Posted by Quintal on March 1, 2007, at 15:11:38
In reply to Re: DSM » notfred, posted by laima on March 1, 2007, at 14:26:46
> Oh definately! I think that is one of the big drawbacks. On the one hand, I think DSM can be helpful and legitimizing, ie, mood disorders are medical disorders, not "ordinary ups and downs". On the other hand, reality is usually too fluid to be easily categorized, and like you may be suggesting, taking on a diagnositic label as part of one's identity isn't so helpful. I mean, will I ever feel genuinely my best if I take on "depressed!" as part of my identity, even when in remission? If I am permanently "depressed person", even when I feel good- do I carry inside an idea that I am "not normal", "not like other people"? Do I limit myself? That's a tricky fine line, of course, the answer perhaps both yes and no.
__________________________________________________Oh that was good. Recovering from mental illness isn't purely down to making a choice to get better as I've seen suggested here not so long ago, but at some point in remission I think mental illness is unique in that there is a point where you can decide not to be ill any more - you can decide to be a healthy person going through a rough patch rather than a depressive having a relapse. And perhaps that's when you really have made a full recovery.
Funny how I'm no longer get ill since I decided not to be. I'm going through a rough patch right now, and I'm sure I could turn this into a relapse - a depressive episode, if I was in the frame of mind where searched for and held every negative emotion up as validity of my disorder. In the frame of mind I'm in now, it's just a passing cloud and that's all part of life. I think I have enough wisdom, experience of this whatever it is, and patience to know the sun will come out again another day, so long as I let it.
There's also the advantage of coming back from every small setback a little more resilient than the last, that's how you build up strength I think. I've just been out driving on the moors around here - it's beautiful but bleak and desolate. It's left me feeling lost - from where do people find the strength and inspiration to live in places like this? There are tiny farmhouses tens of miles from the nearest human contact and many of the people that live there are alone without telephones and internet. It appears some don't even have mains electric or water yet. How do they do it?
It was a shock to realize that to many of you people who live in American cities my home would be just as isolated as that - the nearest McDonald's is twelve miles away, yet somehow I've managed to find a way. Hope springs faith eternal?
Yours Wistfully,
Q
poster:Quintal
thread:737261
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070224/msgs/737382.html