Is a mental illness diagnosis "label" a benifit or a detriment?!
Question: If someone is officially diagnosed as having "bipolar disorder", this could protect them from legal and social problems when they mess up. But on the other hand, it is a stigma that could cause them to lose certain privileges and could lower some people's opinions of them, or make some people feel "afraid" of them.
Answers: If someone is officially diagnosed as having "bipolar disorder", this could protect them from legal and social problems when they mess up. But on the other hand, it is a stigma that could cause them to lose certain privileges and could lower some people's opinions of them, or make some people feel "afraid" of them.
Comeback's answer is really good. you should read that one again.
I have bipolar disorder too, and there is little benefit to the label. I fear the old institutions and strict gun control laws every time someone with some diagnosis of some kind shoots up a school or workplace. I've never harmed anyone! On average, people with mental illness don't commit any more violent crimes than those without.
It's proven that when a person uses the insanity defense, it almost never succeeds. If on the other hand, during the sentencing phase, a person with mental illness states that their mental illness contributed to the offense, that person actually gets a LONGER prison sentence than someone who DOESN'T have a mental illness! The stigma is so bad, the jury puts you away longer, even if you really did have impaired judgment! I read this info someplace like in a newsmagazine (I get Newsweek & US News & sometimes Time). So if something like that ever happened to me, I would look for the judge to do the sentencing and skip the jury.
In some states, a person with bipolar disorder cannot legally own a firearm. You can't be a commercial pilot or truck driver. Obviously, you can't be in the military either, if you can't do those other things. I doubt you could be a cop.
The advantages of the label: If your condition is chronic and severe, you can get disability benefits. If diagnosed, you can get treatment that may reduce or eliminate disability. You can better ask for help from family members/spouse if you are getting suicidal or so manic you are spending all your money. (Or, they will know to watch for these things & intervene).
I do not believe that a diagnosis protects anyone from their actions... perhaps some leniency would be given during sentencing but I don't think it is much ... or at all. What is your angle? Are you trying to use a diagnosis to protect you from getting in trouble for doing bad things? that scares me. It definitely lowers people's opinions of you - how do you trust someone who is bipolar? You cannot. And you can have people, family members, take your rights from you... they can petition the courts to become your power of attorney. Like Britney Spears' dad becoming her power of attorney... generally, if you are crazy, someone needs to handle your affairs for you.
first of all, it's not a benefit.
yeah, it's very beneficial to walk around knowing
half of the world thinks you're a future killer/abuser
when truthfully, you're the same as everyone else.
i don't know why you people think we're bound to screw up
and hide under the diagnosis.
if i don't tell people, they don't even think anything is wrong with me. the only people who hide under their diagnosis when it comes to the law, are the people who actually are just making things up to save their ***. as for social problems? i'm fine with my life. i'm not a threat, nor is any one else who is on meds.