Do you disregard people who say they have a mental illness?

[Gaebryel Quintyne]

Unless you yourself have gone through a mental breakdown of any kind or suffered through a mental illness or even know of someone who is suffering through it, you can't really say that you disregard them. With experience (first-hand or second-hand), comes knowledge and understanding.
There is already a stigma with mental illnesses and people not believing when someone says that they are going through something mentally-related, it makes it even more hard and exacerbates their condition. It's better to give the benefit of doubt then to discredit them.
Obviously you cannot be self-diagnosing yourself, that is very serious business. I know that if you go to a hospital and say that you sometimes have thoughts of hurting yourself or others but you can control it, even then, the doctors or residents on call will keep you overnight against your will. I know so because it happened to me and I was so angry, mad and depressed that I could not go home with my wife and stay with my parents. But I had to oblige to their request or I would have been restrained in a straight jacket by the orderlies, which would have made me go ballistic.

[breadisfunny]

Lots of them yes especially the assholes who claim to be bipolar and when I ask what they mean by it they give an example of something not related to being bipolar. Like when I worked in the DOC every inmate claims to be bipolar.

that's because they are probably hoping to be sent to an insane asylum instead where the security is more lax.

[TheBeardedOne]

Yes why wouldn't I

[Adamcrazy3]

Meh.. some people just want attention

[Deleted]

I find myself more concerned when people constantly claim to not have a mental illness, when evidence would suggest otherwise.

My mother had me tested!

[wildemu]

The internet is the perfect gateway for people with mental illness. It's the most convenient portal to the outside world without actually being in it. I would wager a large percentage of internet users have some form of illness that they may not even be aware of. I am aware of mine (social anxiety).

[Raphtheone]

There's nothing wrong with me. My mother had me tested.

[Deleted]

Everybody on MMOC has a mental illness, me included

[Vizardlorde]

My mother had me tested, the shrink said I suffered from addiction and there may have been other underlying reasons for my drop in grades but I needed more therapy sessions. So I told my mother she was a quack and never went again.

[Tradewind]

Everybody on MMOC has a mental illness, me included

I don't. I'm like the Nurse Ratchet around these parts. I just keep an eye on all of you and ration cigarettes.

[Hawthorne Wipes]

I don't. I'm like the Nurse Ratchet around these parts. I just keep an eye on all of you and ration cigarettes.

Ration cigarettes is the perfect way to drive someone mad

[Tradewind]

Ration cigarettes is the perfect way to drive someone mad

you can have them when you calm down

[Naxere]

Generally, yes, but I tend to disregard pretty much everyone outside of my circle. Lack of empathy and all that jazz.

[Sevyvia]

I guess I'm talking about online forums and such. Seems everyone has some sort of depression or mental illness and they just keep playing it up like they are special snowflakes and romanticizing the shit out of it.

Maybe i'm an asshole but i'm getting a bit tired of the whole thing.

The people romanticizing it are the ones that generally either don't have it (But once read some shit on Tumblr and think they have it) or have a very light version. I've dealt with depression (fluctuating from hermit shut-in for 3 months at a time to almost normally functioning member of society) for over 10 years now, and it's not fucking romantic. It annoys me every time people try to use conditions they don't really have as an excuse or a way to seem special.

So yeah, be tired of them. But also remember that there are plenty of people out there who suffer from the real thing, not the Tumblr version. I no longer tell people about my depression because I find it colors them. I certainly don't tell employers about it unless legally required, because it's an easy way to get shown the door. I learned that lesson years ago.

[Annoying]

Unless it's entirely relevant to the discussion at hand, yeah.

I mean, if we're having a discussion about a particular disorder, and someone chimes in who happens to have it, it's perfectly fine usually.
But if we're having a discussion about something entirely different, and someone uses it to support some argument or something like that, I tend to ignore what they just said.

- - - Updated - - -

It annoys me every time people try to use conditions they don't really have as an excuse or a way to seem special.

It's not even them just trying to feel special. It's when they use it as some sort of trump card for the position they're defending... ugh. "Well I have <X>, and I most certainly know that <entirely different point Y> isn't the case."

[taliey]

There's nothing about disclosing a mental illness that should preclude them from being credible.

There are other ways to lose credibility, but merely having a mental illness is not one of them.

[Deleted]

There's nothing about disclosing a mental illness that should preclude them from being credible.

There are other ways to lose credibility, but merely having a mental illness is not one of them.

Depends upon the disorder in actuality.

Certain disorders detract both social and legal credibility (Think pathological lying, attention seeking related disorders, a few personality disorders etc).

But for the vast majority you're correct, simply having depression doesn't make you lose all credibility.

[breadisfunny]

not unless they start spouting off stories of how there is transmitters in the dishwasher buried by the cia.

[Dezerte]

The Internet is sort of a safe haven for people with mental issues, so naturally this group of people will be overrepresented here. But no, I don't disregard people who have or claim to have mental issues. It's ethical and more constructive to give them the benefit of the doubt.

[theostrichsays]

Online and offline, I'm generally skeptical when people make the claim but I do this amazing thing, and keep it to myself. I understand people cope and respond differently.