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?

Yep. Too many people playing the system, out for what they can get, using it to make their lives easier. It's a shame because awareness about mental health is growing so much that it should be helping people who genuinely suffer, but there are so many people spoiling it by jumping on the bandwagon that people get lost.

It has become a catch-all excuse for everything. I've had a few people try and use it as an excuse for not paying for a train fare.

No one bypasses anything though for a diagnosis, who suggested that?
It was the SALT, paediatrician and school who first indicated my son should go onto the assessment pathway, not me, when he was 5 and he's high functioning. Because of his age it took a little longer for it and years of assessments before diagnosis when he was nearly 9. That's my particular experience and a similar one to family members, friends of mine with children for both ASD and ADHD and those in the ASD support groups. I also know a few adults who were diagnosed in adulthood but it's not those on the pathway that people are saying are just self diagnosing.

There are kids who are not on the pathway because the professionals have not seen any indication they need to be, or have begun assessments and have been told that it's not ASD or ADHD and the parents won't accept this and still insist they be treated as such and certain behaviours excused and excessive execeptions made. There's also those who have no intention of being assessed and officially diagnosed and give a multitude of excuses as to why. Because its not a medical condition, it leaves abuse of its use wide open. My son has an EHCP and we have a lot of involvement with the SENCO as well as the mother of one of older DCs football team mates being a SENCO, we KNOW its happening whether people acknowledge it or not.

This goes for adults too who have no intention of ever being assessed because they know what would happen.

The amount of people who "play" at being ND and are making a characature mockery of ASD and ADHD is vile. No one is saying everyone does, but it's becoming apparent more people are. We are seeing it more and more in our everyday lives, not just me but others in the support groups and teacher friends of mine who are clued up on ND. When you have kids seeing some of the terrible and sometimes vile behaviours (esp all these people making SM vids) it makes them feel like shit that this is how their disorder is being portrayed and attached to them and makes them not even want to say they have ASD/ADHD.

Apparently all parents should advocate for their kids, unless of course it comes to calling out the self diagnosing of ND that does have negative consequences for your kids, then you're told you're wrong and you and your kids experiences count for nothing.

I'm not responding to anyone else about this because I've had this argument for years and im sick to the back teeth of people disputing it because they supposedly haven't seen it.

I started disengaging with school at 14 when my mental health tanked but being academic I did ok. By 18 I couldn't stay in a class for more than 15-20 minutes. Was classed as an attention seeker by other students. Staff couldn't understand why I couldn't tell them what was wrong. All I wanted to do was destroy myself.

I didn't get the answer until I was in my mid 20s. I was bipolar and that means I get crippling depression with no cause no reason and standard things that help depression don't help for my bipolar depression. I bumped into my teachers at a funeral after another student from my a levels who took his life and they were quite honest. At this point I was most of my way through my PhD and living a stable life. This was not what they expected at all

Some students might be taking the micky but those that aren't need compassion. Just because they can't name what's going on doesn't mean that the "labels" aren't false or an excuse

This is an interesting point. One view that's been discussed elsewhere is that actually "neurotypical" is the minority. And that as life has become more complex and requiring a specific skill set to thrive, more people don't fit, and look for understanding as to why.

Apparently the term "neurodiversity" was originally intended to include everyone. There was no "neurotypical".

Simply put, Dr Judy Singer created the term on purpose to argue that ‘neurodiversity’ was simply a spectrum of how unique and individual all our brains are, and that there is no one typical way of thinking or processing anything.
...
She was also, as a sociologist, fascinated by the way the world and our environment puts pressure on us all to think and process in certain ways - and when we can’t do it, we are seen as disordered or incapable. She spoke of social and global pressures. She spoke of the workplace environment ... It is very likely that many of us cannot and will not function as society and capitalistic governments expect us to.

Once again you seem to be using that as a synonym for offended. I'm not offended - I think it's disgusting that someone claiming to work with people with mental health issues would use that word as a synonym for offended (something started by the foulest right wing misogynists to mock people with sexual assault survivors with PTSD). I think that's gross. Whoever you work to help really deserve better than someone like that.

It's similar in the workplace 101 reasons why performance is either non-existent or poor-it's always a 'Mental health problem'.
You could take out these people around a 1/3 of the workforce and the workplace would be more efficient and productive.

Ive suffered from panic attacks, agoraphobia and severe depression and saw several psychiatrists over the years, now several years on with help from a hypnotist and several changes of medication, I'm living a pretty normal life. I'll be on medication for the rest of my life but that's fine by me.

I get a really annoyed with people who claim that every little thing that goes wrong, "is affecting my mental health ". I see it often on here when a house purchase or job problem isn't going how theyd like.

You see it on many MN threads. An OP is dealing with someone difficult and there will be posters insisting that the person is ND/ADHD/ASD and therefore the OP is being a cow.

There are a couple of threads going at the mo which are driving me crackers. The OP HAS to be in the wrong because the other one clearly has a MH/developmental issue. On no evidence at all.

It seems for some people no-one is now actually lazy, selfish, mean or obnoxious because...

@Lampy123678 pretty sure that pp does not work in the mental health field. Certainly not as a clinician anyway.

I hope things are better for you now.

Sadly not. It looks to be life long. It impacts me every day but I did get the PhD and am in a high level but lowish stress job but in 4 days a week with an accommodating employer and need minimal adjustments. I can cope so much better than I could at 18. Having the words to explain why I struggle has meant that nearly all the self destructive urges have gone and that NEED to just step away from the world and life but has mostly gone and now when I do its to step out for a minute or two and then I go back. The grown up world is better equipped for this. No one bats an eyelid at me popping to the kitchen to make a cup of tea to have a moment away. I wish that had been an option at school but I do appreciate it's very much not feasible.

I was too practically mature at 18 but no where near emotionally mature enough or emotionally equipped to deal with my mental illness. This really didn't come until closer to 25. I do feel for other 18s trying to navigate the confusing world of mental illness.

Honestly? Toughen up. Otherwise life is going to be very, very hard for you.

Toughen up against what? 😂 Are you ok?

Oh yes, I can just see a professional in the ‘mental health field’ coming out with twaddle like this.

Again, what exactly do you do in this area?

I don’t understand why you want to know if I’m ok? I mean I’m alright but I don’t know why you want to know that but thanks for asking!

When I say ‘toughen up’ I mean being ‘disgusted’ and generally hyperbolic about someone using the word ‘trigger’ which is pretty much everyday vernacular. It must be exhausting going about everyday business if your trigger, sorry your disgust-ometer is set so low.

Because you seem quite upset about people to the point that you lie on the internet so you can support your ignorant opinions about mental health?
I wasn't being hyperbolic. I was calling you out on your obvious lack of knowledge about mental health which was apparent from your language. It's a fact that people deliberately diluted the meaning of "triggers" so that they could mock and diminish sexual assault survivors who were reasonably arguing for content warnings for movies or TV shows that contained graphic rape scenes. It was being used in everyday vernacular in the way you use it until right wing men wanted to mock people for being "triggered" as if people weren't just too soft or 'offended' rather than actually wanting to just avoid watching something that was going to be bad for their mental health. If you were being honest about your profession, you would know or care about that 🤷🏻‍♀️ but instead you seem quite defensive that people have pointed out that you sound like you don't know what you're talking about so you keep responding even if you have nothing of substance to say.

I’m confused as to what I’ve lied about?

Times move on, words move on, maybe you should too.

You are still here doing this? Please take your own advice and do something more rewarding.

I think you know 🤭