therapy sessions a patient can access per year from 18 to 10. In the college's discussion paper, they said the move was a mistake and called for 20 to 25 sessions a year. They also called for the establishment of ''psychological care centres'' to treat people suffering high prevalence conditions, such as depression, anxiety and eating disorders.

Dr Horton said using the term ''mental illness'' meant people were more likely to be offered medication than psychotherapy.

However, Darren Stones, from Glenroy, who was diagnosed with anxiety and depression in 2009, said he had no problem with the term ''mental illness''. ''The term 'psychological disorder', when used in reference to mental ill health, indicates that a person may be deranged and possibly beyond overcoming depression. The word 'disorder' is very severe when used in describing people with mental ill health, and quite frankly, I think it is inappropriate language.''


http://www.theage.co...http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/psychologists-warn-on-term-mentally-ill-20120519-1yxts.html#ixzz1vLBE13C1

[Spartikus Rex]

How best to arrange the signs to the showers for us and avoid sending 'good worker stock' for the shower. Dangerous, crazy and violent is the history of the white coats much more than the people suffering under their medieval tortures.

[mias]

" people should see mental illness the same way as they see physical illness "I think this.

[Spartikus Rex]

mias, on 21 May 2012 - 08:47 AM, said:

" people should see mental illness the same way as they see physical illness "I think this.

The brain is organic. Things that go wrong with it have a physical cause even if it is other people who are the cause.

[mias]

Physical illness can be the cause of mental illness. Both go together.

[eyewashere]

[/quote] name='Spartikus Rex' date='21 May 2012 - 12:27 AM' timestamp='1337574442' post='39061']

Dangerous, crazy and violent is the history of the white coats much more than the people suffering under their medieval tortures. [/quote]

touché

mias, on 21 May 2012 - 04:12 AM, said:

Physical illness can be the cause of mental illness. Both go together.

Hi Mias,

I agree with you wholeheartedly.
Hope you're well.

[eyewashere]

firemonkey, on 20 May 2012 - 10:56 PM, said:

article, name calling

So called "mental illness" is very culturally based in its definition. In cultures that provide care through meaningful treatment/rituals the prevalence of mental illness is lower. Where societies throw away people whose lives are no longer deemed viable to perform, and confer every symbol of revulsion and shame on them, ubiquitous mental illness prevails. I define mental illness as a healthy response of the organism. An intelligent design (before the term was sacrificed to a religious/secular controversy) communicates with its executive function to provide spontaneously generated healing processes whether we are conscious of them or not. The efficiency of cognition really depends on how it is measured in relation to what you want it to do. We know what is happening but we can't do anything to stop it. We know what needs to be done but we cannot perform. Curious.

[eyewashere]

Spartikus Rex, on 21 May 2012 - 03:50 AM, said:

The brain is organic. Things that go wrong with it have a physical cause even if it is other people who are the cause.

The leitmotif of mental illness is the problem of "Others" in whatever way "They" are represented.

We have a need to know and retain confidence that our forethought/learning/experience function in a dynamic way to inform us on a level that school will never reach. In a repressive and exploitive environment that confidence is taken away or denied. The term "mental illness" or any term that would designate a large and growing population of people as "Not Belonging To The Society Proper" the term again, is stationed to legitimize abuse by a government on its people. Common theme in our culture.

Hence, "mental illness" is not an aspect of our culture, it is our culture.

We are vulnerable and resilient.
It may take more than a few generations but, unless Spartikus's pretty picture of predictions comes true, we may be "well" by our own standards and those of the psychiatric conglomerate can get invisible.

[Wolfwoman]

that is so true when you say the term mentally ill it does conjure up images of someone dangerous. i think it is the way media portray mental illness especially in news reports and things.

[Spartikus Rex]

If only my predictions were part of my illness....

[mias]

mias, on 21 May 2012 - 09:12 AM, said:

Physical illness can be the cause of mental illness. Both go together.

Thanks Numen, I am doing OK
I also think Mental illness can be the cause of physical illness.

[Spartikus Rex]

mias, on 21 May 2012 - 02:13 PM, said:

Thanks Numen, I am doing OK
I also think Mental illness can be the cause of physical illness.

Mind-body duality is a big issue with mental health. How much creative invention, progress even, is down to people with shall I say a unconventional mindset? I'm not saying this is so in cases of depression or mild illness. It is easy to dismiss all different thinking as mental illness but you then are left with the horror of the ant-hill mind & the borg collective. Diversity in thought is essential to so much that makes us human I would prefer to take my chances for survival stranded on a desert island with service users than the normal conformative thinking of the 'well'.