Gabby Petito

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Please keep in mind we're all entitled to our opinions but the thread will take a turn if we just spend the time being rude to each other

 

[Pea-n-Me]

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.

Wait, I haven’t weighed in on this one yet!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

This one’s kind of bizzare. But going to post it anyway because a) it’s worth a gander at the video and b) stranger things have happened. See what you all think. Discuss. (Slow news day! )

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...aundrie-hiding-parents-backyard.html#comments

 

[JimMIA]

This one’s kind of bizzare. But going to post it anyway because a) it’s worth a gander at the video and b) stranger things have happened. See what you all think. Discuss. (Slow news day! )

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...aundrie-hiding-parents-backyard.html#comments

Nobody can make nothing out of nothing like the Daily Mail.

 

[LSUmiss]

Wait, I haven’t weighed in on this one yet!

Oops I meant Welsh Dragon.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

This one’s kind of bizzare. But going to post it anyway because a) it’s worth a gander at the video and b) stranger things have happened. See what you all think. Discuss. (Slow news day! )

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...aundrie-hiding-parents-backyard.html#comments

I can see what it's about because of the wording in the link but I'll be honest I can't even read the article. My ad blocker is blocking a mind blowing 332 things for that one webpage. I don't know if that has ever been that high for me!? It's not worth allowing ads for them to be bombarded with all that stuff.

Do you have another link by any chance?

 

[TheIncredibles!]

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"!

It’s not “for me“, it is a fact. It’s important that people stop spreading ”false truths” when it comes to mental health. We do not put enough importance on mental health education because there are still way too many people that believe the words “mentally ill” are so much worse than “physically ill”. The stigma lives in some still.

 

[fortwildernessishome]

It’s not “for me“, it is a fact. It’s important that people stop spreading ”false truths” when it comes to mental health. We do not put enough importance on mental health education because there are still way too many people that believe the words “mentally ill” are so much worse than “physically ill”. The stigma lives in some still.

Okay! You have a nice night!

 

[NotUrsula]

The reason that there is still a stigma is that for many people with no real experience of it, "mental illness" reads as "dangerously aberrant behavior". This perception is buttressed by the lack of available medical care for mental disorders. You call to try to get an appointment, and the only way that you get one less than 6 months out is if you tell them that the person is suicidal &/or violent. Even that, though, usually isn't enough to get a residential bed unless it has happened previously. Millions of people get antidepressants from their internists because they can't access expert care, and the meds that the internists give them may or may not be effective.

 

[tzolkin]

Regardless of what people feel in their minds a mental illness is, OCD and anxiety are mental illnesses (self-diagnosis vs clinical aside).

They absolutely are. I think the problem is that they are also both terms that are used casually by people all the time in our culture so sometimes it’s difficult to know what exactly someone meant by one comment mentioning OCD or anxiety without further explanation or context.

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.

This is exactly it. People constantly say “I’m so OCD” or “she’s so OCD” because they like to have a clean house or whatever. Of course Gabby may actually have had OCD, but it’s also entirely possible that she may have been casually using that term to mean that she liked to keep the van super clean so it was always ready for photos/video and that Brian found her behavior annoying.

There’s also a distinction between feeling anxious/experiencing anxiety (which is a normal human response to stress) and having an anxiety disorder. Just because you “have (feelings of) anxiety” does not mean you have (the mental illness) anxiety.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

“mentally ill” are so much worse than “physically ill”

From what I have observed mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar are far worse than physical illnesses, and if not successfully ‘managed’ for the entirety of a person’s life, can be far more disabling and as terminal as cancer.

 

[DLgal]

From what I have observed mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar are far worse than physical illnesses, and if not successfully ‘managed’ for the entirety of a person’s life, can be far more disabling and as terminal as cancer.

Chronic anxiety has a major effect on lifespan. The #1 worst thing for the human body is a constant state of stress. It wreaks havoc on every body system, causing chronic inflammation. "Fight or flight" is supposed to be a transient human condition, but people with anxiety disorders are in a near constant state of elevated cortisol and adrenaline.

PTSD is also a major cause of suicide.

As bad as unmedicated schizophrenia and bipolar CAN be, it is often the seemingly "minor" mental illnesses that create more lifelong issues for people. Anxiety is a beast because most people suffering from it are still expected to take on life, work, etc. You're expected (somehow) to just deal with it and be able to function. And often people with anxiety self medicate with drugs and alcohol because they temporarily help them cope, while at the same time being the worst options because once it wears off you feel worse than before. A LOT of "alcoholics" and "drug addicts" are actually people with unmanaged/undiagnosed mental illnesses who are just trying to make it through the day. It's very sad.

The drug abuse problem in this country is a direct result of the stigmas surrounding mental illness and the lack of access to care. We had a hard time even finding a child psychiatrist who was in our insurance network. And we are in an area with TONS of medical care options. A lot of psychiatrists don't even take insurance, and that is maddening. Even now, we have to pay upfront for our son's appointments ($250) and then submit our own claim to be reimbursed by insurance. A lot of people couldn't afford to do that every other month.

 

[Lsdolphin]

From what I have observed mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar are far worse than physical illnesses, and if not successfully ‘managed’ for the entirety of a person’s life, can be far more disabling and as terminal as cancer.

My son was diagnosed with BiPolar disorder and it was close to impossible to get help for him. Our struggle lasted for years....unless you can prove someone is “a danger to themselves or others”. There is little help available...beds are full in in-patient facilities we were desperate.

 

[Lsdolphin]

From what I have observed mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar are far worse than physical illnesses, and if not successfully ‘managed’ for the entirety of a person’s life, can be far more disabling and as terminal as cancer.

My son was diagnosed with BiPolar disorder and it was close to impossible to get help for him. Our struggle lasted for years....unless you can prove someone is “a danger to themselves or others”. There is little help available...beds are full in in-patient facilities we were desperate.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

My son was diagnosed with BiPolar disorder and it was close to impossible to get help for him. Our struggle lasted for years....unless you can prove someone is “a danger to themselves or others”. There is little help available...beds are full in in-patient facilities we were desperate.

I am sorry to hear this and I hope that your son’s illness is now being properly managed and that you can relax a little. The impact bipolar has on loved ones is immense and it must be a worry knowing that any given medication may only ‘work’ for a finite time.

 

[Marrila]

It looks like there is a good helpful discussion on all things mental illness, mental health and strategies. Seems like it's worthy of its own thread?

 

[chickapin parterre]

My son was diagnosed with BiPolar disorder and it was close to impossible to get help for him. Our struggle lasted for years....unless you can prove someone is “a danger to themselves or others”. There is little help available...beds are full in in-patient facilities we were desperate.

...........and it dependes on the state in which you reside...Oregon is very progressive when it comes to mental health where as Washington was way behind in mental health care as I compared notes with a washington resident about our children.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

...........and it dependes on the state in which you reside...Oregon is very progressive when it comes to mental health where as Washington was way behind in mental health care as I compared notes with a washington resident about our children.

I am ashamed to say that Wales does not have a mother and baby mental health unit, so if a mother suffers from post natal depression or the hormone changes trigger another condition, and inpatient care is needed, then the mother will be separated from her newborn. We also don’t have any female prisons.

 

[Lsdolphin]

...........and it dependes on the state in which you reside...Oregon is very progressive when it comes to mental health where as Washington was way behind in mental health care as I compared notes with a washington resident about our children.

I wish I had done more research to look for help in other states. There is so much more available now than there was ten or even five years ago but still it’s not enough.

 

[JimMIA]

Two quick notes on this case:

1. The Coroner in Wyoming is holding a press conference call tomorrow afternoon to release additional information from the autopsy report. I doubt very much that he will release the entire report, but we'll see tomorrow.
2. Dog the Headline Hunter has returned home. He says he injured his ankle and will also be doing some fundraising while his "team" continues the search in Florida.