Out of curiosity, I took an online screening for several psychological disorders through my school's counseling page. My test results suggested I likely suffered from anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, and an eating disorder and that I should seek professional help/ assessment immediately. Following up, the survey asked if I planned on pursuing professional help for my possible psychological issues. Of course, I said no.
Why should I? was what I asked myself. Of course I have symptoms of anxiety disorder: I put a lot of pressure on myself to get where I need to be. Of course my results made me look bipolar: I am going through big time changes in my life and some days are just better than others. And duh, I am going to be obsessive about my eating habits and desire to be thinner because I am a few pounds heavier than where I would like to see myself in my athletic career.
It seemed to me that because I tested positive for these "disorders" I was doing something unhealthy. Lots of people tell me that stress isn't good, that mood swings are bad signs, and that being obsessive about weight loss is a slippery slope that should be avoided through loving yourself no matter what you look like.
I do agree to an extent, but only to an extent. I feel that stress is a great tool to actually getting things done. I also think people are more likely to have anxiety when they set their standards high and are willing to push themselves to meet those benchmarks. I also wonder how it is possible to not be bipolar in my situation. I am being yanked around from one influence to the next every where I turn and it is hard to sort through everybody's suggestions for the way I should live my life. So sure, one day I may feel on top of the world and the next I may just want to end it all. And finally, I don't think people should starve themselves, eat excessively, or throw up their meals to lose weight but if you aren't at a healthy weight then it is reasonable to wish to lose some. And in order to lose weight, some people MUST be persistent in thinking about their eating and exercise habits or it just won't happen.
This is the way I live. I guess if those surveys are correct, and my symptoms are indicating that I have several psychological disorders, then I am wondering if having mental issues is really just a normal thing.
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I think a lot of it is the extremes. You have an anxiety disorder if you're crazy about everything, obsessing over ever little thing, in some unhealthy way. You have bipolar if you have extreme mood swings not based on what's happening in your life. You just randomly switch, and can't control it. And in a more severe way than PMS :P. You have an eating disorder if you strive to eat as few calories as possible, if you go on some 'celery and carrot' diet, or feel guilty enough to purge after slipping a little in your diet. Being conscious of what you eat is one thing; being obsessed about it is another.
~C
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I think this civilization makes us crazy...how can you explain the way we are obsessively destroying everything in our paths if we aren't crazy...we know we depend upon the earth for life, and yet, we are obsessively destroying her...
Anyway, I'd say 99% of us have anxiety/depression because of this...we know we are destroying everything, yet we can't seem to stop, war seems inevitable as resources get scarcer, climate change, species dying out, all of these things are constantly thrown at us on the news, we know these things are happening, yet we feel powerless to stop it...so of course we are all mentally ill.
How could we not be?
Love ya,
Carrot
This is what I am starting to believe. Unless you completely block what is going on around you, your mind is bound to lose control sometimes.
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There is nothing wrong with you!
Wrong is the atmosphere and climate of fear which is being created around our lives.
The television set in ones living room is partly responsible for the anxiety one experiences.
To feel powerless to stop it, isn’t necessarily a reality which one has to accept.
To create awareness upon how you feel like you have done now, is always a positive step in order to bring change.
Why?
Because, for now just like many others YOU are probably unaware millions of other people feel the same way like yourself.
A positive thought, mostly always results in a positive outcome, regardless of how hopeless things might seem from a single perception only.
United in thought we could all become in order to create new and positive realities to arise.
That’s how we could be!
Today at my voice lessons, my instructor said he would only give me one song to work on, rather than the 2 or 3 he had planned to because he didn't want to overwhelm me. I wanted to laugh at that, because the lesson was by far the least overwhelming thing I'd done all day, even though it's still summer. So yes, stress, anxiety, and obsession are probably the norm these days.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tricia0711
I'm on my 3rd school since starting college a year ago. It's true I didn't chose the right place for me in the first place but many people would have me believe that all the stress I'm under is well do to a mental illness or something. It's no wonder I'm under stuff I'm moving for the 3rd time in a year, I think anyone would be under stress about that. My life has been changing faster than it ever has before how would I not come acrossed as depressed/anxious or even bipolar do to suddenly have a shifting life? But, there is a point when this becomes out of control, and it's hard to tell when that is. I think people suffer mental colds the same way they have physical colds an acute problem shouldn't automatically mean a cronic condition. I think they blow everything out of proportion.
That's a good way to put it.
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I know exactly where you are coming from, and I have had the same thoughts.
I think nowadays it is just easier for everyone to diagnose someone with a disease, slap a prescription in their hands, and smile as if the world is saved. No...it isn't that easy. Not everyone has the disorders they are diagnosed with, and some people have more issues then a pill can fix.
ADHD is my biggest issue. I've worked in a kindergarten room, and I am sick of everyone claiming their child has ADHD because they are hyper or something. There was one girl who had it, and she was socially awkward because of it. Other children are just more rambunctious. Stop trying to make medication shut them up.
When you give a kid caffeine, and they CALM down, there's something wrong with their brain chemistry. Caffeine is supposed to stimulate, not sedate. All ADHD drugs work in the same way. They are all stimulants. My sister is absolutely crazy, and incredibly incredibly talkative when she doesn't get her medicine. She literally cannot stop talking, and almost got suspended from school several times as a result. As soon as she was put on medicine, she calmed down to the point where she could actually sit through an entire class, and flourished as a result.
~C
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