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intro.psych (Psyco 105) Discussion: Group 3 Discussion Group: Abnormal Psychology: Sites to Visit: Alison's Story - Living with Schizophrenia
By Patricia on Wednesday, October 14, 1998 - 03:19 pm:
Read Alison's story.
I'm sorry, I've been sick all week. I'll try to answer tomorrow
I think that labels can be both advantageous and disadvantageous depending on the circumstances and point of view. For example, if someone seeks help and gets told they have schizophrenia any past experience/values will impact their response. Some people may "freak" out and either be in denial or consider themselves an outcast (or an "axe murderer type guy" as in Garry's story) and go into depression. Other people may accept the diagnosis and move on, while others may even be relieved by the diagnosis, happy to put a label on their disorder. When trying to evaluate the cost to the individual, one must also look at society.
I think you have very valid points here Montressor. I am very stressed and I apologize for not posting earlier I have fried my brain on the computer all morning and will post later this afternoon or this evening.
Hey, there must be some sort of bug going around, because I was sick all week, too.
You guys have said pretty much everything I have thought of. One thing I would like to add is the whole emd student syndrome. My best friend's sister is in her second year of medicine.They have been learning how to diagnose illnesses, and she really believes that she has some of them. I had heard about this prior to this example but I just thought you considered it and then went on with life. Chantelle was crying on and off for a couple of weeks. It was more serious then I imagined.
Labels can be disadvantageous to the patient's point of view. For example, people may use the label of their disorder as a scapegoat. I know this may sound harsh, but I think it is true. It happens with physical as well as mental disorders.
Summary - Group Three
You brought up four great points about labelling, all of them very interesting. Points in your discussion about educating the person with a disorder were really interesting and could have been included in the summary. The summary was pretty concise, probably a little too brief but the content was good. Inclusion of more of your discussion ideas would have worked well.
As Alison's story indicates, no cure exists for schizophrenia. Given this fact, and keeping in mind the social consequences of being labeled "mentally ill", is the benefit of the label "schizophrenia" worth the cost to the individual? (see page 616 of Gray for more information on labeling).
Go There
Back to Abnormal Sites to Visit
By Montresor on Sunday, November 15, 1998 - 08:50 pm:
By Montresor on Monday, November 16, 1998 - 12:48 pm:
Societies views can be as diverse as the patient's view. Some people, once they here the name of a disorder may never think of that person as a person anymore but as a disorder. But is a slight change of words going to change that? (ie "He suffers from schizophrenia" vs "He's a schizophrenic") I don't think that this slight change of words is going to make much difference. It's nice to think it would, but I just don't think it would help that much. Education to the public would be more beneficial I think.
Another way to look at it is asking the question "Does society deserve the right to know if a person is suffering from a mental illness?"
At a place of work, I think it would be beneficial for at least the boss or someone to know. This way, if something happens at work, someone there knows what is going on and can try to help that person.
In general, I think it is worth the cost to the individual to have a label such as schizophrenia. Even if it takes awhile to get used to most people learn to live with their affliction and for some this affliction allows them to help other people.
There are exceptions to this generalization, and they may be due to (as learned in the stories of recovery) friend/family support, correct diagnosis, proper counselling, etc.
By Mollyc on Monday, November 16, 1998 - 01:09 pm:
By Jene on Monday, November 16, 1998 - 03:10 pm:
I have to agree with Montresor - labelling people's disorders, not people themselves, is probably not going to make a whole lot of difference. I happen to have bipolar disorder; whether or not you call me a manic depressive does not change my experience of the illness. Rather, like Montresor said, education plays a big part - educating yourself about the illness as well as educating others around you. Realizing that you are more than your mental illness is a complex process that involves successful treatment and adjustment to and acceptance of the presence of an illness in your life. A label can therefore be a starting point on the road to recovery.
P.S. I am summarizing.
By Mollyc on Tuesday, November 17, 1998 - 12:01 pm:
By Montresor on Tuesday, November 17, 1998 - 11:31 pm:
For the physical, I knew a guy in Junior High who had hemophilia (no blood clotting) and he used to go around and bug other guys girlfriends. This of course pissed the boyfriends off, but as soon as they'd get near he'd say "You can't hit me, I'm a hemophiliac, I may die if you hit me" Well one day someone did hit him and he lived through it, but I don't think he bugged anyone's girlfriend again.
I think the same thing can happen with mental disorders. For example, my brother is ADD and bipolar, and when he was younger he used to use these as excuses to get out of housework if he was playing Nintendo or watching TV (eg "I can't vaccuum my room, I'm ADD"). He was later taught that this is unacceptable and not to use his disorder as a way to get out of things.
My brother does not have either of these disorders really bad, so I can understand for people who may suffer worse than my brother, how they can get caught up themselves in the disorder and think they can't do anything because they have this disorder. (sorry for the confusing wording) Unfortunately this is something that the patient must be taught to deal with. Taking away labels such as "schizophrenia" does not make any sense so the patient must learn strategies to minimize the effects of their disorder in their life.
By Jene on Wednesday, November 18, 1998 - 12:31 pm:
It was agreed that being labelled "mentally ill" can affect individuals in different ways, depending on their temperament. To some, a label might be disadvantageous: it might unneccessarily alarm them, it might put them in denial, they might feel like an outcast or they might use it as a crutch. For example, one group member has a brother with ADD who, in the past, used his illness to get out of doing housework. On the other hand, a label might be advantageous: it might be a relief to receive a diagnosis. A label, therefore, could be a starting point in recovery.
In terms of wording, it was agreed that stating "He has schizophrenia" rather than "He is schizophrenic" probably doesn't make a whole lot of difference when it comes to how society views the mentally ill. Rather, education about the various disorders was considered more important in promoting acceptance and equality.
By Patricia on Friday, November 20, 1998 - 01:17 pm:
Grade = 2+