Gabby Petito

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

What happened to Dog the Bounty Hunter? Wasn’t he an hour away from capturing BL a week ago? Do we need to send someone down to Florida to find him, too?

Last I heard was a couple of days ago he gave physical evidence he found to the FBI. It did seem from what I read Dog was getting a lot of tips with about 20% (at the time of the article I read) being viable. I do believe he's still actively looking for him or at least saying he is.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

I agree. No one should be ashamed of having mental illness. It's not like it's your fault if you develop one. It's no different than any other illness.

Of course -- but having a legitimate diagnosis by someone qualified to make that diagnosis is not the same thing as telling a police officer you/they have it when stopped by the police.

I agree that no one should be ashamed of having diagnosed mental illness(es). However, I do think that the pendulum may have swung too far and that it has become fashionable to self diagnose. Although (in the U.K.) we have thankfully shifted from the ‘bedlam lunatic asylums’ or ‘psychiatric units’ to ‘mental health units’ (which in Wales we give ridiculous names, like Haven of trees), these are still harsh treatment centres for ‘serious’ (are you a danger to yourself or other people?) mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar, anorexia etc. Patients are often detained against their will, they lose their liberty, they lose their right to refuse medication, they can be forced to have archaic treatments such as ECT, their mobile telephones are taken away etc. They are literally locked in and not allowed to leave the confines of the ward, told when to eat, sleep, shower, not allowed to smoke etc. I often think that if people saw what even modern mental health units are like, they would be far less likely to self diagnose. In the U.K. we tend to classify mental illness as ‘secondary’, which usually means you have been sectioned at some time or voluntarily admitted to a mental health unit and ‘primary’ which usually means that you have been receiving treatment from your doctor/GP with or without input for mental health professionals. But I think we need a sort of sliding scale of mental disorders, because no one can successfully argue that, for example OCD is on a par with schizophrenia or bipolar. I think we half heartedly try by using a sliding scale use of language, so mental illness, mental disorder, mental health issues etc., but these terms should be formalised.
Also, here at least, police spend far too much time responding to people with ‘mental health issues’; they really don’t want to take people whose only ‘crime’ is mental illness into police custody and hold them in cells, but sadly this is often the only safe and available option.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

There are a lot of ways we can spin what she says to match our own viewpoints.

Bingo. And lets‘s face it, this thread wouldn’t have much if it didn’t have spin!

In all honesty, we are all just guessing about all of this stuff.

• We don't have enough information (and most of us don't have the training) to know whether either Gabby or Brian were mentally ill.
• We don't have enough info or training to know they weren't mentally ill.
• We don't have enough information to know whether either Gabby or Brian (or both) were emotionally abused by their partner.
• We don't have enough information to know they weren't abused.
• We don't have enough information to know whether either Gabby or Brian were physically abused by their partner.
• We don't have enough information to know they weren't.

We are all welcome to our opinions on these questions, but the truth is we don't know. And there is a good possibility (IMHO) that we never will know.

What happened to Dog the Bounty Hunter? Wasn’t he an hour away from capturing BL a week ago? Do we need to send someone down to Florida to find him, too?

Dog’s apparently run into a few snafus himself since hurling himself into the limelight. Including that he allegedly isn’t actually licensed as a bounty hunter because of his own murder conviction in the past and allegations that, because of that, if he were to find and hold Brian against his will, he’d be doing it illegally and could be charged with kidnapping.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...st-hold-Brian-Laundrie-against-finds-him.html

And in other news, Dog has some grave concerns about Brian’s “dark“ book choices:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...drie-serial-killer-not-just-killer-Gabby.html

 

[DLgal]

I agree that no one should be ashamed of having a diagnosed mental illness. However, I do think that the pendulum may have swung too far and that it has become fashionable to self diagnose. Although (in the U.K.) we have thankfully shifted from the ‘bedlam lunatic asylums’ or ‘psychiatric units’ to ‘mental health units’ (which in Wales we give ridiculous names, like Haven of trees), these are still harsh treatment centres for ‘serious’ (are you a danger to yourself or other people?) mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar, anorexia. Patients are often detained against their will, they lose their liberty, they lose their right to refuse medication, they can be forced to have archaic treatments such as ECT, their mobile telephones are taken away etc. They are literally locked in and not allowed to leave the confines of the ward, told when to eat, sleep, shower, not allowed to smoke etc. I often think that if people saw what mental health units are like, they would be far less likely to self diagnose. In the U.K. we tend to classify mental illness as ‘secondary’, which usually means you have been sectioned at some time or voluntarily admired to a mental health unit and ‘primary’ which usually means that you have been receiving treatment from your doctor/GP with or without input for mental health professionals. But I think we need a sort of sliding scale of mental disorders, because no one can successfully argue that, for example OCD is on a par with schizophrenia or bipolar. I think we half heartedly try by using a sliding scale use of language, so mental illness, mental disorder, mental health issues etc., but these terms should be formalised.

I agree that no one should be ashamed of having diagnosed mental illness(es). However, I do think that the pendulum may have swung too far and that it has become fashionable to self diagnose. Although (in the U.K.) we have thankfully shifted from the ‘bedlam lunatic asylums’ or ‘psychiatric units’ to ‘mental health units’ (which in Wales we give ridiculous names, like Haven of trees), these are still harsh treatment centres for ‘serious’ (are you a danger to yourself or other people?) mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar, anorexia etc. Patients are often detained against their will, they lose their liberty, they lose their right to refuse medication, they can be forced to have archaic treatments such as ECT, their mobile telephones are taken away etc. They are literally locked in and not allowed to leave the confines of the ward, told when to eat, sleep, shower, not allowed to smoke etc. I often think that if people saw what even modern mental health units are like, they would be far less likely to self diagnose. In the U.K. we tend to classify mental illness as ‘secondary’, which usually means you have been sectioned at some time or voluntarily admitted to a mental health unit and ‘primary’ which usually means that you have been receiving treatment from your doctor/GP with or without input for mental health professionals. But I think we need a sort of sliding scale of mental disorders, because no one can successfully argue that, for example OCD is on a par with schizophrenia or bipolar. I think we half heartedly try by using a sliding scale use of language, so mental illness, mental disorder, mental health issues etc., but these terms should be formalised.
Also, here at least, police spend far too much time responding to people with ‘mental health issues’; they really don’t want to take people whose only ‘crime’ is mental illness into police custody and hold them in cells, but sadly this is often the only safe and available option.

In the US, we've largely done away with mental hospitals/residential centers, although they do still exist. They are reserved for VERY serious cases where all other treatments options (medication and therapy) fail. I've known of a couple kids/teens who were sent to live in one
It was a major process to get them in there and in the time before they were there, the parents dealt with intense physical violence, running away, and in one case, arson on the family home. It has to get BAD before these people can be admitted to these programs because they are very expensive and in most cases, insurance is paying for it.

I don't think many people casually self diagnose. I think what is happening is that mental health issues are FINALLY being talked about openly (primarily by prominent people like celebrities, athletes, etc) and younger generations are being taught about emotional wellness in schools now, due to the massive uptick in traumatic events that have happened in our public schools (i.e. shootings). The topic of mental health is becoming front and center and there are so many online resources dedicated to helping people figure out if they MAY be struggling with a legitimate mental illness that may need treatment. I can tell you when I started having panic attacks out of nowhere, I didn't know what was happening to me. I literally called 911 one night thinking I was having a heart attack and dying. Being told by the ER doctors "you had a panic attack. You need to follow up with a psychiatrist for evaluation for anxiety" was a surprise to me. But they were right. I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. This developed around age 30, the same age my father developed Bipolar disorder. These types of illnesses have a VERY strong genetic component so it was not an unexpected occurrence. I've admittedly "diagnosed" both my husband and son before they were "officially" diagnosed by medical doctors and I can tell you it's not that hard to do. Whe doctors make these diagnosed, they do it simply based on what you tell them you are experiencing/feeling, and these lists of symptoms are easily found in many places online. Doctors here use a book called the DSM to diagnose mental health disorders. The criteria for diagnosis is easily found online so one can read down the list of requirements for a diagnosis of literally any mental illness and be able to pretty accurately determine if they might have a condition or not. There are no tests that can be done to confirm any of these conditions. They are diagnosed via questionnaires, interviews with the individual or parents in the case of children, and that's it. Anxiety, in particular, has some very specific physical symptoms that go along with it, and in some cases, these can be observed during an exam (elevated blood pressure and heart rate, increased respiration rate). Even many smart watches can detect anxiety, but they call it "stress measurements." When I'm having a panic attack now, my watch alerts me and encourages some deep breathing exercises.

I think a lot of older generations were taught to hide these conditions or didn't even know they were afflicted, but we know more now and we know that being aware of our mental health is as important as being aware of our physical health.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I agree that no one should be ashamed of having a diagnosed mental illness. However, I do think that the pendulum may have swung too far and that it has become fashionable to self diagnose.

I think if you look at tik tok instagram youtube even twitter you might get the impression that anyone and everyone has a mental illness these days. While that might be an issue on some level the larger picture is that what was once seen as a behavioral problem that you can just fix (like a child with outbursts) or something you just shrug off because well that's life (like panic or anxiety) is now given more careful consideration and thought and going along with that is knowledge shared, knowledge learned and compassion and seriousness given to our mental health in general.

I would never advocate for someone to just go off of what they think they have versus being reviewed by a professional (even multiple if need be) but that also doesn't mean that they may not feel rightfully so that something is going on with them. Coping tools and aids are something that should be talked about more even when a diagnosis of a mental illness isn't present.

While not mental illness related one of the things I've seen the most is the attention to PCOS is finally being given. Decades of women being dismissed, misdiagnosed and living in hell or struggling with things not being listened to by doctors (although that is still an issue). As time goes on things evolve in how we look at things. I would agree with DLgal that part of it is how past generations were taught even when I was a kid anxiety and panic disorders were not discussed as much and I hate and loathe and cannot stand when people use "snowflake" and "safe spaces" and all that jargon it's gross. This pandemic has pushed a lot of schools into using emotional and mental well-being into consideration and it's also made it more front and center. They've done global surveys and it's clear that this time in our lives has been very heavy when it comes to mental health for youths and adults alike.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Okay, if people in this thread are saying she has mental illness because she said she had ocd and anxiety, I guess that answers my question. I guess on the Dis those two things mean mental illness, but to other folks I am thinking someone wouldnt be so quick to label someone mentally ill because of ocd and anxiety.

Maybe because of my background, when I hear the words "mental illness" like I have on this thread, the last thing I am thinking about is stress, anxiety and ocd, without a definite diagnosis behind it.

Again, I am still curious if anyone has any links where Gabby friends and family stated that she had a "mental illness".

OCD and Anxiety are mental disorders. Period. Not just on here.

 

[TLSnell1981]

In the US, we've largely done away with mental hospitals/residential centers, although they do still exist. They are reserved for VERY serious cases where all other treatments options (medication and therapy) fail. I've known of a couple kids/teens who were sent to live in one
It was a major process to get them in there and in the time before they were there, the parents dealt with intense physical violence, running away, and in one case, arson on the family home. It has to get BAD before these people can be admitted to these programs because they are very expensive and in most cases, insurance is paying for it.

I don't think many people casually self diagnose. I think what is happening is that mental health issues are FINALLY being talked about openly (primarily by prominent people like celebrities, athletes, etc) and younger generations are being taught about emotional wellness in schools now, due to the massive uptick in traumatic events that have happened in our public schools (i.e. shootings). The topic of mental health is becoming front and center and there are so many online resources dedicated to helping people figure out if they MAY be struggling with a legitimate mental illness that may need treatment. I can tell you when I started having panic attacks out of nowhere, I didn't know what was happening to me. I literally called 911 one night thinking I was having a heart attack and dying. Being told by the ER doctors "you had a panic attack. You need to follow up with a psychiatrist for evaluation for anxiety" was a surprise to me. But they were right. I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. This developed around age 30, the same age my father developed Bipolar disorder. These types of illnesses have a VERY strong genetic component so it was not an unexpected occurrence. I've admittedly "diagnosed" both my husband and son before they were "officially" diagnosed by medical doctors and I can tell you it's not that hard to do. Whe doctors make these diagnosed, they do it simply based on what you tell them you are experiencing/feeling, and these lists of symptoms are easily found in many places online. Doctors here use a book called the DSM to diagnose mental health disorders. The criteria for diagnosis is easily found online so one can read down the list of requirements for a diagnosis of literally any mental illness and be able to pretty accurately determine if they might have a condition or not. There are no tests that can be done to confirm any of these conditions. They are diagnosed via questionnaires, interviews with the individual or parents in the case of children, and that's it. Anxiety, in particular, has some very specific physical symptoms that go along with it, and in some cases, these can be observed during an exam (elevated blood pressure and heart rate, increased respiration rate). Even many smart watches can detect anxiety, but they call it "stress measurements." When I'm having a panic attack now, my watch alerts me and encourages some deep breathing exercises.

I think a lot of older generations were taught to hide these conditions or didn't even know they were afflicted, but we know more now and we know that being aware of our mental health is as important as being aware of our physical health.

Maybe some day the stigma will be removed and mental illness can be discussed/accepted/treated the same as diabetes, GERD, allergies, etc. I believe we would all be better off.

 

[fortwildernessishome]

OCD and Anxiety are mental disorders. Period. Not just on here.

I agree that they are "disorders"!

What I said in the post you quoted me, was I don't view those two things as "mental illness".

My son has a friend who has OCD. I don't view her as mentally ill.

My sister in law has some anxiety. I don't view her as mentally ill.

Thats my opinion and its not going to change. Period!

 

[fortwildernessishome]

Maybe some day the stigma will be removed and mental illness can be discussed/accepted/treated the same as diabetes, GERD, allergies, etc. I believe we would all be better off.

I totally agree! Unfortunately when people describe folks who have OCD or anxiety like the quotes below, it doesnt help.

I've also had the fleeting thought that this is some kind of planned stunt for attention. The fact that she is "social media" and YouTube "famous" means she is out for attention and, sadly, people have faked their own disappearances before. She clearly is not well, mentally, so this isn't completely out of the realm of possibility.

I'm like 45 minutes into this video. This guy isn't a murderer. The girl seems like she has LOT of issues though. I mean, I don't wish harm on her at ALL, but this guy seems pretty likely to be innocent and I'll be shocked if he did something bad to her. I also think it's interesting that he doesn't even have a cell phone.

Something about her behavior is not sitting right with me. I feel like she is used to crying her way out of trouble.

Yeah, this doesn't surprise me at all. She honestly sounds like a train wreck. I don't know if I think the boyfriend is guilty after all. Domestic violence where the woman is the aggressor can be kind of embarrassing for a lot of men. I can see how if she flew off the handle and stomped off it would be hard for a man to admit to having been attacked by his girlfriend. And if he had self defense injuries, it is very easy to see how that could be interpreted as him attacking her.

I don't have a lot of sympathy for abusers, regardless of gender. The fact that she got this hysterical over a stupid blog and physically attacked her boyfriend is not good for her image here.

The above is just in the first two pages. There are soooooo many unflattering comments about Gabbys mental health throughout the 73 pages of this thread!

 

[TheIncredibles!]

I agree that they are "disorders"!

What I said in the post you quoted me, was I don't view those two things as "mental illness".

My son has a friend who has OCD. I don't view her as mentally ill.

My sister in law has some anxiety. I don't view her as mentally ill.

Thats my opinion and its not going to change. Period!

It really doesn’t matter what your opinion is. A mental disorder and a mental illness are the same thing. You can have whatever opinion you want but Anxiety, OCD, PTSD, Bipolar disorder etc and all forms of mental illness.

 

[fortwildernessishome]

It really doesn’t matter what your opinion is. A mental disorder and a mental illness are the same thing. You can have whatever opinion you want but Anxiety, OCD, PTSD, Bipolar disorder etc and all forms of mental illness.

Okay! Most people deal with anxiety! I guess for you the whole world is mentally ill.

Oh and I was diagnosed with PTSD 10 years ago after a double cancer diagnosis. I get what you are saying. But, I am far from "mentally ill"!

 

[LSUmiss]

Of course stress is a part of mental health. But as far as I know there is no diagnosed "mental illness" because you have stress.

I spent 6 years working in our state run psychiatric hospital as a job coach. While, I didnt diagnosis or treat my clients for their mental illness, I did have to know what their illness was, how it presented in daily life and how it was treated. So forgive me, but when I hear people throw around claims of "she has a mental illness " etc. like I have read multiple times in this thread, stress although an issue for all of us at times, isnt in itself a diagnosed mental illness. Otherwise, everyone would be mentally ill.
[QUOTE="Mackenzie Click-Mickelson, post: 63435260, member: 565076"

As far as people proclaiming her mental illness I'm guessing they are taking her word for it, kinda hard not to right? I mean unless you think she wasn't really meaning she had ocd and anxiety. It could be her self-diagnosis too rather than being diagnosed by professionals.

This is her wording: “Some days, I have really bad OCD, and I was just cleaning and straightening up and I was apologizing to him saying that I’m so mean because sometimes I have OCD and get frustrated." Another quote of her is saying "I have a lot of anxiety."

Okay, if people in this thread are saying she has mental illness because she said she had ocd and anxiety, I guess that answers my question. I guess on the Dis those two things mean mental illness, but to other folks I am thinking someone wouldnt be so quick to label someone mentally ill because of ocd and anxiety.

Maybe because of my background, when I hear the words "mental illness" like I have on this thread, the last thing I am thinking about is stress, anxiety and ocd, without a definite diagnosis behind it.

Again, I am still curious if anyone has any links where Gabby friends and family stated that she had a "mental illness".
[/QUOTE]
Yes! This! I worked as social worker in the in-patient psych unit of a max security prison for over 5 years. Ppl so often use the term mental illness to describe bad or dysfunctional behavior. That is NOTHING like the mental illnesses I have observed

 

[stitch'sgirl]

I think part of the problem is that people say all the time, "Oh I am so OCD about (insert pet peeve)" when it isn't OCD at all, and just something that annoys them. Those with true OCD have a condition that totally consumes their thoughts to the point of interfering with their every day life. How do I know? DS has diagnosed OCD and anxiety disorder and can't function without his medication. He has undergone cognitive behavior therapy in conjunction with his meds. If he were able to share a public service announcement, he would ask you to kindly stop saying you have OCD if you don't really.

There are 4 kinds of OCD:

• Contamination & Washing.
• Doubt About Accidental Harm & Checking.
• Just Right OCD — Symmetry, Arranging, & Counting.
• Unacceptable Taboo Thoughts & Mental Rituals.

The third one is what most people think of when they hear OCD. DS has the first and fourth one. If someone truly has OCD, they need to see a psychiatrist. If they like to say they are "OCD" about something, they need to loosen up and then stop using that diagnosis. Thanks for letting me vent.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

@LSUmiss, can you fix the quotes in your post?

 

[LSUmiss]

In the US, we've largely done away with mental hospitals/residential centers, although they do still exist. They are reserved for VERY serious cases where all other treatments options (medication and therapy) fail. I've known of a couple kids/teens who were sent to live in one
It was a major process to get them in there and in the time before they were there, the parents dealt with intense physical violence, running away, and in one case, arson on the family home. It has to get BAD before these people can be admitted to these programs because they are very expensive and in most cases, insurance is paying for it.

I don't think many people casually self diagnose. I think what is happening is that mental health issues are FINALLY being talked about openly (primarily by prominent people like celebrities, athletes, etc) and younger generations are being taught about emotional wellness in schools now, due to the massive uptick in traumatic events that have happened in our public schools (i.e. shootings). The topic of mental health is becoming front and center and there are so many online resources dedicated to helping people figure out if they MAY be struggling with a legitimate mental illness that may need treatment. I can tell you when I started having panic attacks out of nowhere, I didn't know what was happening to me. I literally called 911 one night thinking I was having a heart attack and dying. Being told by the ER doctors "you had a panic attack. You need to follow up with a psychiatrist for evaluation for anxiety" was a surprise to me. But they were right. I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. This developed around age 30, the same age my father developed Bipolar disorder. These types of illnesses have a VERY strong genetic component so it was not an unexpected occurrence. I've admittedly "diagnosed" both my husband and son before they were "officially" diagnosed by medical doctors and I can tell you it's not that hard to do. Whe doctors make these diagnosed, they do it simply based on what you tell them you are experiencing/feeling, and these lists of symptoms are easily found in many places online. Doctors here use a book called the DSM to diagnose mental health disorders. The criteria for diagnosis is easily found online so one can read down the list of requirements for a diagnosis of literally any mental illness and be able to pretty accurately determine if they might have a condition or not. There are no tests that can be done to confirm any of these conditions. They are diagnosed via questionnaires, interviews with the individual or parents in the case of children, and that's it. Anxiety, in particular, has some very specific physical symptoms that go along with it, and in some cases, these can be observed during an exam (elevated blood pressure and heart rate, increased respiration rate). Even many smart watches can detect anxiety, but they call it "stress measurements." When I'm having a panic attack now, my watch alerts me and encourages some deep breathing exercises.

I think a lot of older generations were taught to hide these conditions or didn't even know they were afflicted, but we know more now and we know that being aware of our mental health is as important as being aware of our physical health.

Having worked in the field for years, I have to agree with pea-n-me. So many ppl want a label & often pill & quick fix for their dysfunctional behavior. It doesn’t make it a mental illness. And then there are personality disorders that also add to that. I have OCD & take meds, but it is definitely not anywhere near on the level of something like schizophrenia. I think the point is that in cases like Gabby’s, it’s irrelevant even if she has it. It’s not like she is schizophrenic or Brian either so it’s like saying they both have high blood pressure & that’s why something terrible happened to Gabby.

 

[fortwildernessishome]

Yes! This! I worked as social worker in the in-patient psych unit of a max security prison for over 5 years. Ppl so often use the term mental illness to describe bad or dysfunctional behavior. That is NOTHING like the mental illnesses I have observed

 

[LSUmiss]

It really doesn’t matter what your opinion is. A mental disorder and a mental illness are the same thing. You can have whatever opinion you want but Anxiety, OCD, PTSD, Bipolar disorder etc and all forms of mental illness.

That’s like saying GERD & stage iv cancer are all medical illnesses. I mean technically yes.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Ppl so often use the term mental illness to describe bad or dysfunctional behavior. That is NOTHING like the mental illnesses I have observed

That's actually part of the problem and stigma. There's an association of just what the term mental illness means. To many it's this really bad awful messed up thing. But that's far from reality (really no pun intended). That's part of why people are trying to talk openly about it. Because having a mental illness does not in fact need to be seen as that. It's more about changing what you view mental illness means (such as your statement it's nothing like what you've seen) rather than trying to say "oh no that's not what I would consider mental illness". People often think serious mental illnesses but that's not all what it is about and it's a huge very big disservice to our society when we continue to use such stigmas.

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/what-is-mental-illness
Regardless of what people feel in their minds a mental illness is, OCD and anxiety are mental illnesses (self-diagnosis vs clinical aside).

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

That’s like saying GERD & stage iv cancer are all medical illnesses.

Interesting you phrase it like that from the link I put in from the APA: "Many people who have a mental illness do not want to talk about it. But mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of! It is a medical condition, just like heart disease or diabetes. And mental health conditions are treatable. We are continually expanding our understanding of how the human brain works, and treatments are available to help people successfully manage mental health conditions."

 

[fortwildernessishome]

That’s like saying GERD & stage iv cancer are all medical illnesses. I mean technically yes.

Yes! This! I worked as social worker in the in-patient psych unit of a max security prison for over 5 years. Ppl so often use the term mental illness to describe bad or dysfunctional behavior. That is NOTHING like the mental illnesses I have observed
[/QUOTE]

Having worked in the field for years, I have to agree with pea-n-me. So many ppl want a label & often pill & quick fix for their dysfunctional behavior. It doesn’t make it a mental illness. And then there are personality disorders that also add to that. I have OCD & take meds, but it is definitely not anywhere near on the level of something like schizophrenia. I think the point is that in cases like Gabby’s, it’s irrelevant even if she has it. It’s not like she is schizophrenic or Brian either so it’s like saying they both have high blood pressure & that’s why something terrible happened to Gabby.

Thank you, thank you thank you!!!!!!! Finally a voice of reason!!! And what I bolded is totally spot on!!!!