Why is it labeled a "disorder" instead of a "mental illness"?

[Rick Green – Founder of TotallyADD]

And Ashockley55, Bipolar seems to be something people are prone to developing. But there’s some who are identifying kids who clearly have the symptoms in childhood. And like ADHD and schizophrenia and so many other issues that are ultimately about biochemistry and neurology, they’re is a genetic element, as in it runs in families. And like everything about the brain, it’s not well understood.

REPORT ABUSE

[Wgreen]

I get the point. Any discussion of “normal” is a semantic minefield. (Though I would argue that “normal” is generally considered to include behaviors lying within some standard deviation from the average, not just at the top of the bell curve…) But surely this is not about “normal” behavior, however it is defined, it’s about behavior that’s destructive or even dangerous.

Sometimes I tell people I think ADD is like debt. A little bit of it is of little consequence—it might even be leveraged to create a benefit. But the more you have, the bigger the burden and potential danger. Certain levels can dramatically impair your ability to manage your affairs. Both ADD and debt make it extremely difficult to get ahead. And while under certain favorable circumstances, sizable amounts sometimes can be managed, there’s always the danger that if just a few things go pear-shaped, you could be completely overwhelmed.

There may be no “normal” personality. Similarly, there’s no normal amount of debt. Still, we all know when we’re contending with more than we can handle.

REPORT ABUSE

[blackdog]

The short answer is that some illnesses are disorders and some disorders are illnesses. But not all disorders are illnesses and not all illnesses are disorders.

ADHD is not a mental illness because it is not an impairment of normal cognitive function. An ADHD brain works. It just works differently. People with ADHD have more difficulty doing some things but they are capable of doing all of those things, whereas someone with Bipolar Disorder has no control over the fact that they swing back and forth between mania and depression.

REPORT ABUSE

[Author]

Posts