Originally posted by Crow
I don't consider diabetes to be a good analogy for disordered thought. In Types I and II there are clear metabolic changes that cannot be reversed by changing one's reactions--autoimmune destruction of the islets of Langerhans in I, and insulin resistance in Type II.
I have a perfectly normal reaction to being literally tortured for years. Anyone would have it--you can look to studies on "brainwashing" and see that all humans react to systematic abuse. However I am able to look at things realistically, and sort the past from the present. I can regain my perspectives easily. Sometimes I do it through prayer, sometimes through touching base with people that have been there, and sometimes I just basically say to myself "don't even start--you know this isn't right." (and no, I'm not a MPD)
Is there any magic "pixie dust" that will undo my past? No. Is there a "cure" for letting my past take over my present? Yes. I don't entirely agree with Sozo that there is not mental illness, but I believe our disagreement lies in semantics. I do believe that disordered unrealistic thought is very real. And I do believe that it is within our power to not react to unrealistic thought, to seek and find reality, and to view things realistically, and procede from there.'
If you look into any human life, you'll find things that will break your heart. Any life. It's a mean world, and no one gets through it without scars. But what you do after the fact is key. Each person is capable of directing their behavior, their reaction, their thought. One's reaction to external stimulus is under one's own control, particularly when that stimulus is long past. Because I was afraid of the dark and the toilet monster when I was a kid doesn't mean that I am today.
The term "disease" is used quite promiscuously in medicine today--might be PC, I tend to think it has more to do with DRGs and reimbursement. People can decide to and make themselves quit slipping into the comfort of unreality. That is why I do not see depression as a disease, but rather an unprofitable attitude and reaction.
