Bitterness To Be Classified As a Mental Illness 511
Some psychiatrists are trying to get excessive bitterness identified as a mental illness named post-traumatic embitterment disorder. Of course this has some people who live perfect little lives, and always get what they want, questioning the new classification. The so called "disorder" is modeled after post-traumatic stress disorder because it too is a response to a trauma that endures. "They feel the world has treated them unfairly. It's one step more complex than anger. They're angry plus helpless," says Dr. Michael Linden, the psychiatrist who put a name to how the world works.
Makes sense (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Makes sense (Score:5, Funny)
No, red potato men have smiles on their foreheads, you bigot.
Re:Makes sense (Score:4, Funny)
yes but they still do taste quite bitter.
Re:Makes sense (Score:4, Funny)
The cure for post-traumatic bitterness disorder is ketchup?
Re:Makes sense (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Makes sense (Score:5, Funny)
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So, what's next on the list of mental illnesses? Hope? Happiness? Not being a properly brainwashed consumer?
We already have boredom on there.
Re:Makes sense (Score:5, Insightful)
Having a brain is a sure sign of possible mental illness in the future.
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Re:A new twist on Orwell (Score:5, Funny)
Don't give Them ideas, They are already quite certain that They have the power to quarantine you without due process.
Re:Makes sense (Score:5, Interesting)
I can't help but feel that this is just a marketing ploy for the profession that will encourage more FDA approved "happy pills" and psychiatrists visits. Putting medical labels on different emotional states is logically dubious. I'd prefer to live with my depressive realism [wikipedia.org] in peace and without the psychological burden and stigma of being labeled "mentally ill".
I don't want people to think that I am against psychiatry however (I'll leave any antagonisms for the Scientologists to dish out). There is certainly a continuum of emotional and mental states, most of which are totally illogical (i.e. people often "fall in love" with incompatible mates, which is illogical and perhaps should be labeled a mental illness?). Everybody hallucinates, it's just that most people do it when they are asleep and forget about it unless their REM sleep is interrupted. The "mentally ill" merely fall outside of the normal bell curve for such states.
There is quackery in all professions unfortunately, and all are in the business of making money.
Re:Makes sense (Score:5, Insightful)
"There is quackery in all professions unfortunately, and all are in the business of making money."
As a wise man once said, "Life is pain. Anyone who says differently is selling something."
and a great way to stifle dissent (Score:5, Interesting)
Just think of the 'advantages' of having bitterness classified as a mental illness/disorder:
All those awkward folk who get themselves wronged and deprived of justice -- they can be reclassified as mentally ill, and maybe compulsorily treated with some happy pill, maybe locked up. And finally, they'll come to realize that there is justice after all, and they'll get to love Big Brother .....
-wb- :(
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I think I've read this book before...Ah yes, A Brave New World [wikipedia.org].
Re:Makes sense (Score:4, Interesting)
The worst part is that the happy pills often don't work as well as other means.
A friend of mine who went to the doctor years ago complaining of depression. The doctor gave him Zoloft and he went completely delusional. I went with his mother to drag him back to the doctor and had him explain how he was going to get rich by joining one of the groups that rule the world.
Doctor's answer? "well maybe we should treat this with diet instead of Zoloft" Turns out some forms of depression can be caused by nutrient imbalance and removing him from the pills at least fixed the delusions.
Guy lost all but two of his friends because some quack decided that the quick fix was better than the non pill version.
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This statement has captured my attention, I'd like to ask you some things about it.
Can you tell me your definition of "fall in love" and "incompatible mates"? I'm genuinely interested, perhaps you can provide some references to materials that try to formalize this? Or elaborate on your point of view?
Re:Makes sense (Score:4, Interesting)
In this case, I would say that one of the differential diagnostic issues would be significant subjective distress before it would be diagnosed. What this means is that you'd have to be bothered enough by it to go and seek help.
An example of another diagnosis with that same kind of differential would be sexual dysfunction. Some people can't get it up and they don't care. No diagnosable condition. Some people can't get it up and it upsets them greatly. Voila, diagnosable condition.
Part of the reason for trying to turn certain things into diagnosable conditions is insurance issues. Insurance refuses to pay for therapy for people who aren't "sick" - even though talking about problems with a professional can help stop problems from becoming severe enough to justify a diagnosis (and cost a LOT more money down the road). People saying it's just about making money are generally not correct - while there are some clinicians who make their living basically having chats with the worried well, most would rather spend their time working with clients who actually can benefit from help. For the most part, the bullshit diagnoses are there to help people who would benefit from preventative treatment, before something becomes severe. We treat people for elevated (but not really high) blood pressure, pre-emptively, why not also help save someone years of misery by helping them develop better coping skills before relatively tame problems they face balloon into huge ones?
Finally, when talking about this, remember, we're not just talking about people who are kind of cynical and sour - we're talking about people who are finding that they are experiencing substantial distress and impaired functioning in many areas of their lives. If you experienced significant pain in your knees that was preventing you from walking without excruciating pain, which was in turn causing you not to exercise, making you miss days at work (or even losing your job), forcing you to stay at home because getting up to go out hurt too much, would anyone say that you going to see a doctor is unreasonable? Same thing here - it's just that because we cannot see the actual cause of the problem people are much more willing to dismiss it.
Re: (Score:2)
I thought it was all torso, pot belly with legs and an attitude. we have lots of middle aged farts at work like that.
But what about Scotland? (Score:4, Funny)
So what will they do about Scotland? It seems to be full of bitter, sad people. I didn't know it was a mental condition, I thought it was just how Scottish people were.
Mind you if I lived somewhere where it was cold wet and windy and they made me wear a skirt with nothing under it, I'd be bitter too.
And then there's the beer. Oh, and haggis ... and bagpipes ...
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Cynicism (Score:5, Insightful)
So when is Cynicism getting added to an ever expanding list of mental disorders that one more pill can set right?
Re:Cynicism (Score:5, Funny)
So when is Cynicism getting added to an ever expanding list of mental disorders that one more pill can set right?
While they surely have a pill ready, all you need is an irony supplement.
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Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I'd just love to see Conformity declared a mental illness.
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Re:Cynicism (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm not one to buy into the attempt to turn every inconvencience into another officially-recognized psychiatric disorder with a $100 co-pay solution. However, the description did resonate me, and I can definitely see the difference between "normal travails of life" and what they're describing.
Let me tell you a bit of my experience:
In college, I joined a large organization. Soon after, I was kicked out.
So far, no big deal.
But when I was kicked out, I was told that "numerous people" felt "physically threatened" by me, and I had *no idea* why that was. Previously, some people that were nice to me had suddenly turned around and refused to talk to me. Nobody would give me any explanation except extremely kafkaesque ones.
Then, through a coincidental connection I had (cousin's friend had also joined the same time I did) I found that people believed I -- a virgin at the time -- had threatened to rape some of the women there. Soon after, I learned of similar, viscious rumors going on about me.
I filed a formal complaint about this where I explained everything. Then, again by coincidence, I the writeup and the complaint had been destroyed and no one told me they did so. I appealed to another group, who refused to do anything after meeting with me, on the grounds that I "seem so angry" (ya think?). I appealed to the faculty sponsor of the organizations, and got a letter back saying, in a formal tone, "you deserved what you got, bro".
Getting kicked out of an organization is bearable, of course, but without being given any reason why, all while being stabbed in the back and having what reputation I had destroyed? I couldn't stop thinking about it for years and years. I did try to "get over it"; I sought conseling (and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety) and tried to join other groups, but inevitably was unable to form any kind of relationship with anyone.
I've explained my situation on slashdot before (can't find the link right now), and people refused to believe me, insisting that I must have somehow done something wrong. And throughout the whole time, I've noticed that my socialization is fundamentally different from everyone else. People suggest that I do things (in social situations) and then I refuse, saying, "but won't they [do something evil in response]" and people are astounded that I would even imagine something like that.
I also always feel like I'm in some sort of paralysis in my life, where I don't want to make any changes (like join a group, look for work somewhere else) because every concern feels like it's preventing me from addressing the others. "Angry and helpless" described me perfectly. (I use the past tense because I recently got more intensive help and started going to church, where I have more social support.)
Would I meet the criteria if I went in to be evaluated? I don't know. But if this diagnosis enables psychiatrists to carry over the same tools from treating PTSD, then it looks legit. It certainly runs the risk of being overdiagnosed, and it would be a shame if it ended up like ADHD, but the idea itself doesn't sound outlandish.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
I don't believe you; you must have done something wrong.
Re:Cynicism (Score:4, Funny)
Dude, maybe you're a schizo and don't know it. So it's time to ask yourself: Is it really true that the world is out to get me, or
1. do you have periods of time where you can't remember and can't account for your actions
2. do you have an evil twin brother
Re:Cynicism (Score:5, Interesting)
Whether it was just that one particularly scary episode, or my history of being bullied for years (I was small for my age, wore glasses, and was the best of my class at everything except sports -- you do the math), I don't know, but eventually I also ended up lonely and paranoid, always expecting the worst from people, e.g. I send someone and email and don't hear back the same day, and I immediately worry that they're angry at me and giving me the silent treatment. That sort of thing. I have gotten over it to a large extent, partly by indulging my frustration by just spending endless evenings by myself, on my couch, getting drunk, on an almost daily basis, for years. I don't recommend the alcohol part -- while it feels good, it is very bad for your health! Still, I was able to work through a lot of that stuff, and slowly (very slowly) regained my self-respect.
The trauma will never go away entirely; once you've experienced cold-hearted cruelty, you've experienced something most people never will, and it destroys some or all of your innocent cheerfulness and spontaneity. The paranoid thoughts will come back from time to time. But, it is possible to return to leading a good, happy life; I can honestly say I am a happy person again. It just takes me a bit more courage to do some things than other people, but even that gets easier with time.
Maybe a shrink would have been able to help me through my bitterness phase more quickly and with less liver damage. I don't trust shrinks, but I could be wrong about that of course; I wouldn't necessarily pooh-pooh the idea of qualifying bitterness as a disorder. Just because it's less bizarre than schizophrenia doesn't mean it isn't potentially serious.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
What the fuck is this? Slashdot or a congregation?
Dude, if you believe in all-knowing, all-powerful wizards who control everything then you have bigger problems than anything you face in reality.
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Re:Cynicism (Score:4, Informative)
The doctors only get free golf trips and paperweights with drug logos on them.
Just to clarify, since many people have the misconception that doctors get something every time they write a prescription for anything:
Kickbacks are illegal. When they are discovered, it results in things like jail and loss of license.
The free golf trips went away years and years ago, and I don't think they were ever very common.
Even the free paperweights, pens, clipboards, kleenex box etc were voluntarily stopped last year by the drug companies. Probably because doctors are actually smart enough to not be swayed by the "gift" of a $0.02 pen, and 2c x 800,000 doctors' offices adds up.
"informational" lunches and dinners are still happening, where doctors get free food and listen to pharma whargarrble about $NEW_DRUG_X, and they do get paid if they do actual work for a pharm company as a consultant or researcher, but that is all disclosed AFAIK.
http://www.boston.com/news/health/blog/2008/07/pharma_to_ban_g.html [boston.com]
Re:Cynicism (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Cynicism (Score:5, Informative)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm not sure how having different names for the same things means its not real. Otherwise I don't know how I manage to go to the bathroom/toilet/water closet/wash room every day. Care to make an intelligent argument?
P.S. That Wikipedia article cites scientific research/medical information.
P.P.S Insisting that it isn't real, without supporting your assertions, doesn't make it not real. Sorry.
Re:Cynicism (Score:5, Insightful)
Anything you have four different equivalent scientific terms for is not real. Sorry.
dihydrogen monoxide, hydric acid, hydrogen hydroxide, oxidane
Re:Cynicism (Score:4, Funny)
What are all these dangerous chemicals of which you speak???
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Hey now, that's not safe. My grand dad drank those things his entire life and DIED!
Re:Cynicism (Score:5, Funny)
Bipolar? You just named another imaginary one.
You've got it wrong, it's monopolars that aren't real.
Re:Cynicism (Score:5, Interesting)
Believe it or not, most doctors are motivated by curing or ameliorating the suffering they see so much of. The best psychiatrist I ever had, when I asked him why he chose Psychiatry as his specialty, explained that in surgery and internal medicine rotations most patients came in to the hospital with illnesses that weren't going to improve, really, despite medical intervention Late stage diabetes, cancer, heart disease, etc. In psychiatry rotations, he got to see patients that were feeling so horrible they honestly wished to die become better because of what he as a doctor could do for them, and that was a tremendously positive experience that he wanted to spend his professional life repeating for others.
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Re:Cynicism (Score:5, Insightful)
To paraphrase Krishnamurti - Not fitting in well to a sick society is not a sign of mental illness.
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Society - all of them - is inherently sick. It's composed of people, who are all imperfect, fucked in the head, retarded, etc. etc.
What, do you think some sort of Utopian society can actually exist? Name for me one society which has not been "sick". Failing that, can you present a logical argument as to why one might even be possible?
Honestly, if you think it's possible, you've been reading too much fiction. Our society (western society) is notably less fucked than most throughout history, and the majority
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
What the hell? Do you even think about what you post?
All medical practice make Doctors money just lke Cars are here to keep mechanic busy.
Thing break down, mechanics fix them. People ahve medical issue, doctors help them.
Your ignorance on this matter is astounding and is only dwarfed by the size of the universe.
Take a logic 101 course.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
So feeling bad is now a medical issue? Then why are all drugs that make you feel really good, illegal?
The fact that this summary makes it seem ridiculous, the issue isn't "feeling bad." It's feeling "excessively bad to the detriment of your life and well being." Contrary to popular belief, just because you're really sad doesn't make you depressed, and just because you think you deserved that raise instead of that twerp down the hall doesn't mean you have this new one either.
As for the "feel good drugs" being illegal, most of it's politics, coupled with some actually having pretty fucking nasty side-effects
Re:Cynicism (Score:5, Interesting)
A lot of the nasty side effects happen in people who are messed up, and who take the drug to self medicate. When it doesn't overcome the mental illness, or other factors push the person into unsocial behavior and worse, the drug gets all the blame. (Note that I'm not making this claim about Meth or some of the other drugs that will typically mes anyone on them up. From what I've seen Cocaine and Methamphetamine simply don't allow controlled use in the sufficiently long term.).
For other cases though, look at LSD. Risky? Definitely. Some people are more prone to not being able to tell the difference between external reality and their internal imagery than others - for them, there's no distinction between the drug's 'visions' and the world outside. Then there's the Manson case, which proved pretty conclusively that young people could be brainwashed better under its influence by a charismatic cult leader. At the same time, regular psychiatrists and therapists were getting wonderful results. There were so many studies in the 60's where LSD based therapy seems to have contributed to long term reform of alcoholics, pedophiles, or other criminal or behavior problem types that it's simply amazing that the drug was made schedule 1 in the USA. A drug with an LD50 over a hundred thousand times its effective dose, with the counter-addictive property that after the first use, that effective does simply rises and rises until the subject literally can't get high on it unless they wait a week or two to use it again, and that was getting glowing praise in some psychiatric circles, and it wasn't restricted or controlled, it was simply totally banned. That's politics indeed.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Easy there, don't get manic about it. Sounds like you need some PharmAmorin [theonion.com].
As for your question, there's always Despondex [theonion.com] for those abnormal people who are too upbeat and happy to be suffering from a disorder.
For everyone else, there's always Zoloft for everything [theonion.com] or perhaps you need some Placebo [theonion.com], now available in liquid form.
Re:Cynicism (Score:5, Insightful)
Wow, so people suffering from post traumatic stress disorder after having to watch people ripped apart by bullets, or those who have phobias from traumatic experiences as kids, or weird chemical issues causing manic/bipolar or just 'regular' depression, OCD, epilepsy etc etc are simply just morons because they need pills to try to live 'normal' lives like you? A lot of people do live in their normal little worlds where they are neither overly happy nor sad all the time and their brains have no significant defects - but as with all things in life, some people lie at the extremes. Some of this will be due to life experience, other parts will be due to genetic factors or perhaps damage in the womb from an accident or a mother who liked to drink, yada yada yada, you get the picture. Yes sometimes people just need to grow the fuck up, and they eventually they usually do, but some people have serious problems. Sometimes it's a mixture of both. I would suggest that you are much more of a moron to pass judgement on things that you apparently have no knowledge of. Yeah, I know we're on slashdot, but even so..
I had written a huuuuuge rant here about how my life was oh so sad and worthy of pity, but you probably don't care. Just be aware that even people who have nothing to really be upset about can still get depressed simply because western life is so incredibly easy and boring. People aren't built for sitting in an office all day doing nothing. I got depressed for other reasons, but I won't list them unless you would like to hear them so that you can laugh at me for being so pathetic as to let it get to me.
Anyway, sorry if you weren't referring to stuff like depression*, and congrats if you were trolling.
* I do agree that doctors hand out pills too easily sometimes, but you do know that it doesn't make them money at all right? It makes the pharmaceutical companies money, but doctors would still be getting paid plenty without hypocondriacs wasting their time. Pawning their patients off onto proper counsellors and/or medication is not making the doctor any more money. Believe it or not a lot of doctors just want to help people (I know some doctors and nurses who regularly go out and do missionary work for free or at least very little pay compared to what they normally get). Of course some people will just be in it for the money, but it is overly cynical to think of all of them that way. You even get some decent lawyers for crying out loud (admittedly NewYorkCountryLawyer is probably the only one, but he still shows that it's possible) :p
Re:Cynicism (Score:4, Interesting)
Yes I agree. I was on pills for depression a couple of times. After the first time, when I came off the pills it actually made a lot of things worse in the next few months (but at first I didn't realise that was anything to do with the pills, I just thought it was me being weird until I found out what OCD was, and read that citalopram can actually make some patients' symptoms of depression worse rather than help, so I assume it was that that exaggerated the slight OCDish tendencies I had already of worrying, overthinking and obsessing about patterns, numbers, etc). I told myself I'd never go back on pills again, but I eventually did when I ended up incredibly argumentative and frustrated and sabotaging relationships with my friends and family - I realised that I shouldn't have come off the pills in the first place because I was only fooling myself that I was somehow 'better'. I hadn't dealt with the root of my problems.
The second time I made sure to lower the dosage slowly when I came off the pills, and things have been pretty good since despite a couple of situations that would have seriously messed me up beforehand. I definitely have developed new ways of looking at life and coping in general that hopefully mean I won't need to go back on meds no matter what happens.
It's amazing how you can make life so different just by taking a little pill every day. It's scary, in fact, when you think about it. If you ever go on anti-depressants or stop to consider the effects of alcohol, caffeine or other drugs then you will realise how easily that your entire outlook on life can be affected massively by tiny chemical changes. Any tiny problems with either production or reception of certain chemicals inside the brain itself can make it difficult for some people to have what would be regarded as a "strong psyche".. while some are just lucky and seem to be hyperactively happy and positive all the time, blissfully unaware of the world's problems (yeah I'm exaggerating a little, and oftentimes in fact that kind of super-PMA is just a front).
where's my weewee? (Score:2, Interesting)
I resemble that remark (Score:5, Interesting)
I have Asperger's. Diagnosed, not self-diagnosed like so many on slashdot.
Bitterness as a symptom of my Asperger's. This would explain a lot of the "delusions of inadequacy" side of my personality. I work so hard at some stuff that I'm just incapable of, like having a real career where I'm not exploited.
A lot of my paranoia is related to this as well.
I'm so lucky to be in a company now that respects my talents, and allows me time to deal with my mental illnesses; but not everybody is that lucky.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
That seems rather presumptuous of you. Do you know Marxist Hacker? Because you're making a big assumption about him without pretty much any evidence.
You do realize that a disorder being over-diagnosed doesn't necessarily mean that it doesn't exist, right?
Re:I resemble that remark (Score:5, Insightful)
You should only diagnose disorders you can treat without drugging them. The rest is just life.
That's assuming that there are no mental disorders that require chemical treatment. That point of view isn't supported by the medical evidence out there. Someone with schizophrenia isn't going to get better by just dealing with it, and any serious doctor would laugh at the idea that its "just life."
Meanwhile, marijuana is illegal because it makes you smile.
So smoking a blunt to feel happy is OK, but taking a pill to help you through a rough patch is a sign of weakness or a shirking of personal responsibility? Give me a break.
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Uh huh. So, as per your definition, depression, bipolar disorder, shcizophrenia, etc. are not real disorders. If I had any mod points left, I'd have modded you down.
Re:I resemble that remark (Score:4, Funny)
You should only diagnose disorders you can treat without drugging them. The rest is just life.
You posted in the wrong thread. The recent Scientology thread is here: http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/05/26/2111214 [slashdot.org]
BTW, don't visit France right now.
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And the frustration level from that is immense- especially when by law and physical proximity, most of the people who will do economic harm to your life you will never meet, let alone have a chance to take a shot at.
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Someone has a medical issue, they go to the doctor for it and somehow who you think that's not taing responsibility?
Really? are you that stupid?
Mental disorders do exist.
Re:I resemble that remark (Score:5, Interesting)
I've got a good thing going NOW- but it took failing at being a civil servant to get here.
I've got some niggling little physical symptoms for my Asperger's as well- stimming to the point of rubbing holes in my skin and bleeding (sometimes without noticing); migraines (sun, violins, and vinegar salad dressing are three big triggers); disgraphia (ha, there's a reason to go into software engineering, where one can type rather than write!); spd (sensory perception disorder- aka halucinations).
I don't understand how anybody with Asperger's would be totally unable to work. Unable to keep a job more than three years in a row due to driving everybody else nuts, yes, but not totally unable to work.
Re:I resemble that remark (Score:5, Insightful)
> but it took failing at being a civil servant to
> get here.
Failing as a civil servant is usually as good a sign as any that you're well qualified for private sector work.
Bitterness is a mental illness (Score:5, Funny)
I have fought for the classification of bitterness into the mental illnesses several decades ago but people laughed at me. Still bitter about it.
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I have fought for the classification of bitterness into the mental illnesses several decades ago but people laughed at me. Still bitter about it.
You may still have a chance. Proposing this is obviously a sign of mental illness.
Re:Bitterness is a mental illness (Score:5, Funny)
Obsessive Classificatory Disease? (Score:4, Insightful)
These people who seem to need to classify every single possible emotional state as an illness have some serious mental issues.
Humor in the summary? (Score:5, Insightful)
Of course this has some people who live perfect little lives, and always get what they want, questioning the new classification. The so called "disorder"...
Is this supposed to be funny, or is the submitter suffering from some embitterment himself?
I know some people love having their personality labelled as a "disorder" because they believe it then excuses their actions. But also having a label like this can help people cope. Having a label can help you wrap your head around your own thoughts and behaviors, make you feel like you're not uniquely screwed up and alone, and figure out what steps might help you improve.
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I'm wondering about this:
Is this supposed to be funny, or is the submitter suffering from some embitterment himself?
I know some people love having their personality labelled as a "disorder" because they believe it then excuses their actions.
You know, that's a philosophical question that's been plaguing us for eons. When we get down to it, physics determines all of our actions. Our decisions and actions are all a result of physical phenomena.
bah (Score:5, Funny)
"They feel the world has treated them unfairly.
I don't think the world has treated me unfairly, I just happen to share it with 6 billion fucking cunts I can't stand.
What's wrong with that?
.
There's a recession going on, people. (Score:5, Funny)
And psychiatrists have boat payments to make, dammit!
At the rate things are going, this will soon become so serious that it can only be treated with a brand new, expensive drug just invented. It's a derivative of the drug they use for Restless Leg Syndrome, only it costs a lot more.
Re:There's a recession going on, people. (Score:4, Funny)
This confirms it (Score:2)
It's a trick! (Score:2)
It just makes it easier, and more convenient to have people locked up in the rubber room. Hate the IRS? You're just bitter. We have "treatment" for that now. A little "reeducation" oughta fix you right up. Gettin' close to that Twilight Zone where everybody had to think happy thoughts, or the kid would turn you into a jack-in-the-box.
I submit (Score:3, Funny)
I submit "Compulsive Classification" as a mental disorder, but everybody thinks I'm paranoid. I have proof.
This really has to do with what a disorder is (Score:2)
So it's no surprise that excessive bitterness can be a disorder. So can excessive happiness - ever heard of manics?
A quick patent search doesn't show anything but... (Score:2)
Who would like to bet that some big pharmaceutical company has a patented medication just for 'Bitterness'.
Of course they can't get the health insurance companies to pay for expensive prescriptions unless it is a mental disorder. Otherwise taking the medication would be an 'elective' treatment, not a medical requirement.
Yeah she nailed it (Score:2)
"They feel the world has treated them unfairly. It's one step more complex than anger. They're angry plus helpless," says Dr. Michael Linden, the psychiatrist who put a name to how the world works.
Yep. I'm angry because I'm now classified as mentally ill, and I'm apparently helpless to prevent this expansion of mental illness diagnoses.
Ha ha, just kidding about the "now" part.
Be Well to you! (Score:5, Funny)
I would just like to convey my sympathies to all those who have become embittered due to the traumatic stress of a world fraught with unfair competition, divisiveness, and discrimination. If you were born ugly and attractive people have more opportunities in life, that is no reason to be bitter. If you have been informed that you are somehow not good enough but not explained in what way, that is no reason to be bitter. If you are black in a predominantly white-controlled area and can't seem to get a fair chance in life, that is no reason to be bitter. If you are white and in a predominantly black-controlled area and can't seem to get a fair chance in life, that is no reason to be bitter.
There are many acceptable ways to respond to adversity in life so long as it is not angry or bitter in any way. If you happen to respond to such circumstances with anger and bitterness, fear not! We will not hold it against you, nor will we hold you responsible for it. We have declared that this is a mental illness and soon there will be treatments available for it. While the treatments will not elevate your social status in any way, you will be more accepting of "your place in life" so that your inner spirit will be more peaceful and docile. You will be better suited to serving those you had once resented for so long.
The key is "post-traumatic" (Score:2)
This is a case where the diagnosis could lead a psychiatrist to apply methods to help the person cope with the traumatic event versus treating bitterness as an inherent personality trait. If an event alters the baseline, rather than just having a high-b
Once it's a disorder (Score:2)
Remember folks: once it's a mental disorder, your therapist can charge your insurance to "fix" it to the tune of 1-2 hours per week, every week.
If it's a personality flaw, people have to pay for the therapy themselves.
This kind of stuff (bitterness, generic meanness, "depression" to the tune of "I'm not enthralled with life every moment") is a mental illness because insurance has to pay.
Also: "major affective disorder, pleasant type" (Score:2)
In 1992, I saw this abstract in the Journal of Medical Ethics [bmj.com], now on-line for your delectation.
"In a review of the relevant literature it is shown that happiness is statistically abnormal, consists of a discrete cluster of symptoms, is associated with a range of cognitive abnormalities"
Hoo yah.
All the listeners to right wing broadcasters? (Score:2)
fucking great (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Exactly. I understand that classifying states of mind such as these can be useful, but this is not an illness by any sane stretch of the imagination. Not every state other than blissful, meditative obedience is an illness; many, in fact, are quite healthy reactions to the normal disappointments and unpleasantnesses that creep into our lives from time to time.
Re: (Score:2)
A real adult takes out his frustration with a bottle of whiskey and a rifle.
Re:Solution to the problem (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Here's the real problem with telling sick people to just "Deal with it like an adult".
I'm a Diabetic. Right now, I take only small amounts of oral meds, even though I occasionally have some processed sugar in my diet. That's because over about three years, I lost 20 pounds and built 25 back into muscle, starting at age 50 to get off insulin and lead a more normal life. I'm currently healthy as a horse (2 mile runs at least 3 times a week, LONG runs on weekends, bench 255, takes about 4
Re:Pfft (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Pschyciatrists (Score:5, Funny)
You sound bitter...
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
What do you think about maybe we need some human beings as psychiatrists every now and then?
</drsbaitso>
Re:Hmm, on that note.. (Score:4, Funny)
...my girlfriend who likes TV and Facebook a bit more than the average person?
I dunno, have you met the average person? TV and Facebook are way better than those poor sods.
Re: (Score:2)
Probably easily treatable with a $300 bottle of pills from the big pharma's right?
That's the US solution. The European solution is six weeks in a health spa, courtesy of public health insurance. I suspect that the European solution works better and costs less in the long run...
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
I play a few too many video games than I probably should, when will that be a diagnosable mental illness?
It already is [wikipedia.org].
How about my girlfriend who likes TV and Facebook a bit more than the average person?
Yep [wikipedia.org]. And yep [wikipedia.org].
Probably easily treatable with a $300 bottle of pills from the big pharma's right?.
Actually, the answer is no. Addiction disorders are treated primarily with therapy and 12-step programs. There are often other, related and usually contributing disorders, such as depression and anxiety, that are treated with pills from big pharma. But they're not necessarily $300 a bottle.
(Full disclosure: my wife is a psychologist and addictions counselor)
Re:American Liberals (Score:5, Insightful)
That's because, in general, liberals realize that there are tons of real problems out there that should be solved.
Ignorance is Bliss, it's been said, and I find the corollary, "Understanding is Unhappiness", to be the cause of typical liberal cynicism.
I'd also note that all the happy conservatives I've met are those who are deliberately ignorant, or just plain without conscience.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
If there's oppression to be found, don't dance around it, WIPE IT OUT. By force if necessary. Just take the bull by the horns and fucking solve the problem. It shouldn't be made more complicated then that. When you do, it makes for more "worrying" because now the issue has gone from bad to worse.
Since you've got all the answers, take your brilliant plan and just do it. Make sure to post your triumph on Slashdot so we can learn the secret of "taking the bull by the horns and fucking solving the problem". I know we'd all like to hear that story.
Re:American Liberals (Score:4, Funny)
You wouldn't like my plan as it involves warfare against dictatorships. [...] .By going after the root cause, it solves many problems.
Yeah, those liberal dumbasses should have a look at Iraq or Afghanistan if they think that kind of stuff doesn't work.
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Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Here's some advice towards happiness from a conservative who is neither ignorant nor without conscience: if you didn't break it, and you can't fix it, stop worrying about it. It is simply not your job to fix all the problems in the world. Your shoulders are not that broad, and you're not expected to carry that weight.
Instead, focus on this: stop screwing up your own life. Stop screwing up other people's lives through your direct, measurable actions. Take responsibility for (i.e., work to make better) th
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Never hear of shell shock, eh?
We don't talk about mechanical stress being so unreal that broken bones are just character flaws. Why assume the nervous system is so perfect that no experience could cause it to fail or malfunction? Why assume that the mental system is so perfect that no experience could cause it to fail or malfunction?
Mechanical stress breaks bones. Nervous system stress can cause arrhythmias and tachycardia. Mental system stress can cause inability to perform.
I would tell you more, but I