Hello Quinn.
I have had quite a few episodes of
depression and severe anxiety disorders
throughout my life and did not know what
was wrong until just recently. I simply
assumed that my feelings were caused by
some set of circumstances, and blamed
outside situations for the way they made
me feel, or for the way I couldn't help
but feel.
As for the MENTAL ASSESMET TEST, I think
that it's certainly a worthwhile idea, yet
I would like to point out some problems
with testing a general population for (any
especially these) symptoms...
- People who lack information and exposure
might not take the test seriously.
- Some may lie out of shame.
- Others still might conciously "fake"
their answers in order to illegally obtain
prescription drugs.
- There are even circumstances under which
parents may abuse their autority and
attempt to "overdiagnose" their children
to explain behaviour that the parents
dissaprove of. Throughout our youth we
internalize our parent's personal problems
and character defects, and quite often the
parents are actually reacting to their own
shortcomings when dealing withs us.
- What should happen if someone is
diagnosed with a severely unstable
condition? (Are they considered a threat
to themselves or others? Who is liable
for their treatment, diagnosis, )
- What if someone was diagnosed, received
treatment, and gets diagnosed again?
I would suggest a program which would
promote the awareness and acceptance of
such disorders, and simultaneously offer
anonymous solutions (testing, referrals,
etc) for those who are interested or
obviously struggling. I truly believe
that the best way to help someone is to
empower them with awareness, information,
and the ability to seek help that is
available.
| radioactivbat
wrote: |
| ...I became very depressed
and that caused angry tension among my
parents, my friends, and
myself. |
Sounds familiar. I'm glad things worked
out for you! : )
Best Wishes,
Daniel
