You're Nuts
Maybe. One in four of us are, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Okay, maybe they don't use the term "nuts" to describe mental illness. That's just my little quirk.
July, if you didn't realize it, is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, which indicates, to me anyway, that we've run out of things to have months about. Others disagree:
Almost two-thirds of those adults with a diagnosable mental illness do not seek treatment, and racial and ethnic minorities are even less likely to get help, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, and Allsup, a nationwide provider of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) representation, is offering a free poster download to promote awareness and help dispel stigma associated with mental illness.
According to NAMI’s Multicultural Action Center, in many racially and ethnically diverse communities, there is a stigma surrounding mental illness, often caused by cultural differences and lack of information. This not only can lead to the avoidance of mental health treatment, but often results in a lack of knowledge regarding financial options, such as Social Security disability benefits.
Wow. A free poster?
Look, I hate to be insensitive -- no I don't; I love it -- but is this really a big issue? Or is it a non-issue turned into a big issue for some federal dollars? Here's a clue:
Thought leaders attending the National Resource Center for Hispanic Mental Health’s national Latino Mental Health Conference in April acknowledged the need for increased education on SSDI and other resources.
And if one in four of us are a little crazy, where's the stigma exactly?
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Jan '11
Re: You're Nuts
Would the inability to spot bureaucratic scams be considered one of the symptoms of mental illness?
Definition of "racket" found in Wikipedia:
Nov '11
Re: You're Nuts
Rob Long:
July, if you didn't realize it, is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, which indicates, to me anyway, that we've run out of things to have months about. · · 5 minutes ago
I've been getting the impression that we're out of months to be about things.
We have so many "national ______ month" (or day) that nobody except specialists ever thinks about celebrating or being aware of whatever we're supposed to celebrate or be aware of.
There are a few big things -- like our national independence -- worth marking together as a nation. But at some point, when you tell me I'm supposed to be observing or celebrating something, I want to rebel. It doesn't even have to get to the special-interest campaigning like this one -- I rebel by Valentine's Day.
May '10
Re: You're Nuts
Of course one in four of us have a mental illness, Rob! That number must be much higher on Ricochet since denying global warming is a mental illness.
May '12
Re: You're Nuts
Admit it - you clicked on the link for the poster didn't you.
Mar '11
Re: You're Nuts
I don't much care for the term "nuts." I prefer "perceiving a private reality."
Apr '11
Re: You're Nuts
One in four? That's crazy. I'm sure it's really only about one in five.
May '10
Re: You're Nuts
But they count conservatism as being a mental illness. So, yeah, we're all nuts.
Sep '11
Re: You're Nuts
Is that what they mean about the "new normal"?
Sep '11
Re: You're Nuts
From Mollie's post right below this one.
"According to the AFL-CIO, about one in four voters this November will come from a union household."
Coincidence?
Apr '11
Re: You're Nuts
I'd like to know what their ribbon looks like.
Dec '10
Re: You're Nuts
Now, if we could just find a cure for liberalism, we could clear up the whole problem.
Mar '12
Re: You're Nuts
Growth in number of those on Social Security disability exceeded growth in employed over the last 3 years, probably mostly attributable to mental illness (hard to see our post-industrial economy generating that many physical injuries). Plus, Big Pharma gets more customers (at least the ones that Medical Marijuana doesn't). What's not to like, from the perspective of the Beltway Big Government/Crony Capitalist Complex?
Aug '10
Re: You're Nuts
I actually do buy the "1 in 4" statistic. In fact, I'm surprised it's not a little higher.
After all, 100% of us become ill in one way or another. We aren't at all surprised when it's the heart, or the lungs, or the liver, or our sinuses, etc, that operate at less than peak efficiency.
As such, why should it be surprising that the brain and/or the nervous system should be "less than nominal"?
Dec '10
Re: You're Nuts
Sitting in a room with about 10 people, all of whom work with our special weapons, that statistic gives me some concern.
Aug '10
Re: You're Nuts
Look, if we define "illness" in general to include the common cold or a stubbed toe, then clearly "mental illness" doesn't have to necessarily mean catastrophic disorders either.
It just seems ludicrous to me that people would think that the brain is the one part of the human body that never gets sick.
At least we don't have to get it removed, like the appendix or the tonsils, right? ;-)
Edited on July 10, 2012 at 8:27pmDec '11
Re: You're Nuts
Rob, you are in denial. The post's title should have been "We're Nuts". Rob as a friend, you need help. It is not just me. I took a poll and three out of four members agree with me. Don't be ashamed to seek counseling. In time if you are lucky you can be as sane as Nancy Pelosi. Remember this is the first day of the rest of your life. :-)
May '11
Re: You're Nuts
I'm Crazy........about Ricochet.
Jul '10
Re: You're Nuts
Good heavens. They’re lowering the threshold of symptoms for everything from autism to toe jam, so why are the numbers for mental health problems so small? And who among us is completely sane on any given day? Why more studies? Just immediately move to mandatory mental health treatment for all of us because we all know we’re victims of society and that OCare will solve all those problems (and take care of that stigma problem once and for all). That they included the holy trinity – race, class, gender – shows that we need this more than ever these days.
Mar '11
Re: You're Nuts
Wait a minute...the folks that are borrowing $4 billion a day are going to candle my head?
That is nuts.
Sep '10
Re: You're Nuts
"1 in 4 Anericans suffer from mental illness" sounds like one of those bogus statistics, with no documentation, that is used to gin up money and "awareness" for the cause du jour. Remember, if you express doubt about the accuracy of this number (or, e.g., doubt the claim that 1 in 10 Americans is gay) you're just insensitive.
I don't buy it. Maybe 1 out of 4 people in the DNC, or Venice, California is nuts, but I can't believe this is generically true.
Edited on July 11, 2012 at 12:46am