Do you consider yourself "mentally ill?"

The term "mentally ill" stems from the Medical Model. You are a patient, you see a doctor because you are sick. The term keeps us trapped, and promotes stigma. I am a participant in the mental health community. I consider myself as having "lived experience." I refer to my diagnosis as my Bipolar Gift. Language can help or be destructive. Thanks for asking this question.

Im not a big fan of mentally ill and prefer crazy.

But I like mentally interesting alot!!!

I am mentally ill, yes. I am many other things; mentally ill is one thing I am.

Yep, I sure do. I know I did nothing whatever to cause this dysfunction of my brain, and currently the jargon available to our age is 'mentally ill' therefore, I am.

Someday they'll call what I have by it's right name - a chemical imbalance; however, that requires some serious teaching of the masses. Until that time, I'm fine being 'mentally ill' and explaining how my particular bipolarity works and what it causes in my particular personality.

Thus proving there is no "one size fits all" when it comes to being 'mentally ill'. Sneaky way to teach people, innit?

I never ever think of myself as mentally I'll nor do I ever use that term to describe myself. When I am really bad but not aware of how bad I am my friends will sit me down and tell me that I'm sick right now...which I feel OK about them saying because it is more descriptive of what is really going on...as in I am experiencing symptoms of disease. When I am well I am not sick. I tend to lack awareness of the severity of my symptoms or behavior (even though I may have a basic understanding that I am not well), so I do not mind them reminding me using by saying I'm sick rather than mentally ill.

I have told myself that I was mentally ill or crazy. This past year I learned that Im not crazy, I have a disease. This summer my eyes have really opened when I got a new doctor and started seeing a therapist.

Its easy for other people to think your crazy because that is how they cope with us and define us. They are uneducated.

I decided to own this, it wouldn't own me. Medication change and getting some real help has gotten me to this point.

"Mentally ill" is probably appropriate but for I'd rather say nothing, but if I had to I would say I'm a person with a mental illness.

Ya It means the same thing but It's all in the wording

I don't like to consider myself mentally ill but I am. My interpretation of the connotations of Mentally ill seems like something someone else has and not me. I guess meaning I am not what the media says when they describe someone as being mentally ill.

I consider myself sick now. I guess it goes into remission when it is under control. I'm not sick as in some pity me way, it's that it is so very impacting on me and my family that I know that it is not how I want to be and how "typically functioning" folks are.

I am not ill, I am troubled.

I do not like the term "mentally ill", and do not use it for myself or for others.

For starters, it lumps everyone together, as if we are all the same, which obviously, we are not. Even aside from considering mild from severe, symptoms themselves differ a lot.

This "lumping together" totally supports public ignorance, because it reinforces the illusion of "us" and "them". It pretends there is a line. Show me that line. It doesn't exist. Some delineations that are out there: "those who have sought psychiatric help", "those on psychiatric meds", "anyone who's been hospitalized", etc. Many of the sickest people fit none of these. And generally speaking, those who do fit these "criteria" are the responsible ones, because they do these things(!) *

As a follow up to above, to say that this attitude (us/them) keeps people from getting help is a whopping understatement. So it not only accomplishes nothing helpful, it is actively harmful.

As if that weren't enough, it cannot be denied that the term implies a constant state of being. But this is not true. And if anyone can attest to that, it is people with bipolar!

These things in no way mean I am denial. When I am unwell, I am in a very bad way. That doesn't mean I have to label myself with a stigma-loaded term that is so broad and ill-defined as to be basically useless.

(* Please note that in saying this, I am not saying that only the medicated are responsible. Those who acknowledge and take measures to manage their symptoms can also be considered responsible. In above, I'm merely trying to keep it simple to make the broader point. Also, I do not want the thread to get derailed over it.)

Taking myself as a whole, behavior over the years, yes. There has always been something wrong with me despite my attempts to hide it.

I am not normal.

I hate the negative conotations to the words "metally ill", but it is what I am. I never say to others that I have a mental illness, I just tell them I have bipolar. Even then, people don't get it.

I agree with this. I find many of us like to skirt the truth of our disability. Perhaps this is why many go off their meds regardless of the consequences and quite possibly end up leaving a trail of destruction which ends them up in inpatient? This is of course an exaggeration, but I suspect it applies to more than many are willing to admit to themselves.

There is nothing wrong with having a lifelong illness that qualifies them as being handicapped. There is nothing wrong with calling it a mental illness. Because that is the naked truth. But depending on the situation, couching it situationally dependent, more productive terms can help allot. But just do not be taken in by your own facade. IMO all of us here are mentally ill. And those that are asymptomatic are just in remission. Of course this is just my opinion.

I have spoken.

Since I'm majoring in psychology while also having a mood disorder, I use mentally ill interchangeably with other terms, but only with myself. I refrain from using it when discussing anyone or anything else unless it severely interferes with someone's life patterns.

Personally, the term mentally ill does not bother me. The only occasions it has is when someone is using it as a way to insult me or discredit my opinion.

AMEN to that! I mean, I don't go around saying I'm mentally ill, or that I have a mental illness. But, I figure everyone in this berg I live in already figured it out anyway, even b4 I was officially dx'ed! That's why I don't have any friends out here.

Yeah, while I HATE the term mentally ill ( for reasons previously stated) I'm in no way in denial about my bipolar.

I mean I don't even bother to hide my dx, from anyone. Lol

I readily refer to myself as crazy, and my loved ones do too, because something's always been "off" with me, we knew wayyyy before the doctors did, they just narrowed down my type of crazy!

I don't mind calling myself crazy at all, I've worked damn hard too!

My family refers to people with a mental illness as having a problem. I like to think of it as being unique. Just call me unique.

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I'm not mentally Ill I'm bipolar, bat **** crazy, not well, confused, ****ed up or interesting depending on my mood.