Pecking Order

[redblue22]

I feel like there are different levels of acceptable mental illness.

having depression is more likely to be accepted than say schizophrenia. it is not just rejection from those without mental issues. someone suffering depression might be equally rejecting someone with ocd or mania.

I'm not sure what the order would be for all mental illnesses, but those with a more acceptable mental illness don't want to be with someone at a lower level.

Bipolar isn't the top or bottom. I feel like it is in the middle. Right now bipolar is more acceptable and even cool.

.

 

[dabro]

OCD seems like nothing compare to schizoaffective or phrenia type........Bipolar to me just hasn't sinked in that I have it......To me I felt like I was anointed by the Holy Ghost there for I was accepted at the work I worked at as a Jesus Freak. When I went in to be seen and the labels started to get thrown at me it defused that Power I felt I had.......So I was medicated and believe it took the hypo mania away. Now when i go to where i work they accuse me of being lazy and a fraud because I worked when I was on a high but they believe i was just doing my job

 

[quietpraiyze]

I feel like there are different levels of acceptable mental illness.

having depression is more likely to be accepted than say schizophrenia. it is not just rejection from those without mental issues. someone suffering depression might be equally rejecting someone with ocd or mania.

I'm not sure what the order would be for all mental illnesses, but those with a more acceptable mental illness don't want to be with someone at a lower level.

Bipolar isn't the top or bottom. I feel like it is in the middle. Right now bipolar is more acceptable and even cool.

.

I know what you're talking about. Yes there does seem to be a pecking order in society but I'm not sure that exist for those of us with mental illness. I once had a friend who was borderline personality. She told me if she could choose her mental illness, she would choose bipolar because to her when we're in we're in and when we're out we're out. I thought that was interesting. While I understood what she was saying, there's so much more to bipolar.

I don't think it's a lower level thing as much as it is a stress thing, at least for me. Until you get a handle and really learn to manage your illness, it's stressful and can be exhausting for the person with the illness and those who really love them. While I understand OCD and I have compassion for those suffering with that, I don't want to be around them. There's something when I'm in a full blown episode that resembles OCD. It's like my brain gets stuck and I can't move forward. I'm sure there are those who feel the same way about those of us with bipolar. We're too much for some people. I also don't want to be around people who aren't medicated and/or getting treatment when they need to be. I will show them the love of Christ as best I can but I'm not the right person to deal with all of that. I can't take that kind of stress.

I don't know...I don't feel like bipolar is more acceptable or maybe cool because I don't think many people even know what bipolar is. A lot of people don't know that there's bipolar 1 and bipolar 2. I don't see the popularity...maybe I missed it.

I think the acceptable mental illness is the one that people understand. The one that makes sense to them. The more foreign; the more suspicion and fear.

Are you a student?

 

[CraftyTurtle]

What an interesting topic.
Yes, I think bipolar is becoming "cool". ... which on one hand is great, because there is more awareness. But on the other hand, homosexuality is also "cool" as are affairs, greed, and other things the bible teaches us are sin.

I find the depression aspect is more accepted than the mania, because many people have experienced some level of depression themselves. My high level of depression in some ways validates their low-level or one-off depression. I for one, am willing to acknowledge their lesser illness. After all, to them it is very real.

One of my own commitments in life is to not downplay someone else's suffering, even though their illness is far lesser than mine. It is their *suffering* that needs sympathy. Let's say someone is tired because they did not sleep well. This makes them foggy-brained and miserable. Even though I have a sleep disorder, and can easily miss two whole nights' sleep in a row, I can sympathise with them - I know what it's like. What's the worst thing that's ever happened to you? There's always going to be someone who has experienced more. BUT: how it affects them, and how it affects you is different. Never judge someone because of what happens to them - sympathise because of how they are affected.

In contrast, when I meet someone whose mental illness is debilitating enough that they cannot work, I thank God that I am "high functioning" and can hold down a job.

Pecking order? Yes, I see that there is, but I try to avoid it. It's too tiring.

 

[CraftyTurtle]

What an interesting topic.
Yes, I think bipolar is becoming "cool". ... which on one hand is great, because there is more awareness. But on the other hand, homosexuality is also "cool" as are affairs, greed, and other things the bible teaches us are sin.

I find the depression aspect is more accepted than the mania, because many people have experienced some level of depression themselves. My high level of depression in some ways validates their low-level or one-off depression. I for one, am willing to acknowledge their lesser illness. After all, to them it is very real.

One of my own commitments in life is to not downplay someone else's suffering, even though their illness is far lesser than mine. It is their *suffering* that needs sympathy. Let's say someone is tired because they did not sleep well. This makes them foggy-brained and miserable. Even though I have a sleep disorder, and can easily miss two whole nights' sleep in a row, I can sympathise with them - I know what it's like. What's the worst thing that's ever happened to you? There's always going to be someone who has experienced more. BUT: how it affects them, and how it affects you is different. Never judge someone because of what happens to them - sympathise because of how they are affected.

In contrast, when I meet someone whose mental illness is debilitating enough that they cannot work, I thank God that I am "high functioning" and can hold down a job.

Pecking order? Yes, I see that there is, but I try to avoid it. It's too tiring.

 

[Barzel]

I feel like there are different levels of acceptable mental illness.

having depression is more likely to be accepted than say schizophrenia. it is not just rejection from those without mental issues. someone suffering depression might be equally rejecting someone with ocd or mania.

I'm not sure what the order would be for all mental illnesses, but those with a more acceptable mental illness don't want to be with someone at a lower level.

Bipolar isn't the top or bottom. I feel like it is in the middle. Right now bipolar is more acceptable and even cool.

.

I would say there are some mental illnesses the public is more sympathetic toward, with depression being one. In fact, I have heard some mental health professionals refer to bipolar disorder as "bipolar depression," though that they may be an amalgamation of the terms "manic depression" and "bipolar disorder;" the former term fell out of vogue decades ago, but it is still used by some.

You're right there are some mental illnesses with such a stigma that people are unwilling to deal with it. For a season these past few years, it seemed as if every news report of a killing spree included the detail that the killer was bipolar or schizophrenic, yet that did nothing to interest people in awareness for these illnesses. No one cares about the suffering of a mentally ill killer, but they do care about celebrities, which is why Robin Williams' suicide brought depression to light.

Of course, I don't want anyone to die in order for bipolar disorder to be brought to the light and de-stigmatized. I would like it if the entire "pecking order" (which I agree exists, though I don't know in what form) burned to the ground and then burned again. I have been considering trying to start a bipolar "challenge," similar to the ice bucket challenge for ALS.

 

[redblue22]

wow, lots for me to think on. (no I'm not a student)

thank you.