I think maybe we tend to look down on our peers whose functioning is at a lower level than our own...or perhaps there are those of us that are jealous of another peer whose functioning level is a little better than their own- for whatever reason. ...
First Hi I'm Sylvia and Iive in Anchorage, Alaska Major Depression was my diagnosis back in about 1990
I should probably warn you, I like to talk so often my posts may be long.
I like how you've stated the difference between several words that ar...
Thanks so much, Michele, for your candid thoughts. I agree wholeheartedly about people not being their labels and about learning to cope, finding ways to manage the challenges that help us feel better. Funny how, sometimes, we find ways to "weathe...
Hi Jeanne: I'm not sure that being lumped in with "higher functioning people" benefits anyone beyond the surface. Unlabeled people do not have to contend with designations of "functioning." I agree with you about how we each have responsibility in...
Hi Jen -- thanks for your reply. Let me say that I'm careful to distinguish between "experience" and diagnosis. I have had several diagnoses over the many, many years...but that did not alter my "experiences." You may call it "illness," but even t...
i am in a very unique position. i am a licensed clinical social worker who provides counseling and mobile treatment team services to clients with ".severe and persistent mental illness" i also am a survivor of panic disorder and depression that ma...
Labels suck. Some of them led me to a great deal of pain. They can erect barriers to interaction and opportunity. Already unsure and vulnerable, those labels confirmed my worst fears. As my isolation intensified, my self-esteem imploded. I focused...
I don't think having a "diagnosis" says anything about who I am, what my values are, what my dreams are, what my life experience has been, etc. So, I don't necessarily think having a diagnosis provides common ground with anyone. I think that my ex...