Society/Culture Professional mental health diagnosis changes the rules? (e.g. B. Fevola)

[HarryTiger]

Wasn't sure how to phrase the topic. Stemming from the subject of Brendan Fevola's revelation that he as been diagnosed as a depression sufferer which came after a drunken attempt to inflict self harm - IMO arguable whether it was a true suicide attempt - it would seem this diagnosis has now elevated Brendan to a special category of victim, that of one suffering from a mental health problem, or a disease in some circles. This is on top of already being declared as a gambling addict (and he goes a bit nutty on the grog though not a frequent drinker).

I'm not here to bash Brendan over his personal troubles but rather consider the perception of some when such individuals like Brendan receive the official medical diagnosis that he has a problem in his head.

It's as if a flawed individual can one day be called an irresponsible tool but the next he's to be handled with cotton gloves because he walked out a psyche's office after being told he has depression. Are depression and other similar mental problems things you have or don't have, like cancer or Hepatitis? I would argue not and we've all got problems upstairs to some degree and could all be diagnosed in one way or another if took the trouble to open up with mental health professional.

Watching The Footy Show last night there were some awkward moments when Sam was being his usual aloof self and the rest of the panel were treating the subject with the utmost seriousness. (In light of the 'suicide attempt' Sam should probably have toned it down)

Ben Cousins had the same treatment after being categorized a drug addict. But then for others no such sympathy e.g. Charlie Sheen who seems to be thriving on the attention - Charlie's not a victim he's just a crazy messed up guy.

 

[cancat]

This is an example of putting a mental health label on your behaviour absolving you of responsibility for it.

 

[HarryTiger]

I can foretell what's coming next. There's various unelaborated rumours floating around about the bad upbringing BF experienced. Apparenly dad wasn't quite Bill Cosby in that regard. Recall Wayne Carey had his drug and other problems and eventually the 'root cause' was brought out in to the open. Brendan's begun his psychoanalysis journey and I expect we'll hear about the childhood in time. Even if he'd rather not tell all the media deal will be too sweet to resist.

 

[Catch 22]

ADD is a crock.

 

[HarryTiger]

ADD is a crock.

And that too. ADD, depression, gambling addiction, problem drinker...

 

[RisingPhoenix]

ADD is a crock.

Bullshit.

Yes, it's overdiagnosed (and thus overmedicated), but the condition itself is very real im afraid.

You have kids (and adults) whose brain chemistry simply wont allow them to concentrate/remain focused for even the shortest period of time, as a result having chronic problems at school and in the workplace.

Speaking from personal experience (which I can only assume you are not) my younger brother is 28 years of age and still hasnt been able to pass his driving licence because of his concentration problems. Can you imagine the frustration of that? He is also a highly, highly intelligent, articulate bloke but because he cant concentrate (cant study for exams, struggles during exams) he has been unable to reach his true academic potential at any level of the education system.

There is a hell of a lot more to ADD than feral child with his shirt off smashing the house up and terrorizing his mother nonsense you see on Today Tonight and A Current Affair, so I suggest you become informed before making comments like 'ADD is a crock'.

 

[ghost65]

ADD is real, it is just that some people who are not proffessionals like to misdiagnose people with it.

 

[Catch 22]

Bullshit.

Yes, it's overdiagnosed (and thus overmedicated), but the condition itself is very real im afraid.

You have kids (and adults) whose brain chemistry simply wont allow them to concentrate/remain focused for even the shortest period of time, as a result having chronic problems at school and in the workplace.

Speaking from personal experience (which I can only assume you are not) my younger brother is 28 years of age and still hasnt been able to pass his driving licence because of his concentration problems. Can you imagine the frustration of that? He is also a highly, highly intelligent, articulate bloke but because he cant concentrate (cant study for exams, struggles during exams) he has been unable to reach his true academic potential at any level of the education system.

There is a hell of a lot more to ADD than feral child with his shirt off smashing the house up and terrorizing his mother nonsense you see on Today Tonight and A Current Affair, so I suggest you become informed before making comments like 'ADD is a crock'.

I still think its a crock.

Naughty kids with lazy parents.

 

[RisingPhoenix]

I still think its a crock.

Naughty kids with lazy parents.

They would invariably be the misdiagnosed ones.

 

[Borry]

I still think its a crock.

Naughty kids with lazy parents.

Although there are a number of lazy parents with misbehaving children that like to use it to bullsh!t about why their kids are sh!ts from my experience, I draw the line before writing it off as a load of crock becauser there are genuine sufferers out there. Same as depression, autism, schizophrenia etc.

Back OT, I believe its simply Fevola suffering from the realisation that he has f*cked his own career up from his own stupidity and is now getting into a breakdown because of it. I could be wrong though.

 

[BarneyBent]

Plenty of people with depression don't act like Fev has. Shouldn't be an excuse. A reason, sure. Something that says "maybe this guy has more s**t going on than we realise, maybe we should try to be more understanding", yeah, maybe. But not an excuse.

What it does do, however, is change the way he, and those around him, should go about trying to help/deal with him.

 

[Chief]

There's a difference between a source of behaviour and an excuse for that behaviour.

As above, once you get a handle on the source you can get on with dealing with it in an appropriate way.

When I see people making these grand generalisations about the veracity of mental health diagnoses it makes me cringe. Surely they don't go around displaying their total ignorance to people they know in real life do they?

 

[HarryTiger]

I can see Brendan at this point in time having good reason to feel depressed. Looking back and realising how much money was flushed and having his career terminated prematurely being the two main ones.

"Plenty of people with depression don't act like Fev has."

And pleny of people not suffering depression DO act like Fev and wouldn't have to be so concerned about the consequences. To fall off a pedestle you first have to be atop one which rules most of us out. Getting drunk and making a dick of ourselves wouldn't usually be career threatening, job threatening perhaps but you'd move onto the next one. How many guys at an end of year work party would have gotten overly boisterous? Dildos around necks in public, see hens out on the town. I'm not saying he doesn't go overboard but if he was an everyday Joe he'd just be called a larrikin by his mates and obviously wouldn't have media outlets stating what a failure he is and consequently having to make excuses.

 

[BarneyBent]

I can see Brendan at this point in time having good reason to feel depressed. Looking back and realising how much money was flushed and having his career terminated prematurely being the two main ones.

"Plenty of people with depression don't act like Fev has."

And pleny of people not suffering depression DO act like Fev and wouldn't have to be so concerned about the consequences. To fall off a pedestle you first have to be atop one which rules most of us out. Getting drunk and making a dick of ourselves wouldn't usually be career threatening, job threatening perhaps but you'd move onto the next one. How many guys at an end of year work party would have gotten overly boisterous? Dildos around necks in public, see hens out on the town. I'm not saying he doesn't go overboard but if he was an everyday Joe he'd just be called a larrikin by his mates and obviously wouldn't have media outlets stating what a failure he is and consequently having to make excuses.

Yes, but how often is this behaviour repeated beyond sense to the point of threatening one's career, humiliating them, and culminating in a young, successful man committing self-harm?

If he was doing it in private and people were just putting up with it, then yeah, he'd just be a larrikin, but he is fully aware of the impact his behaviour can have on his life, but he still compulsively does it. That's unusual. Highly unusual. It's not about the behaviour itself, but the fact that he hasn't stopped.

That's not to make excuses for him, as I said, plenty of people with depression, addiction, etc, don't act the way he does, and actually take positive steps, take the initiative to sort themselves out. Fev hasn't done that. I hope for his sake he does soon.

 

[rayven]

Fev is a media punching bag ATM, this is just a tactic to stop that.

 

[blackcat]

http://philosophybites.com/2011/02/jonathan-glover-on-personality-disorder-and-morality.html


Jonathan Glover on Personality Disorder and Morality
In this episode of Philosophy Bites the philosopher Jonathan Glover discusses issues of personality disorder, conscience and responsibility.

 

[cancat]

IMO people like Fevola and Ricky Nixon do not have mental problems, they have behavioral problems. They make bad decisions. But they are high profile identities so it suits them to hide in 'rehab centres' which protects them from media attention for a while but also provides them with an excuse for their behaviour - "it was not me, it was my illness". Neither of these guys would have seem the inside of an institution if we had not heard of them,

Mathew Newton - shows similiar signs of people who have been abused in childhood.

 

[skilts]

Mathew Newton - shows similiar signs of people who have been abused in childhood.

One of the many victims of a rabid catholic upbringing.

 

[evo]

plus he was born under a full moon.

 

[HarryTiger]

plus he was born under a full moon.

Haha, conceived under one? Don't think about it....

 

[soho]

how do we know the guy who threw his daughter over the westgate is crazy?
because he threw his daughter over the westgate....

does it make a difference if a guy becomes manic depressed because of his own life choices in gambling, or because his wife of 15 years cheats on him, or because he loses his job and cant find a new one, or because his son died in a car accident, or his brother has gotten cancer...? the point is for whatever reason, he is now ill, and we shouldnt be saying "tough luck buddy, you reap what you sew, have a s**t one..."

fev hasnt won anything out of this... he's not stealing anyones job, he's not winning any supporters or making new friends, i dont really see what the point in kicking him when he's down... from his own reports he's completely ashamed of the choices he's made, so much so that he wants to kill him self...

we've all got a mate who's a bit of a live wire, was brought up properly but still goes out and gets sideways each weekend, even though he knows better, is bad to his girlfriend, blows all his money on gambling or whatever etc... if that mate goes through some tough times and ends up jumping off a cliff, whats the benefit of standing back and saying "yep, what a ********, he had it coming..." nothing... your mates dead, he wasted his life... no one wins...

**** the boneheads on SEN really grind my gears sometimes... ****ing viney, what a ****ing moron... he means well, but couldnt pass yr 10 if he tried...