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Topic: LGBT and Mental Health Care
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I was wondering all of your opinions on mental health care! Say like on diagnoses and treatment, especially seeing as the LGBT community doesn't have the best relationship with it. Homosexuality was a disorder for so long and there is certainty still bias
My Opinions:
I personally see a majority of practices as just ways to enforce stereotypes. Males in society generally aren't allowed strong emotions like sadness or happiness. Mainly only anger. So when a guy is hyper or really happy often they get pinned ADHD or Manic Depressive. In reality, as we here know, gender doesn't say anything about your personality. Woman on the other hand can have the same criteria that classify a male as Bipolar, and just be a "quiet" or "active" person. Personally too I've had doctors try and diagnose me with depression and other things simply from the fact that I'm gay, to help classify me, when im clearly not. My opinions might just be because of negative experiences, but maybe others have the same thoughts?
Your thoughts?
Enthusiasm is excitement with inspiration, motivation, and a pinch of creativity.
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Post: #672965  , Tue 7 Aug 12, 8:29AM |
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Very interesting how you compare gender roles to emotions and mental disorders, I never thought of things like that. This certainly is something that made me think.
~Kimi wa kimi dake shika, inai yo~
~Dattari tomodachi de itai kara~
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Post: #672969 , Tue 7 Aug 12, 9:22AM |
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Well I have a lot of mental health issues, so I need
mental health care. I have needed it my whole life. (I have a lot of anxiety issues due to PTSD). I have a great relationship with my therapist. 
Now, if we were to talk about mental health studies related to queer people, then no doubt I would say many are biased. There are a lot in the mental health care profession who are narrow-minded.
Dixi.
Oi! Follow me on tumblr because I'm amazing: http://mynameisnotfreyja.tumblr.com/
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Post: #673162 , Wed 8 Aug 12, 2:00AM |
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I think that ADHD is definitely overdiagnosed. I think a lot of doctors confuse being a kid with a mental disorder. The worst thing about this is that people start to think that ADHD doesn't exist because half of the kids who supposedly have it are perfectly normal. Or kids who have been wrongly diagnosed with ADHD think it's no big deal because it doesn't have any affect on their life.
As for the bipolar thing, I don't know about where you live, but here at least, it's insanely hard to even get in to see a psychiatrist who can diagnose you. I've been waiting two years and because it's not diagnosed, I can't get the proper meds. (You might think I'm not really bipolar because I haven't been diagnosed, but trust me,I'm not just one of those girls who has normal teenage mood swings and self-diagnoses herself with bipolar disorder. The manic episodes are intense!)
One thing I hate though is when people insist that people have meds and/or therapy. Some people don't benefit from them and some people do, but forcing them on people isn't going to help. My mom keeps trying to get me to "talk to somebody" and it never helps.  Not to say it doesn't help anybody, but like I said, some people just aren't the therapy type.
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Post: #673168 , Wed 8 Aug 12, 2:23AM |
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It's not as scary as it used to be, althought there are still some weird practices being used on people with mental disorders. I found it quite shocking that they used to design Mental Hospitals and asylums in a way where the patient would always feel that they were being watched, making their disorder get worse. These people were taken out of society, labeled 'retards' and kept locked up. It was pretty sad. Nowadaus mental disorders like ADHD etc. Are treatable with medicenes and stuff, but I never liked the way Physcologists would work.
On a note, I think Homosexuality was also thought to be a disease.
There is no hope without salvation, there is no life without destruction, in this desolate world we can only rely on the unknown for our minds shame the very ground.
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Post: #673169 , Wed 8 Aug 12, 2:26AM |
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In my city the mental health care is incredibly overdone and just wrong. I've talked to doctors and nurses in other states and they hate us. Here, I know many people who have been admitted to hospitals for simply ADHD or Depression, when there clearly stable and those are minor. Doctors also instantly go for the highest dose of the worst medicines.
Personally, My parents took it bad when I came out and ended up with child abuse charges. As a way to get back, they admitted me for "Manic outbursts". I was released a few days later because obviously I wasnt. After that they found many doctors who without meeting me and knowing my story prescribed me Lithium and other really hard drugs. I know that's happened to so many people Ive talked to. Maybe other states are different?
@Karl: In 1952, when the American Psychiatric Association published its first Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, homosexuality was included as a disorder. After many people went through deadly shock therapy and were locked in hospitals and all the bad things associated with old asylums and all finally in the 70's it was taken off the list of disorders because it didn't disable anyone. I know a few people whos partners suffered permanent damage from the cruel "cures" hospitals but them through for "Homosexuality"
Enthusiasm is excitement with inspiration, motivation, and a pinch of creativity.
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Post: #673450 , Thu 9 Aug 12, 11:25AM |
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:: Jaden
:: QA8 High Householder | |
I was told by my doctor that almost all of his trans* patients have been misdiagnosed with a mood disorder when really the only mood disorder had is being misgendered and disrespected all day every day. He has one who is actually bi-polar. I could possibly make two but he wont know till I start hormones since my meds don't always work.
I went to a hospital because I had a concussion, requested male pronouns and ended up in the psych unit. They didn't give a shit about my recent head wound. The nurse just up and decided I was gonna kill myself and was incredibly pissy with me. After three hours there I was finally seen by a doctor who rather pissed at me ending up there and discharged me.
So at least around here I'd say the mental health care is better then the physical. At least if you're trans.
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Post: #673476 , Thu 9 Aug 12, 2:24PM |
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I avoid mental health care.
personally, I find the system patronising, and it's stacked against people getting a diognosis.
I'm told I exhibit more than enough signs to get an autism diognosis of some form but the system is just so long winded and slow I don't bother trying.
how anyone around here manages to get a diognosis for anything is beyond me.
only god knows how things would react if they knew I was gay.
it will be alright in the end, and if it's not alright, it's not the end yet.
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Post: #673573 , Thu 9 Aug 12, 8:23PM |
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I've had a LOT of contact with the mental health care system. On the whole it's been really positive I told my psychiatrist that I was gay today, and she took it really well. It's weird, though, because two years ago, when I told her I thought I might be bisexual? She told me that because I had never had a girlfriend or even kissed a girl that I shouldn't "worry about it".
But now she's awesome. Huh.
All of my support team are really... well, supportive, lol.
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Post: #673600 , Thu 9 Aug 12, 9:35PM |
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Yeah, my therapist is really supportive of my sexuality too.
Dixi.
Oi! Follow me on tumblr because I'm amazing: http://mynameisnotfreyja.tumblr.com/
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Post: #673615 , Thu 9 Aug 12, 10:09PM |
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Well Im glad most of you have had good experiences! Other than Jaden, Im sorry about that :\
I guess the doctors around here are just way crazy
Enthusiasm is excitement with inspiration, motivation, and a pinch of creativity.
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Post: #673622 , Thu 9 Aug 12, 10:33PM |
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:: StayStrong
:: QA4 A spot of tea please, Alfred! | |
Mental health is an issue I have very strong views on both with regards to lgbt youth and straight, cis young people. My views are so strong I am actually one of the leaders of a nationwide campaign in the UK called Free Your Mind (sometimes abbreviated to FYMC or Free Your Mind UK) which deals with tackling the stigma and taboos that surround mental health and which aims to create a safe place for people who may feel concerned about their mental health to go and seek advice.
One thing I have found in the UK is that, certainly from the people I have spoken to, it just isn't talked about where it needs to be. Many people I have spoken to have said how they have never been taught anything about it in school and those few that have, have said their education was unbelievably limited both in time spent, delivery and spectrum - discussing only depression when a young person may have other issues doesn't help.
For me personally, I have depression/bipolar (never been told which though I believe the latter is most likely due to the polar opposite moods I experience) and my social worker at the service I was with barely acknowledged my sexuality and my gender identity was ignored completely when I told her and my previous worker. This left me somewhat put out and concerned that, if they are trying to help me with my low mood due to my mums bad reception to my coming out, they aren't even acknowledging the problem as they won't acknowledge the identity!
However saying that, I have also found it to be a widely varied thing. All over people are seen differently in terms of mental health and this is never truer than with lgbt youth. I just think it's something that is perceived differently everywhere.
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Post: #673820 , Fri 10 Aug 12, 10:54PM |
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