[*Aurora*]

HAVE TRIGGERED JUST IN CASE

I use the term 'normal' loosely! whos to say whats normal right?
But sometimes i wonder (and this is when i'm level/stable) if in fact the people who are normal are the ones who are 'ill' ?

Are my highs and lows just pure, genuine feeling and not a mental defect (so i've had some people call it...pah) ? Are we just beautiful , open and in touch people? Maybe everyone elses mind has been dulled by the daily grind and we were spared? Maybe this is the way we're meant to be but we're told we're ill ?

Honestly, this has been going round in my head for over a year, sine i wa diagnosed in fact and i've never dared say it!

Hope this doesn't offend !

Aurora

[kikki27]

Originally Posted by *Aurora*

HAVE TRIGGERED JUST IN CASE

I use the term 'normal' loosely! whos to say whats normal right?
But sometimes i wonder (and this is when i'm level/stable) if in fact the people who are normal are the ones who are 'ill' ?

Are my highs and lows just pure, genuine feeling and not a mental defect (so i've had some people call it...pah) ? Are we just beautiful , open and in touch people? Maybe everyone elses mind has been dulled by the daily grind and we were spared? Maybe this is the way we're meant to be but we're told we're ill ?

Honestly, this has been going round in my head for over a year, sine i wa diagnosed in fact and i've never dared say it!

Hope this doesn't offend !

Aurora

You are right thats what they call mental illness and say that Its all In your head .And it what it is

[Umbral_Seraph]

Normal is subjective.

I hate it when someone says it's all in your head; it has real, physical causes.

[lonegael]

Yep, a lot of the time it is "normal". Maybe the right phrase is "Unfiltered". Or Undiluted. Undiluted means that a ot of other peoplecan only take it in smal doses. Doesn't mean that there is anything WRONG, just it's too pure, too intense for the uninitiated. Unfiltered may mean too complicated. I mean that sometimes the point is that even is we aren't sufferein from the state of our minds, we often function differently than others. That doesn't have to be wrong even of it's a little richer that what most people live on (I mean in strength of emeotions). That said, I don't think every emotion has to be blamed on a disorder. Even if the emotion is stronger, it can be easily completely justified and called for!

[PurpleFlyingMonkeys]

Aurora, you did not offend at all, not on my end at least. I would have to agree with you. I have been having these exact same thoughts for years now. It's strange with the "illness" that the doctors claim I have, I should not be functioning properly or be as happy as I am today. I was diagnosed with many things and some of which, as trying as they are and miserable at times, some of my "illness'" I am thankful for. I believe that the schizophrenia (now that it is managed) is in some ways a blessing. I've been a "spirit child" since birth pretty much and mostly due to my schizophrenia. It's always forced me to look at life differently than others. It also makes me feel more empowered and intelligent, which could be an effect of the schizo in it self : )

With my DID, it's such an amazing thing that my mind was able to adjust and go so far outside the realm of normalcy and create alters and blackouts to keep me hidden from the horrific pain that was endured by the body.

As far as the manic depression ptsd and what not, who knows, maybe those too have a deeper reason and somewhere deep down they have a bright light waiting to shine through, if there is a way to find content with schizophrenia and DID than surely I can find a way to understand the meaning of my depression and all else with time.

To answer your question more bluntly, I don't believe that normal exists within anyone. We all have our own secret thoughts and desires. We were created with a unique mind that we could keep silent if needed and that is what the majority of people do. They have been conditioned to keep their mouth shut and their minds shut to anything that does not make sense to them.

Those of us who are on the "mentally ill" path have just simply had our minds opened to the reality of deep raw emotions and the minds power. We are the real future like Einstein, Freud and Aristotle. The "normals" are the future George Bush's (Just a joke to lighten it up)

Just my thoughts though, who knows maybe I am the one who is "ill" but what fun is that : )

[indigo1015]

Hi Aurora, I know exactly what you mean, since I have often wondered that myself. I personally feel that we are more in touch with our emotions, simply because we have to be in order to function. I think that society today is very weird in that it's okay to be open about some things, however, we have to repress other things to the extent that we are very inhibited. Of course, I'm not saying that we should be completely open about EVERYTHING in our lives, however, I do agree that it has to be asked - whether or not people like us are actually more normal than others. However, you would need to define "normal" in order to run with that. Does normal mean "well-adjusted?" Or does it refer to a quantitative amount? Just some food for thought! Keep posting though, I'd be really interested to hear what other thoughts you have!

Originally Posted by *Aurora*

HAVE TRIGGERED JUST IN CASE

I use the term 'normal' loosely! whos to say whats normal right?
But sometimes i wonder (and this is when i'm level/stable) if in fact the people who are normal are the ones who are 'ill' ?

Are my highs and lows just pure, genuine feeling and not a mental defect (so i've had some people call it...pah) ? Are we just beautiful , open and in touch people? Maybe everyone elses mind has been dulled by the daily grind and we were spared? Maybe this is the way we're meant to be but we're told we're ill ?

Honestly, this has been going round in my head for over a year, sine i wa diagnosed in fact and i've never dared say it!

Hope this doesn't offend !

Aurora

[hayward]

Oh my, I just had this conversation with someone the other night. I was sharing the recent experiences I've had surrounding the suicide death of a family member.

She was letting me vent and I was describing what my weeks had been like, including my interactions with others involved. Obviously it was an emotionally charged scene full of shock guilt regret sadness and everything in between.

I have never been in a situation like this and I must say it was really interesting to see how everyone in the family dealt with it. My husband's side of the family tends to be quite distant and unemotional, to say the least. I was quite frustrated with the lack of emotion and the differences in dealing with all of it. For me, so much of it was just automatic, the empathy, the desire to help out, to listen, to give, to grieve, to talk, to just have everything right there- right out front, emotions raw. I didn't need to think about all of this first. Certain things to me were just "givens", yet people were saying things like, "Yeah, we'll call so and so eventually", and maybe we will come down in a few days etc..

Ok, YES, I understand that people grieve differently and go through different stages. I bring this situation up as an example, but this is the way many of these people are in general.

I have spent so much time in life feeling like there was something wrong with me because I am so hypersensitive. I've been made fun of for crying easily, for responding right from the heart. I have felt uncomfortable around these cold people, thinking they don't like me and that they think I am really messed up. And I do think that people like me ARE used and scapegoated because we are vulnerable.

What's my point?? Well, as I was talking about all of this, my friend pointed out that I am indeed surrounded by people who really do have issues with emotions, who have trouble showing feelings. She suggested that maybe my reactions to this death- my immediate responses, were indeed completely normal. I think I am just so use to questioning myself. There I was, letting people make me feel bad because I was feeling so much- questioning my depth of involvement etc,, Imagine if I had done the same to them: "What's WRONG with you people?? Why are you acting this way? Why do you even need to THINK about whether you should help out??"

In other words, maybe it's not just ME with the problems!! You think??

So, to answer your question, yes, I do think we are the "normal" ones. In the past, I might have said I wanted to be different- more like them. But you know what? I have to admit that given a choice, I would rather feel too much, and care too much, than not at all. (Well, maybe I'd like to temper some of it, but you know

And I even think that, as uncomfortable with my emotions that some of them are, they like having people like me around to push in front of them so they don't have to step up, to have someone to hide behind so they aren't challenged to actually show feelings.

I think it's one of the main reasons my husband married me.

[venusss]

I blogged about this some time ago...

http://venushalley1984.wordpress.com...-other-things/

it might be triggering to some.

[lonegael]

Yep. Hear you. Not only that, but there is a tendency to classify people of giftedness who see what is going on as "insane" as well, partly to dismiss and partly to make their work more marketable. Venus, noticed you like Kafka. Love him! A good book about him and how actually RATIONAL he was is Nightmare of Reason by Ernst Pawel. Have you read it? A good example of how totally understandable and reasonable responses to a mad world can be made to seem neurotic just because people want them to be. Geeze, if it's that or people, I'd choose being a dungbeetle anyday!

[sarek]

Normal is very much defined by society. So much depends on its prevailing values. The world we live in now is very much geared towards material pursuits. And if you do not feel comfortable with that you are the abnormal one.
Yet 300 years ago being pious was the greatest virtue of all. Its not the people who keep changing, its the world around us.

And it is a fallacy to think that we can fashion our society after our own design. Its way too complex for that and things will keep happening that no one has expected.

http://www.adsavvy.org/understanding...erd-mentality/

[Korana]

I think everyone had a point here. But is there a way we could ever know for sure?
I mean the statement that crazy is just a socially constructed definition and view strikes many a cord with me. I was thinking about that earlier.
So 'Normal' people often put such emphasis and offense into their description of us that I have to wonder if they're not entirely terrified of mental illness. Because you meet a person, you enjoy their company, find them charming, maybe eccentric, but interesting and nice. You say to yourself you wouldn't mind seeing them around socially again, and then you find out they have a mental illness. It makes the regular-claiming folk panicked and nervous. You see the thoughts in their eyes, "If they're crazy and act like that, could I be crazy?"

I think everyone is bonkers in some way.

[FooZe]

Originally Posted by Korana

Because you meet a person, you enjoy their company, find them charming, maybe eccentric, but interesting and nice. You say to yourself you wouldn't mind seeing them around socially again, and then you find out they have a mental illness.

That's rarely how I've found out about someone's (alleged) mental illness. More often I'll encounter a person who repeatedly says one thing, then does another and I'll start to wonder what their hidden agenda might be. It'll eventually occur to me, for instance, that if they were afraid no one would ever like them or respect them then some of the things I see them doing would make a certain kind of sense.

It makes the regular-claiming folk panicked and nervous. You see the thoughts in their eyes, "If they're crazy and act like that, could I be crazy?"

I think nothing makes you crazy faster than having to pretend you're not.

[kikki27]

Originally Posted by Umbral_Seraph

Normal is subjective.

I hate it when someone says it's all in your head; it has real, physical causes.

I hate that too thats not right they dont ever know If they will have to be on meds.

[lonegael]

I simply get told "You are NOT crazy." when I disclose. Sometimes I say, "Right, I'm Bipolar/Manic-depressive." or I say, " Yep, I am. Card-carrying member of the beeper club. Proud holder of the title in my generation."

To which I usually get told either. "Oh." Then "Will this affect your patient care/ability to manage your son's disability/quality of your journaling (yep, get to the important stuff!) or "How can we help make this easier for you to manage?" or even "Nah, you're NOT crazy."

Only once did I get the " AL, will we have to lock the door to our bedroom at night?" My mom, of course. And of course, my mom is probably the one who is on the shakiest ground mentally. The closer one is to the edge, the more afraid one is of US, more one has to make US different from THEM.

Lets face it, folks like my mom project so much she makes Dolly Parton look like Basil Rathbone.

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archive...9/am-i-normal/
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archive...-i-normal-yes/
http://www.psychologytoday.com/print/34046?page=3

[lonegael]

I mean, sure. In most ways there is no real difference. Put a neuro normal (or any normal) under physical or emotional stress and he or she will start to exhibit the same symtoms as one of us, or in the the case as those of us with dissociative abilities, if he or she is lucky. For some reason, something else is causing the sress with us. it's not so wierd, when you come right down to it. Thinking of Byz's last article above! Thanks again, Byz!

[schitzoaffective]

Originally Posted by *Aurora*

HAVE TRIGGERED JUST IN CASE

I use the term 'normal' loosely! whos to say whats normal right?
But sometimes i wonder (and this is when i'm level/stable) if in fact the people who are normal are the ones who are 'ill' ?

Are my highs and lows just pure, genuine feeling and not a mental defect (so i've had some people call it...pah) ? Are we just beautiful , open and in touch people? Maybe everyone elses mind has been dulled by the daily grind and we were spared? Maybe this is the way we're meant to be but we're told we're ill ?

Honestly, this has been going round in my head for over a year, sine i wa diagnosed in fact and i've never dared say it!

Hope this doesn't offend !

Aurora

Im not sure, sometimes it feels like overperception is a gift, but the lows just feel so bad.

[Elysium]

NORMAL is one of the most suffered from delusions I have EVER heard of!!

[setemfree]

Sarek,
It's true that we cannot fashoin society to our precise whims, but society is constructed by the people who participate in it. We do make change by being changed.
I didn't wait for education reform to finally fix the schools. Instead I homeschooled my kids. We bypassed the broken institution within society, and honored the natural learning tendencies of human children. Many people doing these kinds of changes creates change on a wider scale.
Take a cue from Bayard Rustin (look it up, peeps) and be the change!

[Can't Stop Crying]

Originally Posted by Umbral_Seraph

Normal is subjective.

That doesn't mean that mental illness isn't real or doesn't exist. It's more like...who decides what normal is?

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) is used most frequently to classify mental disorders in the United States. The rest of the world uses the Tenth Revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10), Chapter V: Mental and behavioral disorders

These manuals classify the abnormal. While some people may present various symptoms, they are not given a classification when not meeting all of the requirements listed for a particular disorder.

[Nightside of Eden]

This is a discussion which I have had with my friends and family many times. Are we defective, or simply different? It's a tough question to answer.

My best friend is Bipolar, and he once created a theoretical world where 90% of the population had mood cycles similar to his. He worked out how everything from governments to typical ways of socializing would be different. And of course the 10% of people who DIDN'T have Bipolar were now the mentally ill freaks who needed psychiatric help and medication to make them cycle like everyone else. It was fascinating, and I took his point to heart.

It was a little like the episode of the Twilight Zone where the woman is desperate to not look like a freak anymore. Of course at the end, when they take the bandages off, we see that the woman is beautiful by our standards, but that the standard of beauty in her world is completely different (involving something rather like a pig snout). So in a world where grotesque pig snouts are the norm, her "beauty" is a horrifying deformity. I love that episode...

I also believe that my own dx, PTSD, is a completely natural reaction to unnatural situations. It would be crazy to NOT have an emotional reaction to the things I've seen. It's a sane reaction to an insane world.

Or, as my husband said, "Of course I'm going to be depressed if I look at the world with an open and empathetic heart, it's a bloody depressing place we've made for ourselves here."

All of which I suppose is my very long-winded way of saying I don't really think I'm crazy. Which is why I won't take any medication or allow therapists to drill thinking patterns into my head which will make me "normal". Screw normal, I just want to learn better ways of coping with my feelings and the world around me, so I can be happier and safer.

Many people who are involved in traumatic events have a brief period of difficulty adjusting and coping. But with time and healthy coping methods, such traumatic reactions usually get better. In some cases, though, the symptoms can get worse or last for months or even years. Sometimes they may completely disrupt your life. In these cases, you may have post-traumatic stress disorder. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pos...6/METHOD=print

People deal with many types of illnesses. Each of us has our own perception of what we are dealing with. Someone with a severe psychosis might need an intervention. Someone who is dealing with depression like I do may learn to cope and function outside of treatment (although there was a time I truly needed help).

Labels like different, defective or crazy do not present a complete picture. I am different. I have an illness, but I can function even though I have on occasion stated I am defective. At one time I also was diagnosed with PTSD. I no longer am because I was fortunate enough to work my way though it.

For me, the goal is to function at a higher level. The semantics are way less important than the progress.