if you could take something to take away your mental illness completely, would you?

I'd love to be rid of my depression, but i can't see that being possible without fixing some physical things that are wrong. Some of my condition stems from a reaction to what i physically am.

I'd certainly like to try life without the extra angst the psychological issues cause though.

But as others have said, many of these problems are what mould who we are - because of my experiences, i have helped many others. I would not have been there for them if i hadn't gone through what i have, and that would have been tragic.

I honestly don't think i can answer this as a yes/no without having that pill in front of me. That is when i would know.

It depends how much one associates who they are with their mental illness. I think many people, even those with low self-esteem, essentially want to continue being themselves, but perhaps a "better" version of themselves.

Personally, I'd be glad to be rid of it all. I don't see much to salvage of my personality anyway so I wouldn't mind being someone else if that was the price I had to pay.

Oh damn right I would! This all sucks and I hate it! The thought that every day is a new day and all that is exhausting...staying positive is a lot of work and can get me down too!
I would give anything to be rid of this depression, anxiety, inabilty to handle the smallest stress, fear of making the wrong decision...etc etc....that would be better than winning the lottery!
I have been so lost in regret and saddness and pain....oh wow to be rid of it all sounds like the absolute BEST thing in the world.

I find all the answers interesting as well.... many assumptions (like you wouldn't be creative if you didn't have MI? How could that be known? --and does that mean that all creative people are MI???? Or that you couldn't possibly be free of all of it, or that you wouldn't be a wonderful person in still another way but without the mental unwellness...

.... what if the mental unwellness is what's clouding your thinking right now, causing the inability to suppose that being free from the mental unwellness would allow you to be and do everything you wish to be and do? Can't one consider that bad things occur to everyone, but there are those with certain traits, or sensitivities etc., who's response causes them to succumb to negative events, or respond in a totally different way. (Trauma does occur to many people who do not develop PTSD, for example.) We all know someone in life I suspect, who glosses over negative events in his/her life and goes right on with their own plans, as if nothing negative had occurred.


Oft times the way we think directs our course in life (or greatly limits it). Right?

This is a hard question. I would love to live without it all but sometimes it is hard to distinguish the disease from the personality. Would Not being depressed and anxious make me less of a caregiver? Or the other way around? Would feeling better make me less compassionate?
After more than 20 years I have hope for a cure not just "live with it the best you can" but it will take a lot of work and I feel like the work is important to me feeling better long-term

Because it's an impossibility. There is no real answer to this question. Since there is no Mental Illness or disorder that is simple, you also can't just simply ask "if you could take your MI/PD away would you?"

Let me elaborate. There are so many aspects to my being BPD. I deal with emotional dysregulation, fears of abandonment, bouts of anger, impulsivity... and more. To ask if something could take any of this or all of it away is just unfathomable in my mind.

If I were to look at the traits I have, one by one, that doesn't simplify things either. Take impulsivity -- sure I'd like to be less impulsive but then what is the positive side, as remotely as the positives may come out? Sponteneity. Sometimes, I know not very often, impulsive can be acceptable or even good. About the only one that I can think of that is truly 100% negative, is anger, uncontrolled and unreasonable anger at times. Of course you can't just cure my anger either though. It's tied into my emotional dysregulation and therefore it would have to affect the rest of my emotionalism too. That would mean I would be less passionate, on the positive side. Which means I'd probably lose my passion for art and therefore my creativity too. That's a scary thought.

I could go on but you see my point I hope from this.

No, I would not want to cure myself anymore than I'd want to be a different person altogether. I am what I am and as dysfunctional as I may be, learning to cope with my behaviors is really all I'd like to do.

im going to say no because all my experiences have formed me into the person I am today, and I have to say that I am very comfortable with who I am nowwww

If someone could take away my issues, yes

Absolutely.

I would in an instant so I could be the mother, daughter, an friend I have always wanted to be. I know everyone understands or most everyone anyway but it would be great if there was nothing for them to understand any more.

No.

i have paranoid schiz but with all the trouble that comes with it i definitely learned a thing or two about humility and being humble AND seeing other people who are different from me in a positive way. i didnt grow into a new person - i just feel like ive been shaped and molded into something slightly better.

Yes!!!! But somehow learing bit by bit how to manage it

i know that being medicated helped with a lot of my mood swings but also subdued my creativity. I know that most of the artwork and creativity I have flows from my passion and emotional extremes, which is, also one of the traits attributed to my "disorder".

No. Jumping to the conclusion that this makes any assumption that all creatives are mentall ill is way off base. I don't think that attributing one's creativity to their MI is in anyway implying that. That's a huge jump. Although I will say that many famous creative artists were at best, "eccentric".

Whether someone were still a great person or not lacking their mental illness, is soemthing we cannot know. I might also add that we're all, in a certain degree flawed mentally. Show me one person lacking in any kind of mental instability whatsoever. Very hard to imagine myself free of MI when i don't even have a real example of that IRL.

I again reiterate that I know of no such people in real life that lack any kind of weakness, mental instability or illness. I think that all of us have it to some degree but some are able to cope well and get by better with theirs without help more than others.

Always. The way we think directs our course in life. There is no such time where our thoughts, patterns and behavioral habits do not affect our the way our life goes. We're never completely on Autopilot so yes.

I don't think so but maybe that's just because I'm not able to think straight because of all my issues. Logic says I should jump at the opportunity, but I don't want to take anything or make any big changes.
Pixie

I'm waiting in line to have this all gone. I don't want to live this way forever. I've been dealing with mental issues for 1o years now. be done with it/

Yes without a doubt. Being bipolar has caused me nothing but grief. I had to drop out of college, be put in a mental institution, had several suicide attempts. Now I am struggling in my 40s with low income jobs and trying to mange debilitating depression. I have no energy and feel like crap. I can't see how anyone would not want to take away their illness.

No, the fact that my brain works differently than it should has a TON of benefits to me. Yea these benefits come with a high cost but I would rather be a bit messed up and unique than a "normal" robot...

Without a doubt!!!

No. I am who I am. However terrible or great I am, I am me.

Not completely, I like the hyperactive personality that ADHD gives me sometimes, but besides that, it all sucks. ADHD, OCD, GAD, all of my conditions can go die for all I care.

i would ...

yes, in a New York minute!

Yes, without a moment's hesitation.