Does anyone else mental health issues are thrown around too much?

[Justwingingit2005]

A friend of mine offered to book a table for a get together. It's this Friday and had assured us it was booked in the group chat. Tonight its come to light she didn't book it and when questioned why did she lie as someone would have booked it said 'my mental health is suffering'. I know appearances are often put on, but we've known her 20 years. When she forgets its always mental health.
Also people commenting on cleaning saying they are 'a bit ocd'.
I feel these are downgrading just how hard mental health is. Ocd can be crippling, and these terms shouldn't be thrown around.

I have OCD but I hide it well and it is mild, I.e it doesn’t stop me living my life, when it gets bad I take some control back. But some people may actually have it, it’s not just about cleaning but that could be all people see of it.

Compared to when people were chucked into the Bethlehem hosipital and left to die. Yes. Adequate for the need out there. No.

I completely agree that 'mental health' is overused as a term and want to punch people who say things like 'I'm a bit bipolar' but the provision in the uk to treat mental health issues is shocking.

@HallucinationQ how gruelling are these student schedules? Can you give an example of a typical week? I’m doing a degree as an adult alongside full time work and my toddler, yes it’s tight but I manage. If I didn’t have work or a child I imagine it would be a walk in the park.

Nearly 20 years ago I was told by work I needed to go to the Dr and get counselling as part of my sickness process 5 days after my mum killed herself.

I remember going to the GP and telling them that work needed me to get counselling in order to justify a 2 week sick note and he said to me "you aren't depressed, you don't need counselling YET, you might one day, but what you are right now is justifiably sad and that is an appropriate and expected response. Here's a sick note, tell them to call me if they have a problem with you having a normal human reaction to a terribly sad event."

There does seem on the surface to have been a perspective shift over the last 10 years or so, where normal responses are medicalised and categorised as a disorder. Anxiety is a part of life, there are instances where we are all anxious, it's only when the anxiety becomes disproportionate to the situation and detrimental to the person experiencing it that it's a problem that needs to be addressed.

As someone who has been diagnosed with depression, anxiety and ptsd, it drives me mad, and when I do have the courage to admit I'm having a bad day/week/month etc I feel like it is minimised.

5-10% of people are estimated to have ADHD to some degree. It impairs executive function. Lots of people never get diagnosed and have no clue what that even means.

But it is annoying if you think someone is just using MH issues as an excuse for not having done something. However. As a group, if you know she's done this before - why didn't one of you step in and say "no it's ok, I'll book"?

The problem is that yes there are probably some people who do use "mental health" as an excuse, but there are also a lot of people who are genuinely struggling who may appear ok on the surface.

And there is absolutely NO way to know who are the fakers/exaggerators and who aren't.

An example: a friend of mine expressed to another friend that she was feeling very anxious/low and was told to just get on with it and that we all have problems. She took her own life a week later. You just never know what people are dealing with in their heads.

But yes, the 'a bit OCD' people should be slapped. (Jk)

I agree with the general feeling on this thread that there is over medicalisation but I also think we live in a society that is horrible for mental health in a lot of ways.
Isolation, lack of community, workplace pressure coupled with management practices where people are constantly found wanting no matter how hard they try, poor diets and lack of exercise especially for people on low wages who have to work all the hours there are to get by…. I think a lot of the things that used to help people cope are missing now so people go to the doctor as the only place to turn for help.

Yes. I also find it frustrating when people are experiencing depression/anxiety needing help but are not engaging in the basics of wellbeing. Not eating well, no exercise and excessive screens. Of course you will have bad mental health!

Second thread this week like this, but they always come in clusters just like the benefits ones.

I think our collective mental health is getting worse. We're more put upon now than ever.

It's a bit of both of course. Maybe though those who have real mental health struggles are the last to admit it, and vice versa.

My mental health is actually suffering, with good reason, but I am loathe to go around saying it because I hardly want my mental health coming into question when it actually is suffering.

It's a bit like if you say to someone that your child is autistic and they say "oh I was talking to Sam and we both think we might have a little bit of autism, just a little bit though" 🤯

This thread is horrible. Lots of belittling, judgemental and shaming comments.

I myself do not have a MH issue but the facts are that rates of diagnosed MH issues are increasing, and there are many people still undiagnosed.

So many people in the past had hidden/undiscussed/unsupported MH issues. It isn't that there was less in the past, just it was hidden more due to shame.

But that doesn’t mean we now need to hear about it ALL the time. And it is ‘all’ the time! You can’t escape it, a relentless onslaught of ‘people raising awareness by talking about themselves’.

Did you have to study to become this ignorant?

Just to be clear - you want people who have poor mental health to behave as if they did not have poor mental health?

FFS.

Yep I agree. Has anyone actually asked her if she ok, wants to talk, needs help etc? Or are you all just pissed off with her because she's not booked the restaurant?
Be kind and be a friend.

It does not harm you.

Stay home or wear headphones.

You sound like a total snowflake if you are triggered by something as mild as other people talking. 'Relentless onslaught' - you sound very melodramatic. Maybe you need to get things in perspective?

But this is the vicious cycle of poor mental health. If you're already feeling extremely low then for a lot of people it is almost impossible to eat a salad and go for a run because your brain makes you feel like you literally can't move, makes you crave sweet/comfort food, etc.
It's just not that easy for people with real mental health issues to do these things.

This

Oh please. ‘If me banging on about mental health problems until you’re sick of it means you’re sick of it, YOU’RE the snowflake’ 😂

It is relentless. Routinely mentioned at work, in school, online, social media, people you know. There’s nowhere to escape bar my own house. It bores me.

Agreed.