AIBU to think there is abuse of “mental health”

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As a supposed educator (my role has become solely classroom management) in further education focused on 15-17 year olds who have disengaged from school, I and my colleagues are being manipulated daily with young people who when challenged on standard engagement, attendance, basic decent behaviour and attempts to participate in any work cite mental health issues. They are then engaging with the many support services internally and being excused from any elements of being a student while receiving significant amounts of cash regardless of commitment. AIBU to think we have created a generation of excuses and a dire lack of commitment and resilience?

I once knew someone who suffered from OCD. It was a really debilitating illness. It would take her hours to leave the house because she had rituals she had to do before she could leave. It was heartbreaking to watch.

Nowadays I see people on social media talking about their 'OCD' when they mean they don't like something being untidy. That's not OCD. It's so insulting to people who have a serious illness

For those citing “medical evidence”, it’s too easy to get a GP note for “anxiety” or “depression” without meeting the clinical criteria for either. GPs tend not to challenge when patients describe their problems this way.
I agree that the difference between experiencing anxiety and having an anxiety disorder is massive and underrecognised. It’s also important to note that by allowing avoidance of anxiety provoking situations we establish conditions where an anxiety disorder is more likely to develop.

Calling it mental health rather than poor mental health or mental illness is intensely annoying.

And this is the future workforce. Troubling.

I do struggle with this idea that by allowing avoidance of things people are anxious about you are not helping them.

I get that if someone is anxious about flying and they want to fly they can essentially do exposure therapy - start by going to the airport for coffee, then maybe do one of the courses where you look around a plane and have a pilot answer questions etc, then go up on a short flight.

But imagine it for something like someone who is anxious about dying. Well, you are worried about dying. To get over that you need to experience it so you are no longer scared of it. Just doesn't work.

Or - you are anxious because you were attacked and raped. It's best to confront your fears so you should have sex straight away after the rape. Also doesn't sound good.

My institution insists on it having disability status. So over a year, and any drs note needs to include diagnosis and how it's affecting the student on a day to day basis. The students can access counselling and support without, but for support plants and reasonable adjustments, they need full diagnostic.

This is HE.

I'm genuinely surprised!

Someone alleged it has replaced back problems as an illness that so many fake. Which for those with genuine mental health issues makes it more difficult for them to be considered and supported properly.

I bet if you’re female they’ve added BPD to the mix as well.

I recommend to do some reading around hormones PMDD and ADHD. All these people saying everyone now a days is diagnosed neurodiverse boils my piss as women we have always been fobbed off, but I know my difficulties are hormone triggered as well as being genetic and possibly upbringing/socioeconomic

there is links with hormones PMDD/ADHD. as well as ADHD/ASD being genetic. BPD seems to be a diagnosis when they don’t know where you fit and PTSD is a trauma response…. Fibromyalgia is also linked.

What seems to be happening is some people use mental health issues as an excuse to get what they want I see this daily and society enables it

Weaponised is exactly the term. It’s the ones with real mental health problems that are being disadvantaged when others use it purely as an excuse for bad behaviour as and when it suits.

It's a difficult situation, and doesn't make it any easier for people with severe mental health problems to access help.

There will be people who attend work/school every day, while still dealing with self harm and suicidal ideation behind the scenes.

Meanwhile there will be others who class any negative emotions as mental illness because how can they tell the difference?

Completely agree about being in the wrong job!

The colleague that I'm talking about aren't lecturers or SLT. They have the same role as me and I know that the workload is not too high. There is no work to take home, minimal stress/responsibility and we get more than enough time to do the work required.

I was thinking the same

These children are already disadvantaged, and they have the people who are supposed to be supporting them judging them.

This is a shame.

Yep! Totally agree! when I hear people say I’ve got mental health I laugh! 🤣 we all have mental health, what some people don’t seem to understand is it can be good or poor, and some people have mental health issues, and some anxiety and bouts or low mood can be normal

An obvious step is to ask for medical evidence.

I don't personally know how happy GPs are to diagnose anxiety or depression as I went via consultant but I suspect just the fact people need to ask would mean that either more people who are actually anxious/depressed get help and those who are not would not get the reasonable adjustments.

Also agree you’re clearly in the wrong job.
you need to define what you mean by this;
young people who when challenged on standard engagement, attendance, basic decent behaviour and attempts to participate in any work cite mental health issues

and what do you mean by ‘disengaged’ from education? Unable to attend because of their MH? Neurodivergent and unable to
cope with the toxic environment of a lot of mainstream schools? Been bullied?
as an alternative provision you should be providing support and accommodating needs. Are you doing that or is it a case of doing the same things as schooled and expecting a different outcome?

Zero judgement. Perhaps if you had multiple young people laughing in your face flashing their “overwhelmed” card to get out of the classroom every 15 minutes then winking at their classmates as they leave you would understand the need for the question to be discussed.

I don’t know about children, but among adults, it’s becoming frustrating.

I was diagnosed almost 30 years ago now, when it was something to be ashamed of.

I actually didn’t believe my doctor when she said I was depressed and needed medication.

Well depression and anxiety.

I was absolutely convinced that there was something physically wrong with me and it was genuinely shocking to be told that it was mental health related. I have kept this quiet throughout my career.

Ironically, at a time where I might feel comfortable disclosing it, I now feel that people would just groan and not take it remotely seriously. Because I do think that there are people who are taking the Mickey or genuinely believe that every uncomfortable feeling is an indication of a mental health problem.

This has been something that I could see coming for at least 10 years but I didn’t realise how bad it would be.

my doctor said to me a couple of years ago that they were really struggling because a lot of people are approaching them asking for medication when they’re just suffering from life as we call it. To be honest I could say a lot more about what the doctor said to me, but I suspect someone on here will get offended.

But yes, as a very long-term sufferer of the condition, I feel it has been exploited to the point that it’s meaningless.

I have managed to hold down a job but only with the help of medication.

In fact I wouldn’t have had a career without medication.

So I am incredibly grateful for it, but I also have a lot of cumulative side-effects .

I think one of the things about years of experience is that you can tell when something is wrong in your physiology, and you can tell when you actually just have to push through some of the uncomfortable feelings.

If people are being excused from dealing with all kinds of things on the grounds of mental health, I am not sure where that leaves everyone in a workplace to be honest.

I’m in the very strange position, because I want to keep my condition quiet, and I listen sympathetically to other people while being slightly unsure if they genuinely are ill.

And it’s very hard for a GP to tell as well.

we are rapidly heading to a point where everyone will require “reasonable adjustment” at work and I am in a tough spot - because it might be handy for me to start sharing this information now, but having kept it quiet for years might call my credibility into question?

I’ve never lied about it, but I’ve never actually disclosed that I have it . so I might be in a position where help can be offered to me and I feel unable to take it because it’s seen as something that only piss takers do? Confusing. Sorry for rambling

I work in higher education and have some students with genuine mental health concerns. However those students get swallowed into the large amounts that use their "mental health" that arise suddenly the day before their assesment as a reason why they can possibly complete the work...

... In our final year cohort 40% of the 150 students have what's called an individual learning plan, the majority of which are for anxiety. This means they don't need to attend class, they don't need to engage, they can do alternative assessments. I have heard students say to others ohh if you don't want to do that go talk to the welfare team and they give you an individual learning plan to say you don't have to.

@Caffeineneedednow I hear you. And then because they have their individual plan they don't have to do the same assessment as others in the cohort so you have to set separate ones (often several to fit the various plans). Give them 1-1 tuition because they don't want to get up in the morning get stressed being in a room with others. Writing essays causes them anxiety so they have to be assessed by viva. With breaks whenever it gets too much. etc. And all as an extra demand on the lecturer's time with no recognition by the management.

The reason so many institutions don't ask for medical evidence but go along with it is because of funding. So much funding is now dependent on retention and achievement they will give the students whatever they ask for to keep them.

And even if you do ask for evidence, many doctors give it quite readily and/or the students learn how to answer the diagnostic questions so that they come out with the label they are looking for.

And as other PPs have said, the people this hurts the most are those with genuine mental health disorders.

I worked in a school for many years. As a teacher, for avoidance of doubt.

I have frequently had teenagers flash a classroom exit card in my face and laugh at me. I have also:

Spent most of a lesson with a teen under the desk because she was too scared to come out

Spent time with a teen who made herself vomit because she was so scared of being in the classroom and she knew the policy on d and v.

In all seriousness, if you are working with teens who have dropped out of mainstream education, a lot of them will have mental health issues.

That's very emotionally demanding to work with. If you are starting to see them as the enemy it's time you got out of that line of work.

I have no experience with the education system or engaging with young people now but have experience in healthcare.

Reducing the stigma associated with mental health issues has been a double edged sword. It needed to happen and has had many positives but the major negatives have been the "reclassification" of normal mental states and sensations as illness, which has led to the ongoing abuse that others have witnessed and an overwhelmed system which cannot treat those who need it most

The laughing in the face could be because some people are socially awkward and can’t articulate their feelings, however there are many people that know by playing the mental health card they can play the system and get what they want

I wholeheartedly agree OP. And this is a huge, huge problem in my workplace too. So many people on very strong medication because they have mental health needs. There’s no time to offer the treatment actually needed, it’s easier to prescribe medication and do a quick check up a few months later. And it’s so true young people have witnessed others using this phrase and seeing that it works. It’s absolutely terrifying - a very entitled generation coming up. No, not everyone. Some people are genuine. But with so many people crying wolves, when are even the most serious cases missed?!
And I say this as someone who suffered with terrible mental health issues ie hearing voices, had to be locked away for my own and others safety. It was a genuine mental health breakdown - but almost everyone has experience of mental health breakdowns now. Scratch the surface and very few have had a similar experience to myself.

I think this issue affects all ages, but is worse in the younger cohort. Admittedly if you are working with teens who are disengaged anyway it may be worse. Some of them will have genuine issues hampering their ability to participate and focus like the general students but should still be expected to attempt it - otherwise why are they there? A teacher should see when that effort is being made and support it. A significant proportion will exploit whatever special group label that’s been placed on them as a reason to check out and not participate - they will be given a pass by the support bods who encourage the victim status mindset.

It’s the same in workplaces now with many young adults - can’t work with other people in the same room/can’t be face-to-face with the public/can’t speak to strangers on the phone/can’t work alone/can’t deal with zoom communications/can’t cope with targets or deadlines/need time outs in a safe space - pick your problem that’s looking for a reasonable adjustment and no expectation if trying to deal with it.

People do get exasperated with this when it impinges on their working life, because it now happens with every third person that comes along. It seems the low level stuff means there is less understanding and empathy left when someone with a significant issue needs a bit of help.

I presume you don’t teach psychology. Exposure therapy is a treatment for phobia. It’s also meant to be something the person feels they want to
ovwecome and only goes at their own pace. The extrapolation to all types of anxiety is not evidence based and if the student is ND can be very harmful. I’ve not heard of accommodations without any evidence of need surely it’s your employer who is in the wrong there

I believe more people, particularly under 35, have mental health problems now than 15 years ago and also that many people are more aware of what is a mental health problem and therefore don't tolerate, or avoid, things that make them ill(er) and are less shy in saying that they have a problem. I believe the former is very sad and the latter is a very good thing. The more we are aware of what does us harm and the more we do to mitigate harm, the better.

(This is my area of work so I appreciate that I don't or won't share the general opinion.)