Mental Health what percentage of people on bl would you say has some sort of mental illness?

adam west

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serious discussion. i would say that the ratio would be higher than your average city or whaetever but then the majority of talk is around drug and alcohol us/misuse. i would say at least 50%. being the internet and all i suppose people are more likely to come forward wit htheir problems and find it perhaps much easier to find support.
 
i don't know if i buy that addiction is a mental illness it's just something that occurs with consistent use and can be stopped unlike schizo/bipolar disorders
 
You can refute it as much as you want. Smarter people than I have deemed it so. Not all mental illnesses are permanent.

National Institute of Drug Abuse said:
Is drug addiction a mental illness?

Yes, because addiction changes the brain in fundamental ways, disturbing a person's normal hierarchy of needs and desires and substituting new priorities connected with procuring and using the drug. The resulting compulsive behaviors that override the ability to control impulses despite the consequences are similar to hallmarks of other mental illnesses.

In fact, the DSM, which is the definitive resource of diagnostic criteria for all mental disorders, includes criteria for drug use disorders, distinguishing between two types: drug abuse and drug dependence. Drug dependence is synonymous with addiction. By comparison, the criteria for drug abuse hinge on the harmful consequences of repeated use but do not include the compulsive use, tolerance (i.e., needing higher doses to achieve the same effect), or withdrawal (i.e., symptoms that occur when use is stopped) that can be signs of addiction.
 
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I personally think the world is inherently mentally ill with about 98% being mentally ill.. but i would put BL a little higher so 99% I mean if 75% are mentally ill then there has to be something wrong with the other 75% for hanging out with us so much so I think they are just better at hiding it from the healthy 1% of society than we all are. Yeah I am making a little lite of the subject but in reality if I meet someone and the dont have "their thing" or their struggle or battle, weather it be an addiction, depression, workaholic, religious fanatic, anxiety, psycoses, etc.. yeah if they seem to be perfect I dont let my kid around them because something is amiss and the most normal people are usually the biggest freaks.
 
the DSM, which is the definitive resource of diagnostic criteria for all mental disorders, includes criteria for drug use disorders, distinguishing between two types: drug abuse and drug dependence

The last time I saw a street drug user with a debilitating drug issue go in front of a Board and start receiving Social Security Benefits was in the early 2000's.
 
In addition, I think even if you don't want to classify drug use/abuse/dependence/addiction as a mental illness you have to at least admit that a lot (and I would be arrogant to even assume that I could guess a correct percentage without some type of research) of people who have mental illness, even if it is just your garden variety anxiety or depression, often "self medicate" in order to ease their symptoms. So I would say that a lot of drug users (no matter how you want to classify them...users, abusers, addicts etc.) Use drugs (which includes alcohol, because it is a drug, just a legal one that you do not have to have a prescription for) to feel better.

And since most people on BL are here because of an interest in drugs then a very high percentage have some type of mental health disorder.
 
I wrote my thesis paper on how drug addiction is a mental illness.

Do you reckon addiction is a sympton (or exhibited behaviour), or a cause? Either or both? Any chance of a read (PM)? I'm going back home in the next couple of weeks, just enrolled in chemistry a-level, to be fully eligible for medicine, am tentatively thinking I might eventually make this my line of work. Buffalo.

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garden variety anxiety

lol, hehe, just makes me think of the FUCKING vegetable patch that's slowly dying under my care. or lack therof.
 
I'd be more interested in how many of those suffering from a significant mental illness have abused drugs.

I'm not so convinced that drugs are the cause but more symptom, I certainly feel this is the case with myself.
 
The last time I saw a street drug user with a debilitating drug issue go in front of a Board and start receiving Social Security Benefits was in the early 2000's.

On paper I know this is true, my sister is bipolar and drug addicted. I remember the shit they put her through when trying to go for disability because of the drug use in her medical records. But recently, I've seen a crack head lady recently get benefits because of her inability to work out her drug problem and got approved her first try. I guess it depends how the case is presented.
 
Do you reckon addiction is a sympton (or exhibited behaviour), or a cause? Either or both? Any chance of a read (PM)? I'm going back home in the next couple of weeks, just enrolled in chemistry a-level, to be fully eligible for medicine, am tentatively thinking I might eventually make this my line of work. Buffalo.

If you're interested in reading it (its very long) I can show it to you :) I have it on a flash drive somewhere...

At the conclusion of my paper I was still unclear myself on whether or not it's a symptom, cause, etc but I leaned more toward the side of it being a disease because of the way it changes the brain.
 
I'd be more interested in how many of those suffering from a significant mental illness have abused drugs.

I'm not so convinced that drugs are the cause but more symptom, I certainly feel this is the case with myself.

This is how I feel as well. I do think I probably would have still tried drugs if I didn't have a mental illness, but I don't think I would have abused them the way I did.
 
When we make a post we all seem pretty normal mostly, but I know there are some ugly back stories behind a lot of avatars.


I'd guess this, with these %'s overlapping:

A serious mental illness (not adhd, bullshit like that, etc..): 15%

Some history of physical/mental/emotional abuse, including rape: 30%

A no-good-bastard "conduct disorder" trouble with authority type: 40%




Edit: also I have to add...I'm not the only nerd middle class normal on the outside person here. You are all posting on a geeky harm reduction internet discussion forum like total dorks. I suspect we are a bit more normal, outside of rec drug use, than we like to think.
 
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I can't put a number on it. But I have a moderate case of bi-polar. It limits my functioning and ability to interact with others and enjoy life at times. I wouldn't be such a drug addict if it weren't for this disorder. Most of my druggie friends have serious mental health issues. Maybe it's just the group I hand around but I believe mental health issues and drug abuse coincide quite often.
 
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