[ SECRET POST #264 ]

[shahni.livejournal.com]

⌈ Secret Post #264 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:
- With luck, I'll be here when this gets posted, otherwise, first comment goes to name that fandom!

Secrets Left to Post: 04 pages, 82 secrets from Secret Submission Post #038.
Secrets Not Posted: 0 broken links, [1] not!secrets, 0 not!fandom, [1] repeat
Next Secret Post: Tomorrow, Thursday, September 27th, 2007.
Current Secret Submission Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

9

[annwyd.livejournal.com]

To me it depends on how it's done. Some characters, like you said, really do have mental disorders/really are written to seem like they do/whatever. (Especially PTSD, considering how many fictional characters have dramatic angst in their past, heh.) So there's nothing wrong with pointing that out. And when I see characters getting bashed for acting as if they have a mental disorder ("omg, Character X whines soooo much, and he's such a DICK to people trying to help him! He was only seven when his parents died horribly, he should be over it by now!"), I do tend to get pissy and start talking about how they match up with said disorder and therefore it makes sense for them to act that way.

It does bother me the way mental disorders are treated as "trendy" in fandom. I avoid talking about my own experience with them for this reason: I don't want to be perceived as simply someone jumping on the bandwagon all "LOL hay gize I've got (insert syndrome here) because I read a list of symptoms on the internet!!"

But conditions like those on the autistic spectrum are a part of the variety of the human mind, and therefore so long as you're not just appropriating the concept to make yourself or your favorite character seem cool or special, I don't really see why it's not something that should be discussed.

Re: 9

[cephiedvariable.livejournal.com]

Your post is made of win. I was going to elaborate on it and stuff, but you pretty much pwned the topic.

I avoid talking about my own experience with them for this reason:
I kind of admire you in that way, I guess. I always try not to be all like: "Oh, lolz. I'm bi-polar. Check me out, I'm a crazy person. Look at my bi-polar dance!" *shakes Lithium bottle* but I just can't stop. It's such a part of who I am and I'm not actually ashamed of it or anything. :P

It's just irritating having that nagging voice in the back of your head telling you that your words and experiences are automatically devalued and held suspect through no fault of your own. Mental Illness in young people (under 25) is something I wish people would talk about more. I mean, actually talk about, rather than all the self diagnosis that teens do and pill-chucking doctors do.

AND WOW, I'M VEERING A LITTLE OFF TOPIC HIIII.

Re: 9

[annwyd.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if it's admirable that I keep my mouth shut (fingers still?) about certain things just because I'm afraid of getting called a poser. :P

But yeah. We're in a bit of a Catch-22: talk about the screwy things in your head, and you run the risk of being dismissed as a pretentious jerk who probably self-diagnoses; avoid talking about them, and get marginalized because the only people talking about them are pretentious jerks and self-serving doctors.

Re: 9

[cephiedvariable.livejournal.com]

Well, I suppose what I mean is that I DON'T shut my mouth about it and end up feeling terribly embarrassed about it in the long run even though it's not like I'm bragging or anything. I'm just frank about it because, uh, it affects my life? I WISH I could keep it quiet.

And, ugh, I don't know: I started OUT self-diagnosed. It just happened that I grew up with the looming shadow of bi-polar disorder over my head because it's like, my family's damn legacy inheritance or something. I feel bad being so hard on self diagnosed people because MY paranoid "oh shit, did I seriously end up with this" self-diagnosis WAS correct, and I've known other people who have had to self diagnose because no doctor would listen to them otherwise, unless they were attempting suicide. Many of them have been correct.

But 98.2398438% of people who DO are complete morons who are creating the climate in which kids with legitimate problems have to resort to it in the first place.

Gaaaah. I'm typing in circles now, but it's just frustrating to think about. But this whole "being crazy is kool!" thing is fairly recent. Hopefully the fad will wind itself down by the end of the decade. *sigh*

Re: 9

[annwyd.livejournal.com]

I've never thought less of you for it, if that helps!

See, there's one of the problems right there. Self-diagnosis can be a powerful tool for people who can't get doctors to listen to them because they look healthy/don't have insurance/have an atypical presentation/etc. But all these damned kids are ruining it with their "LET'S BE SPESHUL" self-diagnoses based off of Wikipedia.

GET OFF OF MY MENTAL HEALTH LAWN *shakes cane*