Mommie Dearest

kadokin, ASN, RN · Jan 11, 2006

So i saw this week in the news that Bigotry may soon be classified as a mental illness.......Is being evil a mental illness? I mean, it is NOT "normal" so why is it not a mental illness?

I disagree. If by "evil" you mean someone who is completely self-serving. We are ALL born to look out for number one. It's a survival thing. It is only socialization and the love of God that keeps us All from running selfishly amok. My .02.

MadRedneckRN · Jan 11, 2006

I recently read a book on Borderline Personality Disorder. The author used Joan Crawford as an example of "The Borderline Queen" There were 4 classifications of Borderlines in this book.

Balder_LPN, LPN · Mar 21, 2006

So i saw this week in the news that Bigotry may soon be classified as a mental illness.......Is being evil a mental illness? I mean, it is NOT "normal" so why is it not a mental illness?

I was still hoping that someone would quantify for my why you do or dont consider bigotry or evil to be a mental illness.

Is it not a mental illness because you are making a "choice" to be evil or bigoted. if so, how would you be certain that this is a choice and not something beyond their control (ie a learned coping mechanism like BPD that can be overcome and has no organic cause)

give me something scientific that spells out the difference between "mental illness" and behaviors and choices that dont meet societal norms to the point that it causes problems for the PT

How do you define a mental illness? all I can find is that it means you meet the diagnostic criteria for some disease a bunch of medical experts defined in a book.

If you dont meet the criteria for any defined psychological disease than you arent mentally ill.

kadokin, ASN, RN · Mar 22, 2006

I definitely thought she had a lot of issues when I watched it again a few years ago. Bipolar, obsessive-compulsive disorder, narcissistic...
We used to watch that movie a lot as kids, and I was always thankful my parents were very good to me and never put me through the stuff that poor Christina had to go through.
My brother, on the other hand, used to hit me with hangers, ranting, "No wire hangers EVER!!!"

:lol2: OMG! I think siblings are God's way of showing us how scary and unpredictable life can be, and how sometimes you have to cope w/the rude and crude behavior of your fellow human beings.

A female who grew up w/three bros and learned to "roll w/the flow"

kadokin

:lol2: It's too funny. How idiotic children can be toward their future best friends. Isn't life an adventure! :lol2:

kadokin, ASN, RN · Mar 22, 2006

I was still hoping that someone would quantify for my why you do or dont consider bigotry or evil to be a mental illness.
Is it not a mental illness because you are making a "choice" to be evil or bigoted. if so, how would you be certain that this is a choice and not something beyond their control (ie a learned coping mechanism like BPD that can be overcome and has no organic cause)
give me something scientific that spells out the difference between "mental illness" and behaviors and choices that dont meet societal norms to the point that it causes problems for the PT
How do you define a mental illness? all I can find is that it means you meet the diagnostic criteria for some disease a bunch of medical experts defined in a book.
If you dont meet the criteria for any defined psychological disease than you arent mentally ill.

BPD is a defined Psychological disease, and some believe it is biological/chemical in its nature.

Sorry, I don't have any handy "rule of thumb".

Always remember, try to be compassionate if possible. I know. It can be hard. But, more often than not, if they did not have an illness, our pt's would not be seeking healthcare. I know, I know, some people abuse the system. Try to keep this in mind: If the client seeking care were able to take care of these problems on their own, some of us (a LOT of us, actually) wouldn't have a job.

Awaiting your flames

Kadokin

kadokin, ASN, RN · Mar 22, 2006

As far as bigotry and evil go, I personally believe they are distortions of natural inclinations to be suspicious/watchful of others that are different from ourselves and to always "look out for number one". If folks are not socialized to be tolerant and altrustic, bigotry and "evil" flourish. While bigotry and evil can flourish in an environment that encourages these qualities, sometimes, I wonder if SOME people are just wired DIFFERENTLY and can not understand the basic lessons many of us are taught from infancy. Picture a toddler. They are comfortable only w/those that they are familiar with and believe that everything is "mine" and must remain so. These are raw survival skills. VERY ELEMENTAL. If that toddler does not have parents or others who can guide them into the understanding that other people are just as important as they are, that toddler learns to deal w/the world in self-centered ways. To a certain extent, this ensures survival of the individual. Until they have to live in the REAL, modern world where other people need to be appeased to accomplish the individual's own goals. (e.g.-food, shelter and clothing). Do you see where I am going here? Some believe there may actually be a biological/chemical reason why some people can't get past that raw "survival" mind set. Hence the sociopath, BPD, etc. I hesitate to say that it is pureley parenting, b/c some parents will "parent" until they are blue in the face and others neglect children that become high acheivers. PLEASE keep in mind that we are not only products of our environment, but also products of biology. So much is so unknown about the human mind.