[HN Gopher] Mental illness, attention deficit disorder, and suff...
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Mental illness, attention deficit disorder, and suffering
Author : emme
Score : 21 points
Date : 2022-05-01 21:16 UTC (1 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (blog.plover.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (blog.plover.com)
| mensetmanusman wrote:
| " Depression is not something with upsides and downsides."
|
| Not sure if this is true.
|
| Evolutionary psychologists have explored the improved tunnel
| vision that accompanies depression as a means for finding one's
| way out of harmful situations.
|
| Society-wide it seems many people are living in harmful
| situations/ways and are able to medicate their way out of the
| tunnel vision before recognizing the sources of pain.
| episode0x01 wrote:
| For myself, the one positive outcome has been more empathy for
| others. I do count that as a super power (that comes at a
| crippling cost)
| steve_adams_86 wrote:
| Depression also seems to teach people valuable lessons when
| they survive it. For example, it leaves some people far more
| resilient in certain circumstances.
|
| It's the classic "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger"
| adage at work. The sad thing is that it does kill many, and for
| some, never leaves in order to make room for growth.
|
| As for the tunnel vision, that's an interesting one because it
| does let you focus in on a problem exceptionally well and that
| could be useful. The trouble I've found in myself is that I
| haven't always had the tools or resources to do something with
| that attention.
|
| You end up intently focused on a problem, and it just becomes a
| painful echo chamber instead of an opportunity to address
| something. I suspect this is largely due to a lack of
| understanding and teaching. Perhaps too, like you mentioned, we
| expect medication to function as a solution eventually,
| relieving ourselves of any duty to investigate internal
| solutions. Had I known how normal depression is though, how it
| can present, how it can be managed, I suspect my own
| experiences could have been a lot better. It's impossible to be
| certain.
|
| I definitely disagree about the ups and downs in any case.
| Struggle defines us and helps us grow. Getting better doesn't
| have to be a fun or enjoyable experience.
| colechristensen wrote:
| The diagnostic criteria for mental illness is, to simplify, that
| an aspect of your mind causes significant problems. If it
| doesn't, as the author's attention seems not to, then you
| probably shouldn't be diagnosed with the disorder.
|
| Comparing yourself, when you have mild characteristics in common
| with a diagnosis and then saying it's not so bad is perhaps not
| so helpful to those who do struggle with it.
| Spooky23 wrote:
| I'm pretty sure that I could get an ADD diagnosis. But it's not
| something that bothers me.
|
| Mental and behavioral issues are tough because there are many
| shades of grey. If whatever you are experiencing is causing you
| pain and you cannot stop it, than it's a problem.
|
| I think modern society is tough because we tend to have fewer
| social connections and institutions. It's easier to get stuck in
| bad situations or to be isolated than in the past, and I think
| that makes latent problems more problematic. The good news is
| that we have professionals who can help, but that bad news is we
| also have others (schools, etc) who help themselves.
| slibhb wrote:
| > For me the ADD really is a part of my identity -- not my
| persona, which is what I present to the world, but my innermost
| self, the way I am actually am. I would be a different person
| without it. I might be a better person, or a happier or more
| successful one (I don't know) but I'd definitely be someone
| different.
|
| There's a lot of modern discourse around "identity". My view is
| that the only healthy conception of your identity is the things
| you share with no one else. So ADD is not your identity, nor is
| your skin color, ethnicity, religion and so on. Rather, your
| identity is the result of experiences unique to your life and how
| those experiences shaped you.
|
| Another big issue here is locus of control. I'm reminded of this
| quote: "I was dissatisfied with my own conduct, and laid the
| blame for my excesses on irresistible inner forces, as well as a
| combination of inscrutable external factors, invisibly staged to
| provoke and upset me."
| TrackerFF wrote:
| I have ADHD (ADD), and was diagnosed after 30 - though I've
| greatly suffered from it since my teenage years. Sure, it is a
| big part of me, always has been, but I don't really make it part
| of my identity. I can't control it like a superpower, and there
| are serious consequences if you're not careful.
|
| I've noticed that in the ADHD community, there are some very
| vocal people that will wear the diagnosis with pride. I mean,
| good for them - but it is not really anything I can relate to. I
| treat it pretty much like I treat my gout...take my medication,
| adjust my lifestyle, and go on with my day.
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