If you could choose to experience one mental illness for a day

Fr_Dougal

Fr_Dougal wrote: »

Highly insensitive thread. Treating mental illness like a game of charades.:rolleyes:

Well, we are as a human race, very very curious and learn things by trying to fit on another’s shoes, so to speak. I had often been curious about physical illnesses when I was a young girl visiting aunties, granny etc in hospital, and got to experience a fair few of them in subsequent times. I, and my school mates were often curious about mental illness too as we had heard the term “Nervous Breakdoen” used quite often. One day the head nun announced that our gym teacher “has had a breakdown and cannot come in today, so Miss Murphy will supervise Class instead”. The nun meant her car had broken down, but we all assumed it must be one of those nervous breakdowns we hear about, and wondered how it struck the teacher that morning. Did she wake up, have breakfast, and suddenly keel over in tears? I itherwirds what exactly was the nature of a breakdown, did it come out of the blue, did it only affect adults, could we wake up one morning and get a breakdown like it and not be able to come to school. We had a healthy curiosity. Only when we can relate to something in some way can we develop our empathy enough to be a friend, a help, a resource to somebody affected. Also we can then discover things about how our own mental health is.

Rubberchikken

while the thread title seems insensitive, mental illness and speaking anout it has been kept in the dark too long.
everything and anything that brings it out into the light and gets people talking about it is good. imo.


my pick would probably be depression. to be able to truly understand it better.

RobbingBandit

Being normal for a day you neurotypical critters seem to be nuttier than squirrel poo

Foweva Awone

It's not a mental illness as such, but BPD on a good day would probably be an interesting one for some people to experience. The highs are INTENSE.

Wouldn't wish a bad day of it on anyone though.

Foweva Awone

Foweva Awone wrote: »

I'm in the habit of constantly analysing and adjusting my thoughts and feelings and actions as a result of all the DBT/CBT etc I've done, so I guess for me, normal would be the "healthy" thoughts being my first thoughts in most situations. Just being able to trust myself instead of always watching myself, you know?

I'm well acquainted with the over analysing myself and sometimes am plagued with self doubt. Other times I'm not. Something about the word "normal" makes me wonder if we are quick to assume that everyone else is ok and we aren't or that having a mental illness in some way means that person is less than. I've never experienced "normal" in my life but I have experienced vast ranges of human suffering and success.

I think I’d choose Anorexia too. A) I might get an insight into being able to control my over-generous food intake, I might get insight into something I cannot envision myself having. I’ve tasted a little helping of Depression, a dollop of Panic Attacks/agoraphobia, have had side effects of post-surgery medications which have given me hallucinations and delusions enough to have real sympathy for people with Schizophrenia, and have got excited and rooted enough on something enough to see how Manic episodes could potentially take over a life in Bipolar. The more insight I gain, the more empathy I have.

RobbingBandit

RobbingBandit wrote: »

Being normal for a day you neurotypical critters seem to be nuttier than squirrel poo

I don’t think I’m very neurotypical, hahaha. Rather neuroatypical, if there’s such a term!

jim o doom

Being religious.

Sleepy

Psychopathy - I'm sure it could help my career enormously or added bonus: as I'd only have it for 24 hours, I could legitimately plead temporary insanity for a murderous rampage in Dail Eireann!

Anthonylfc

being a woman

god knows wtf goes on in their heads :D:D:D:D

Alvaro Mushy Saint

Alvaro Mushy Saint wrote: »

Honestly as someone who's had episodes of depression, I can't even understand it when I'm not depressed. You know when you recall past states of mind or emotional reactions your brain kind of gets an echo or facsimile of those feelings and you're like "oh yeah, that's how it felt to feel like that"? I find that my non depressed brain can't do that for depression. I can tell myself the details, crying upon waking, barely eating, having no access to pleasure or peace from anything in my life and feeling so guilty about worrying people, etc etc. It's just words though. Same as when I am depressed I cannot bloody conceive of not being depressed, I can't remember how it feels to enjoy something or want anything beyond a quilt to crawl under, it seems impossible.

I find it a useful mental health self check actually if I notice what might be other symptoms cropping up.

I don't think I'd want to experience any other mental illness for any length of time though, one's plenty ty.

I always feel that during an episode of isolated Depression, the sense is very like what the mind feels during an unpleasant physical illness, except the latter is absent to account for the feeling of not wanting to do anything or being able to find pleasure. During a physical illness our brains have the pause button pressed down and we are absorbed with the physical unpleasantness until we start a proper recovery. We dont feel guilty even if we are frustrated by our illness. However, in the absence of a clear-cut physical cause of our brain-pause, and utter displeasure at it, we feel guilty to boot. Now there is some evidence emerging that definite physical processes, such as inflammation, are at the root of some depression which doesn’t have a psychological trigger. If we can eliminate the “guilt” element of depression and can work on our own personal philosophy strategies we can make depression more tolerable whilst any physical triggers can be uncovered and addressed.

Alvaro Mushy Saint

Alvaro Mushy Saint wrote: »

Honestly as someone who's had episodes of depression, I can't even understand it when I'm not depressed. You know when you recall past states of mind or emotional reactions your brain kind of gets an echo or facsimile of those feelings and you're like "oh yeah, that's how it felt to feel like that"? I find that my non depressed brain can't do that for depression. I can tell myself the details, crying upon waking, barely eating, having no access to pleasure or peace from anything in my life and feeling so guilty about worrying people, etc etc. It's just words though. Same as when I am depressed I cannot bloody conceive of not being depressed, I can't remember how it feels to enjoy something or want anything beyond a quilt to crawl under, it seems impossible.

I find it a useful mental health self check actually if I notice what might be other symptoms cropping up.

I don't think I'd want to experience any other mental illness for any length of time though, one's plenty ty.

Aww. If this wasn't the internet, I'd give you a hug.

I know exactly what you mean. When I "take to the bed" I'm a mess - don't brush my teeth, have no energy even to shower or get dressed, can't bear to go outside. But when it passes, I just want to kick my depressed self up the ass and tell him to get his sh1t together.

I remember being taught, in secondary school, that humans have evolved to be able to forget pain, it's a great advantage - otherwise, women would never go through childbirth more than once. That ability to forget pain, or depression, is great, but it shouldn't detract from the reality of the experience when it arises.

We can be very hard on ourselves when we're back in our happy states-of-mind, but it's worth bearing in mind that things won't always be so positive. Be kind to yourself!

aaronjumper

Sure I spose I'll take CDO for a spin. It's like OCD but in alphabetical order, as it should be.

Think schizophrenia would be too scary.

gifted

My dad has dementia...slow progression for a few years but gradually speeding up.....after reading the title of the thread here it got me thinking.....a part of me would like to experience what my dad is going through , his struggles, his anguish, his confusion, his anger and everything else the poor man is putting up with.....but then I say to myself that I don't want to know what he's experiencing because it would tear me apart knowing what my poor dad is going through every day and I can't do anything to help him.......so no, I wouldn't like to experience it for a day, not even a minute

gifted

gifted wrote: »

My dad has dementia...slow progression for a few years but gradually speeding up.....after reading the title of the thread here it got me thinking.....a part of me would like to experience what my dad is going through , his struggles, his anguish, his confusion, his anger and everything else the poor man is putting up with.....but then I say to myself that I don't want to know what he's experiencing because it would tear me apart knowing what my poor dad is going through every day and I can't do anything to help him.......so no, I wouldn't like to experience it for a day, not even a minute

So sorry gifted

Wibbs

gifted wrote: »

My dad has dementia...slow progression for a few years but gradually speeding up.....after reading the title of the thread here it got me thinking.....a part of me would like to experience what my dad is going through , his struggles, his anguish, his confusion, his anger and everything else the poor man is putting up with.....but then I say to myself that I don't want to know what he's experiencing because it would tear me apart knowing what my poor dad is going through every day and I can't do anything to help him.......so no, I wouldn't like to experience it for a day, not even a minute

So sorry to hear about your dad G. I watched a parent die in instalments from the same illness for over ten years and I was their carer so saw it up close enough. If it's even some meagre consolation G and of course people vary, but it would be my personal opinion from observing it that at the very start of the progression they're aware of something happening, of losing themselves alright, but that seemed to pass into a general internal confusion that had no self awareness to it and the more it progressed the less self awareness was present.

In a horrific reversal of life it was almost like going back into childhood. When you were two you didn't feel bad about the fact you were a clumsy toddler who could do little compared to an adult and you were sometimes happy and sad and anxious but it didn't last long. That part of self awareness wasn't present yet. And so with what I observed(and in others too). Failing short term memory also "helps" in that they don't tend to dwell on any particular emotion, so after it passes it passes.

Like you and for quite a while I imagined myself inside a mind like that and it freaked me out, but that's because I have the capacity of awareness that they don't have when the illness progresses. If anything it affects those close to them more profoundly than it affects them.

I agree with Wibbs post gifted. It has been said to me that its hardest on the family because we are the ones looking on as the person slips slowly away. I take a lot of comfort from believing that my mam is content in her own world and doesn't suffer. It is a very individual illness I know but I think its important to take what solae you can.

Jambalaya

[Deleted User] wrote: »

4) Full on expletive tourette for a day might be interesting to experience

I'm going to have to be pedantic and point out that Tourette Syndrome is not a mental illness but rather a neurological condition.

And having someone in my life with Tourette, I can tell you that copralalia (the use of inappropriate language-which it is thought approximately 10% of all people with Tourette have) often brings feelings of great shame and embarrassment on the person with Tourette. Added to that, it can land you in dangerous situations where people don't know you cannot control what is coming out of your mouth.

Tourette Syndrome is a widely misrepresented and misunderstood condition (even amongst some in the medical profession) and the parts of it which are not often represented in the media can be grossly debilitating for the person with the condition.

lbc2019

What an awful insensitive thread.

30 days in bed wishing you didnt exist- yeah- lets play that game...

Church on Tuesday

Depression.

I think I could have handled a certain situation better if I could have experienced that illness first hand.

Mam of 4

I wouldn't choose depression anyway . I've seen the effects it can have on a person and how long and hard a battle it can be to even try find a way up , even a little , from the depths of despair and not wanting to live any longer .

votecounts

Even for After Hours, its a bit low choosing a mental illness for a day. Would not wish it on my worst enemy.

munster87

Noveight wrote: »

Depression.

Thankfully I’ve never had a brush with it, but I’d like to have a greater understanding of it.

You mightn’t last the day though

Day Lewin

Anorexia. For just one day, might lose a pound or two. All back to normal tomorrow!

PS I have every sympathy with real anorexics. But you did ask!

manonboard

votecounts wrote: »

Even for After Hours, its a bit low choosing a mental illness for a day. Would not wish it on my worst enemy.

It's a hypothetical situation that would greatly increase our ability to empathize with other who do. It's the opposite of low.


OP,
I'd choose something like anxiety disorder. I very very rarely experience anxiety in that way that people seem to talk about it. It's the least understood emotion of all for me by a large margin.
It seems to affect so many people, yet i feel like an impostor sometimes trying to empathize and support them with it. The symptoms seem so different for each person, and yet most seem to say its not related to an event but almost like a compounding effect on itself!
A very difficult to grasp disorder. I'd love to just have a window in it so i can understand what some of loved ones experience

I had depression twice. Once for 7 years, the other for 2. It isnt interesting anymore but was terribly debilitating. It really is your mind hunting down your fears and constantly convincing you they are true about yourself.

orourkeda1977

I'd choose to be sane or normal for a day

Cushtie

Not so much a Mental Illness but an intellectual disability. I have a son with Downs Syndrome. He is non verbal and tips away in his own little world most of the time. I would love to get inside that head for a day. Just to be sure that all is well.

smeal

My mum suffers with bipolar disorder. We lived for years with it before she approached a doctor. It was always the “you have the problem, not me” reaction to everything every time we tried to step in especially during the manic episodes. All round an extremely tough illness for family to deal with.

I’d like to know what your mind thinks when you’re in a depressive episode in terms of do you look back and acknowledge easily that some of the actions you took while in a manic episode were reckless. Or is your mind so consumed with feeling down that you forget the manic episode even happened and forget what those high feelings were like.

RiderOnTheStorm

I work for the ambulance service and regularly deal with people who have dementia. It can be very hard to help them as its hard to get through to them and / or understand their train of thought. Its like they are tuned to a different frequency ... or seeing the world through the fog of a dream. I would like to experience dementia for a day ("like" is wrong word...) just to appreciate where they are coming from.

kowloon

PingTing comes for Fire wrote: »

Dyschronometria.

How would you know it was 24 hours or not?

Arghus

A God complex

smeal

smeal wrote: »

My mum suffers with bipolar disorder. We lived for years with it before she approached a doctor. It was always the “you have the problem, not me” reaction to everything every time we tried to step in especially during the manic episodes. All round an extremely tough illness for family to deal with.

I’d like to know what your mind thinks when you’re in a depressive episode in terms of do you look back and acknowledge easily that some of the actions you took while in a manic episode were reckless. Or is your mind so consumed with feeling down that you forget the manic episode even happened and forget what those high feelings were like.

A very interesting question you ask. I have known people with bipolar. One of them progressed into Parkinson’s disease, and it appears the Bipolar may have possibly have been the manifestation of the physical disease. That person totally acknowledged their disease, and always asked to be hospitalised (in interim moments) so that family would be saved from immediate exposure of severe episodes. Never got lows, just recurrent episodes of mania. I think that the depression of bipolar and mania blind proper rational thinking as it happens, so that things don’t get thought out to see good and negative aspects of the recent past before the episode sets in. Some people with Bipolar, I have read, have rapid cycling disease. A patient biography I have read describes how they can want to bury the head in bed all morning/afternoon and then go into a big high for remainder of day/night, pacing the floor with racing thoughts. I have an acquaintance who emails me all night long (I see these next day) then goes into long sleeps and can’t bare to face the world for the day-says he was hospitalised for a “Breakdown” when young but doesn’t acknowledge that any diagnosis was made.

My father suffered from a major depressive episode when he asked for hospitalization. Medications did not work, at least at first attempts. He always had very severe sinusitis (skin over si us areas turned bright red during episodes) and got severe cerebral vascular disease for last 20 years of life, although latter most probably due to smoking. He consented to ECT treatment, which worked almost miraculously for him. He returned to good health rapidly and took my mother and young self to dinner in the local restaurant, soon returning home, and stayed stable on medications until the onset of strokes a good few years later. I see that old ECT procedure as a godsend in that it worked extremely well in certain cases and at least gave great respite to many.

1800_Ladladlad

Feisar wrote: »

Snowflake is the worst form of mental illness. Getting upset over everything.

and here's the ikea armchair psychologist

JupiterKid

I’ m a sufferer of chronic anxiety but the meds have it under control and I’m pretty well at the moment. My ex partner has bipolar and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. It really is very debilitating.

Infonovice

Not sure if it can go in as a mental 'illness', but I'd like to feel what a suicidal person is feeling just before they take their own life.

A lot of people will say that the person was in good form just before they died.
I'm sure it's because they felt like it was finally going to be an end to their pain, but I would like to understand just how bad/low someone must feel to feel like the better, or only option, is to end your life.

Like I can understand self harming, emotional over eating, under eating, not being able to get out of bed, cutting yourself off from friends, lashing out at people, all those things. but to feel so much pain & unhappiness that you think the better option for you is to be dead.
I can try to understand it, but I'd like to feel it(obviously with the option of not acting on it within those 24hrs)

Fiftyfilthy

Half of them are made up anyway

kstand

Gender dysphoria. Imagine being so messed up you can’t even figure out what your genitals are for.

Jambalaya

Jambalaya wrote: »

I'm going to have to be pedantic and point out that Tourette Syndrome is not a mental illness but rather a neurological condition.

Yup I know. I know quite a lot about the condition as it happens. And in fact I was saying the same thing about BID on another thread only yesterday that we often describe things as "mental illnesss" out of ignorance about the underlying causes.

But for the purposes of this thread - the thread being more a game than a serious discussion - I thought the pedantry could be left aside for once.

The reason I picked it is less because of what type of condition it is - and more because if I was going to have a day of suffering from such a condition I would like a visible one.

Mainly because I have no idea what it must be like to simply exist with people staring, giggling, laughing, pointing, commenting, filming you on camera phones, and all the other crap around having a visible and noticeable condition of this nature in our society. In an interesting interview about the condition Damian Friel was talking about merely sitting having fast food in a shopping centre and how the teens at the table next to him stared opening laughing, pointing, and camera phone filming him. Who really knows what that must be like? I would like to try it for a day.

I reckon we could all do with a dose of that sometime at least once in our life.

lbc2019

Yes this is really classy AH some try to be pofaced and say its gaining an understanding while others are just crass and disgusting

One eyed Jack

lbc2019 wrote: »

Yes this is really classy AH some try to be pofaced and say its gaining an understanding while others are just crass and disgusting

I don’t know that the thread was ever intended to be classy or otherwise. I think the idea of it came from a good place - to try and gain an understanding of what other people with these conditions go through. One of the problems with talking about these conditions is that we do tend to talk about them in the abstract, more comfortable that way if we can maintain a safe distance and separate ourselves from these illnesses I suppose.

I have to admit I thought it was a stupid question at first, I still think it’s a stupid question, though it constitutes a valid thought experiment at the same time. Having a specific mental illness for a specific amount of time wouldn’t give anyone who doesn’t have that particular mental illness any more insight into what it’s like when that illness manifests and is expressed in another individual, and the degree to which it manifests and expresses, as mental illnesses vary wildly in degrees of severity and coping mechanisms are often as individual as the individual themselves.

The premise of the question itself is fundamentally flawed. It would be like asking ourselves what it must be like to have a broken leg, and coming up with the answers to those questions ourselves. We’re hardly going to be in any better position to empathise with someone who has broken their leg based upon how we imagine they are feeling. We’d likely get a better idea by observing and not being afraid to ask questions, and not being afraid of being told to fcuk off if a person doesn’t feel like answering our questions

I think the thread serves a purpose that wasn’t entirely intentional, as it gave people with these conditions an opportunity to share their experiences, at least some people are open to the idea of wanting to give other people an idea what it’s like for them in their circumstances to live with these conditions on a more permanent basis than just 24 hours, which wouldn’t even give a person with a choice a glimpse of what it’s like to have no choice. I have a mental condition myself, it’s not one I’d care to share and I don’t like answering questions about it, but I consider that my own business, whereas others feel differently. So asking one person what it must be like to live with a particular condition isn’t likely to give a better insight into the condition itself. For that kind of insight you’d have to ask many people, as opposed to hoping to gain any insight into a condition from a sample size of one.

Bigbagofcans

Infonovice wrote: »

Not sure if it can go in as a mental 'illness', but I'd like to feel what a suicidal person is feeling just before they take their own life.

A lot of people will say that the person was in good form just before they died.
I'm sure it's because they felt like it was finally going to be an end to their pain, but I would like to understand just how bad/low someone must feel to feel like the better, or only option, is to end your life.

Like I can understand self harming, emotional over eating, under eating, not being able to get out of bed, cutting yourself off from friends, lashing out at people, all those things. but to feel so much pain & unhappiness that you think the better option for you is to be dead.
I can try to understand it, but I'd like to feel it(obviously with the option of not acting on it within those 24hrs)

I felt suicidal numerous times before and the feeling I got was the desperate need to end the pain I was going through & spending even more time feeling like this was unbearable. The dread of suffering even more mental torture was my thinking behind ending it all.

Luckily now I am free from all depression (a miracle I think). I look back now and feel like it was someone else who had those thoughts - it's a very strange feeling.

To anyone reading this feeling these thoughts, please know that things will get better and never give up. You're too important.

Infonovice

Thanks for sharing that with us Bigbagofcans.
I'm so happy to hear you are doing well now, and may it continue x

Bigbagofcans

Infonovice wrote: »

Thanks for sharing that with us Bigbagofcans.
I'm so happy to hear you are doing well now, and may it continue x

Thanks so much

I was also happy to see some posters commenting saying they have never experienced depression - thankfully it doesn't affect everyone.

Bigmac1euro

Infonovice wrote: »

Not sure if it can go in as a mental 'illness', but I'd like to feel what a suicidal person is feeling just before they take their own life.

A lot of people will say that the person was in good form just before they died.
I'm sure it's because they felt like it was finally going to be an end to their pain, but I would like to understand just how bad/low someone must feel to feel like the better, or only option, is to end your life.

Like I can understand self harming, emotional over eating, under eating, not being able to get out of bed, cutting yourself off from friends, lashing out at people, all those things. but to feel so much pain & unhappiness that you think the better option for you is to be dead.
I can try to understand it, but I'd like to feel it(obviously with the option of not acting on it within those 24hrs)

It hits everyone differently so it’s very hard to explain.
When I suffered with depression I suffered extreme anxiety and in my head I felt quite psychotic. The racing thoughts/lack of sleep totally messed me up and threw me so out of whack.
Sleeping pills didn’t help the only way I’d sleep is if I had a Xanax but I was so afraid of becoming reliant on them.
Waking up for me was the easiest part of the day whereas for some people waking up is the worst.
Depression is so complex I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy. And I can’t get my head around how it kind of faded over time. The one thing that scares me is the thought of ever feeling like that again. I never told anyone until a year or two after feeling normal again.
Holding down a job was torture but I did make it through in the end and I enjoy speaking to people who feel depressed etc so I can share my experience. I feel this thread is actually postive. I do wish people could feel a form of depression for a 48 hour period and I think they would be able to understand it so much better.

ZX7R

my son is special needs and has mental health disorder also.
give me twenty 24 hours in his mind just too get an incite to hiss little world

ChikiChiki

Infonovice wrote: »

Not sure if it can go in as a mental 'illness', but I'd like to feel what a suicidal person is feeling just before they take their own life.

A lot of people will say that the person was in good form just before they died.
I'm sure it's because they felt like it was finally going to be an end to their pain, but I would like to understand just how bad/low someone must feel to feel like the better, or only option, is to end your life.

Like I can understand self harming, emotional over eating, under eating, not being able to get out of bed, cutting yourself off from friends, lashing out at people, all those things. but to feel so much pain & unhappiness that you think the better option for you is to be dead.
I can try to understand it, but I'd like to feel it(obviously with the option of not acting on it within those 24hrs)

The week before my old man died I'd had the best weekend Id ever had with him down west. We really enjoyed each others company going for pints and watching his favourite team play. Felt like a defining moment and agreed we must do it again.

On the day he died myself and my ex gf met him in the kitchen before we went shopping. His mood was jovial and that morning he had got his haircut, fixed the lawnmower., and cut the grass. We said our good byes and he was sitting there on the couch turning on the racing.

Then a few hours later I got the call of my brother who found him in the shed.

To this day I still cannot wrap my head around the whole thing. It will haunt me for life. Even with counselling the if, buts, and whys race through my head and I have stumbled into a few depressive episodes myself since. Its tore hearts in the family to pieces.

Chestvalve

Owen MacDermott disease with Picture This

dreamers75

Panic attacks/anxiety

Affects a few I know, would like to better understand it,.

anewme

Thread is an insult to people with mental illmess.

While some people have genuine reasons for insights, this is not the best area for genuine snswers.