Who's the lunatic: Bush or me?

[Einstein99]

I have clinical depression. Recently, I suffered a setback and was admitted to my local behavioral health unit (a.k.a. psych ward) for treatment. Anyone who has ever been through this experience knows that at least once a day, the patient is asked a series of questions by one of the staff. After I was released from the hospital, I began reflecting on these questions in a comparative way. Specifically, I thought about my answers compared to how George W. Bush might have answered the questions. Here are some examples:

Do you drink alcohol or illegal drugs?
Me: No, I’ve never used drugs, I’ve never been more than an occasional drinker, and I gave that up years ago.
GWB: No comment.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your level of depression today?
Me: In the beginning, 8; by the time I left the hospital, 4.
GWB: We’re winning the war on terrorism, the economy is improving, the country is on the right track. What’s to be depressed about?

Do you hear voices?
Me: No.
GWB: I hear the voice of God. He told me that He wanted me to be president and to lead the nation at this particular time in history.

Do you have any thoughts of hurting yourself or anyone else?
Me: No.
GWB: I’d like to give ol’ Dickie a swift kick in the ass for getting me into this mess in Iraq, I’m torturing people in prisons around the world, I’ve killed over 2100 Americans and more than 100,000 Iraqis (mostly civilians), and then there are all those people I ignored after Hurricane Katrina, but other than that, no.

Do you have any fears that someone is out to get you?
Me: No.
GWB: Naw, between the Patriot Act and paying the press to subvert the First Amendment and spread disinformation, I think we’ve got that pretty well covered.

Do you have a support system that you can depend on when you leave the hospital?
Me: Well, I’ve got a brother and a few friends who are very supportive.
GWB: My daddy and I aren’t speaking to each other any more, but I’ve got plenty of friends in the oil industry, and they owe me big time.

Now, I’m in the psych ward, and George W. Bush is in the White House. If you ask me, either something is terribly wrong with our mental health system in this country, or something is terribly wrong with the country. Pretty scary, huh!

[acmavm]

1. Your post demonstrates is a perfect demonstration that bush** has not

nor has he ever been known for his intellectual capabilities or his stability factor. In fact, the guys a few loads short of a brick. But he's the worst kind of nutcase, he's convinced that his convictions and beliefs are divinely inspired.

[NMDemDist2]

2. worth a K&R and a wish for you to continue to improve :hug: n/t

[mrcheerful]

3. Why did you think the remuglicans closed all of the mental institutes?

Most of their base came from them. What do you call a persons thats had a lobotomy? Republican fundie. Whats the difference between a republican and a manic depressive? Their is no difference, they both think they are either god or the victims of life. Need I continue, lol.

[peacetalksforall]

4. Well, a little bit of depression helped you write a zinger. Short and to

the point and any insufferable follower of the lie and atrocity generating White House can get the point. What do you write when you're not in a depression? Wow! Bravo! Thanks for posting.

[Einstein99]

12. Actually, I am a writer.

In the past I've written mostly non-fiction, but I do have a novel collecting dust on a shelf, and I've written a fair amount of poetry this past year. People keep asking me when I am going to publish my poems, but publishers usually require a writer to have 50-100 poems before they will consider publishing them, so I'm working up to that.

[FormerRepublican]

5. The problem is George should have never been released from the asylumn.

He's still suffering from VERY SERIOUS mental illness with criminal tendencies (and no other sufferer even comes close to his complete mental incompetence).

BTW, I've also been through the depression thing. You're not alone and there are a lot of folks who understand. IMO, the whole stigma thing is superstitious bunk best left in the dark ages with persecution of witches, blood letting to get rid of evil humours, and hunting for people with the devil's mark. I keep wondering when our great medical system will finally wake up and realize that all forms of mental illness are actually PHYSICAL illnesses with mental symptoms. (sigh)

[Bellamia]

9. The "depression thing"......

Been there, done that myself. I find it interesting that you wrote:
"I keep wondering when our great medical system will finally wake up and realize that all forms of mental illness are actually PHYSICAL illnesses with mental symptoms. (sigh)" How did you come by that info?? My last therapist was the first to point out that Depression IS a physical condition with mental symptoms...but, the others ????, have you any links to support that?

One other comment.I have a problem with anyone equating "lunacy" with Depression. Pretty unfair.

[mrcheerful]

13. I sure hope

you didn't take my post as saying mental illness is a joke. I'm been living with bi polar disorder for 37 years and know its not fun. If you don't get meds prescribed you will tend to self medicate with alcohol and street drugs, which then leads into other problems, like addiction. I was just trying to compare fundies, kool aid drinkers and wing nuts with real mental illnesses, which by the way, makes me wonder how many of them are untreated mentally ill people. Their behaviors are very close to people that have mental disorders, religion is one escape that mentally ill use in place of chemicals. With the way repigs view mental illness i would also play into the belief that theres nothing wrong with them. Remember mentally ill people look for outside causes and ignore that it comes from with in them selves.

[FormerRepublican]

15. OK, let's talk about this. Mental illness occurs in the brain.

The brain is part of the body. The body is physical, and so is the brain. So, how could a mental illness originating in the brain be anything EXCEPT physical?

In addition, brain scans continually show that people with mental illness show abnormal brain function. Well, if my heart is acting abnormally, isn't that physical? Why is it different when the abnormally functioning part is the brain?

Trying to say that mental illness is anything other than a physical problem simply defies logic. The reason why mental illness got a bad rap causing a huge stigma is because they used to say people who suffered from it were possessed by demons. Just like they used to say that people with epilepsy were possessed by demons. Well, guess what - epilepsy is a physical abnormality proven to originate in the brain. And if our medical profession would ever get their head out of their *, they'd prove mental illness falls into the same category.

If you're really interested, try reading some of the research papers on mental illness. Here's what the surgeon general has to say:

http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter2/sec2.html

Here's some more:

http://wbln0018.worldbank.org/hdnet/hddocs.nsf/c840b59b6982d2498525670c004def60/b092b9255dda30f085256a46004b7c39
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=54847 (this is my particular curse that doctors argued with me for years over before they finally figured out - oh, you're right!)
http://www.uams.edu/info/Updates/June01/mental.htm
http://www.usmedicine.com/column.cfm?columnID=29&issueID=19

It's also interesting to note the studies associated with epilepsy, especially temporal lobe epilepsy. A probe is inserted into the brain, an electrical shock is applied, and the patient experiences an event - fear, depersonalization, loss of memory, etc. IMO, that's pretty direct evidence that mental illness is based on dysfunction of the brain.

People seriously SUFFER from mental illness because we don't understand how the brain functions, we doctor them based on faulty data just like the quacks who used to bleed people to cure them, and patients are treated like it's the dark ages - eek, you've got a mental illness because you're possessed by the devil! :sarcasm: We need to grow up, drag our minds out of the dark ages, and learn to treat all illnesses the same.

[Einstein99]

11. Point well taken

Depression is not lunacy. I just wanted to catch people's attention so that they would read my post, and I couldn't think of a more clever headline.

As for what FormerRepublican said about depression being a physical illness, there are two points of view. There are some people who call themselves "psychiatric survivors" who believe that medications have done them more harm than good (and in some cases they may be right). They also believe that psychiatric disorders are purely psychological and that medications cannot cure their conditions, only suppress their behavior.

The more commonly held view, and the one accepted almost universally in the medical community, is that mental illnesses are correlated with brain dysfunctions resulting from physical injuries or the improper functioning of neurotransmitters. In the latter case, people often speak of mental illnesses as neurobiological disorders. For more on this point of view, you might start with the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. I'm not sure, but I would guess that their Website is NAMI.org.

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

18. PTSD falls into the category of

"mental illness." Post traumatic stress disorder.

There are some "mental illnesses" that people seem to be born with, ie schizophrenia.

There are others that result from either psychic or physical wounding, ie trauma.

I too have suffered clinical depression, and for me it came with a clear sense that my body chemistry had changed in a powerful way.

When that happened, medication seemed to be necessary to undo the shift.

Sometimes I think it would be best to dump all the labels and current diagnoses, and start all over. Thereby dumping all the accummulated misinformation, stigma, and shame that has been a part of "mental illness."

[FormerRepublican]

20. I have PTSD too (lucky me). I read a British study that shows...

...folks with PTSD have abnormal brain function in the areas where the fight or flight response is turned off. So you end up with PTSD because fight or flight gets stuck on and doesn't shut off completely like it's supposed to.

Probably why I suffer from so many variants is that my brain has some structural abnormalities that caused the various problems - epilepsy, depression, and PTSD. In my case, these abnormalities are visible in imaging. Medication doesn't work on me at all - perhaps because the abnormalities in my brain are too severe for the medication to affect it? Epilepsy damages neurons, and the neurons may be so damaged that the medication can't alter their function.

I get VERY frustrated with doctors who aren't current on this stuff because I end up arguing with them over stuff that's already been proven. And people acting like I can control it - whew, baby - have you ever tried to control an epileptic seizure and make it stop? In my case, it's the same with symptoms of PTSD and depression, yet I'm told over and over again (by non-doctors) that I'm in control of it and can make it stop just by thinking about it. Doctors at least are finally starting to get a clue and now understand that my depression and PTSD symptoms are an offshoot of my epilepsy, and once they get started I can't turn them off. They also tend to all fire off at the same time, which is real fun.

But I think the bottom line is that most of these kinds of things are related to physical problems, not some inherent personal characteristic of the individual who suffers from them (i.e., they are not to blame). The stigma is stupid. And a lot of people suffer more from the stigma than they do the illness itself. That's even stupider.

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

22. I agree wholeheartedly

with everything you have said.

I too suffer from PTSD, but the stigma is so great that I don't even begin to try to talk about it except with a very few people who know me and who I know very well.

And I've experienced the stigma, the doubting, the discounting, the lack of comprehension all too often.

[FormerRepublican]

25. Just remember that you're not alone. There's this horrible stigma, but...

...if everyone knew about each other's illness they'd find out how common it is, and how many others are suffering silently beside them.

I gave up on the stigma thing as sheer stupidity long ago. I now talk about this stuff and hang the consequences. If people aren't grown up enough to be able to deal with it, screw 'em.

But I, too, know all about the downside of dealing with others when you have this type of illness. It impacts every aspect of your life.

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

27. Thanks, appreciate it.

Let me slightly rephrase.

I don't so much not talk about it cause of the stigma, at least not as perceived by me.

It is the futility and uselessness of any prior such discussions that has taught me it doesn't work for me, except with a tiny circle of friends.

[FormerRepublican]

29. I think everyone has to deal with it in a way that works for them.

For me, talking helps. For you, staying quiet except with those most trusted helps. IMO, anything that helps is a good thing. :)

Sometimes I think the world is run by ignorance, since it seems so common and so frequently the cause of social problems. Why is racism a problem? Ignorance. Why are attacks on gay people a problem? Ignorance. Why did the Holocaust happen? Ignorance. If we could only educate the world and teach tolerance, we could end a whole lot of ugly problems!

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

33. Very true, we each have to find our own way. There's ignorance

and then there are the chickenhawk vultures ready to pounce and use that ignorance for their own twisted agenda.

Leaving a path of still more ignorance, more hatred in the process.

Sociopaths who don't know right from wrong, but are good at fooling some of the people some of the time, but increasingly fewer, thank goodness (are fooled).

[FormerRepublican]

34. Why does that sound like Bush?

;) He's such a 'puking toad.

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

37. Cause he's the quintessential sociopath etc. n/t

[FormerRepublican]

38. I actually did an armchair psych eval on Bush here at DU....

The trouble is - he has so MANY problems!

:rofl:

Edit: for stupid typos.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. May you find peace in your life

kicked and nominated your thoughtful post.

[Sanity Claws]

7. Well done comparison

I hope you're getting the help you need. I hope you were given more help than just a slip of paper from a prescription pad. Let me know if you want to talk about non-prescription help for your depression. :hug:

[spooky3]

8. Maybe * is CAUSING your depression! Great post.

Seriously, best wishes for your full and complete recovery.

[Einstein99]

10. No kidding.

I think it was actually a factor among others.

[robbedvoter]

14. Recommended. Depression is one sane response to W's lunacy.

I could thonk of a few others too...

[Joe Chi Minh]

16. No wonder your name's Einstein! Aren't all the profoundest

equations said to be very simple?

[BlueAwards]

17. Nicely done!

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

19. * is mentally ill in a way that is socially acceptable, unfortunately

He and his type are very destructive to those around them, usually those much nearer to them than an entire nation or planet.

[FormerRepublican]

21. Bush just has people around him who keep the guys with the butterfly nets

away. His mental illnesses are NOT socially acceptable, he's just managed to collect a coterie to keep him protected from a straight jacket by spinning a good tale about a Bush that doesn't exist.

We're just screwed by the fact that the Presidency doesn't require the resident to routinely have his head examined.

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

23. Yes, true to an extent. But in general I believe it is victims of people

like * who end up seeking major treatment, rather than * himself.

They seem to externalize everything onto others, thus giving themselves a cathartic experience, and leaving those near him wounded.

[FormerRepublican]

26. So true. Bush does love to share the "joy." Sometimes I think he really

does get off by killing people. One seriously sick puppy. Compared to him, I'm relatively well off.

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

28. I would NEVER wish to exchange personalities, character traits

etc with *.

Never.

He lost his soul a long time ago, and doesn't even know it.

[robbedvoter]

30. Some get ulcers, some give them - Ed Koch delighted in saying.

Some - I learned - are "mental health carriers". W is actually both a patient AND a carrier.

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

35. That's a good one! Some give ulcers, yup.

W is a carrier of the worst kinda despair, pain, sickness.

[EFerrari]

24. Yes to both. There is something terribly wrong with the MH system

and there is something terribly wrong with the country.

Thanks for being part of the solution.

:thumbsup:

And, while you're at it, visit the Mental Health Support Group. Lovely DUers there.

:)

[MsConduct]

31. He's delusional, you're not. So, in MHO, you're fine he's all

f-ed up.

Need any help escaping? :-)

[BlueEyedSon]

32. When the world has gone mad, the sane are in the asylums.

Or something like that....

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

36. Old joke: What's the dif between the patients & staff in a psych hospital

or ward?

Answer: The patients are getting better.



Kinda analogous to the leaders and we whose party, beliefs are out of power. We're getting stronger.

[Inland]

39. LOL! Nice work. nt

[BenDavid]

40. I commend you for

writing this personal account.... But all I have to say about bushit is taken from the movie The Rock, when Mason (Sean Connery) said to the Major, "personally I think you're a fucking idiot"....