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[Free Beer]

The way it was explained to me, a psychological disorder is only an actual psychological disorder if it adversely affects the sufferer's ability to live their life.

For example, let's say I were afraid of dogs. I might have any number of reasons for being afraid of dogs, or it could just be an irrational fear. It doesn't matter. Simply being afraid of dogs in and of itself is not a psychological disorder.

If on the other hand I were so afraid of dogs that I required an escort in order to go leave my home because I might run into a dog, then that would be a disorder.

[Jude]

The way it was explained to me, a psychological disorder is only an actual psychological disorder if it adversely affects the sufferer's ability to live their life.

For example, let's say I were afraid of dogs. I might have any number of reasons for being afraid of dogs, or it could just be an irrational fear. It doesn't matter. Simply being afraid of dogs in and of itself is not a psychological disorder.

If on the other hand I were so afraid of dogs that I required an escort in order to go leave my home because I might run into a dog, then that would be a disorder.

Yeah pretty much. Two essential criteria for it being a disorder are 1) it impairs your ability to live a normal life and 2) it causes significant distress or suffering for you or those around you. The "those around you" is because people with antisocial personality disorder might be having the time of their lives causing havoc for everyone they come in contact with, but it's still a disorder.

Anyway, only a professional can diagnose a disorder. The incidence of most of these is pretty high compared to what you might think (often up to 4% of the general population for some!), and I'd bet the percentage of Avoidant PD is much higher among regular internet-dwellers, but still. You can't self-diagnose.

Also, when taking an Abnormal Psych course, most students start to think at some point that they have at least one of the disorders studied.

Finally, personality disorders have to be lifelong things, like you've ALWAYS been that way, not just have episodes where you get that way because you're depressed.

[ChairmanPoo]

One comment: it's a bad idea in general to read symptoms of diseases and maladies (of any sort) and look too much into them, because youŽll end up thinking you have them.

[Jreengus]

I had to stop reading this since after just a few posts I already had diagnosed myself with Asperger's and avoidant personality disorder.

[ChairmanPoo]

I had to stop reading this since after just a few posts I already had diagnosed myself with Asperger's and avoidant personality disorder.

My point exactly.

[Jreengus]

Although I should probably note it is more than likely actually have ADP. I can tell when I'm fitting circumstances around a conclusion and fairly sure this isn't it. As examples of how stupid I can be: I can't turn around while walking if anyone is watching me, I'm terrified of looking stupid to them even if no one I know is around I will walk around a block and even potentially get my self lost to avoid having to do a direct 180 turn with people who could be watching. I hate doing anything new for the first time, I almost failed my chemistry coursework because I was too terrified to ask the lab tech for the chemicals I needed. I hate doing anything on my own for the first time, especially going to places I've never been before. All the way there my mind will be racing with anything that could have gone wrong and god forbid I actually have to knock on a door to get in. I have been caught stood outside doors unable to get up the nerve to knock for the last 10 minutes and had to feign that I just arrived. I've actually managed to get over it on the internet because I have the safety barrier early on that I can drop out at any moment and become anonymous, potentially even creating a totally new account/character/whatever so that I can in no way be associated with anything stupid I did. Hell I even used it before. I must have had at least 10 runescape characters which I would put a few weeks effort into and then say something or do something I deemed as horribly embarrassing and as a result totally abandoned the character.

[Cthulhu]

I've done that before.  I'll act stupid on a character in an MMO and I'll make a new one, preferably on a different server.

[ToonyMan]

You guys are crazy dood.

[eerr]

Most physchological diseases are less intense than people make them out to be.

I wouldn't be so quick to assume that eerr...

I took a short physc course for "social studies" in high school.
The course started with very boring stuff, and ended with the most "colourful".

Studying the worst and most dramatic disorders made me ill.
--
But yea, physc wards have more voluntary check-ins than any other patients.
patients for stuttering, unreasonable anger, phobias of various strengths,
siezures, obsessions,
all seeking treatment
Anything obviously wrong with your brain that you can't change, is dealt with through physchiatry.
(idk if having a nail in your head counts, that might be an expection)

[Cthulhu]

Having a nail in your head is a physical doctor problem, although the damage caused could be a psychologist's problem(See Phineas Gage)

[ToonyMan]

Or that guy in Happy Gilmore.

"I WILL GET YOU."

[Reasonableman]

Although I should probably note it is more than likely actually have ADP. I can tell when I'm fitting circumstances around a conclusion and fairly sure this isn't it. As examples of how stupid I can be: I can't turn around while walking if anyone is watching me, I'm terrified of looking stupid to them even if no one I know is around I will walk around a block and even potentially get my self lost to avoid having to do a direct 180 turn with people who could be watching. I hate doing anything new for the first time, I almost failed my chemistry coursework because I was too terrified to ask the lab tech for the chemicals I needed. I hate doing anything on my own for the first time, especially going to places I've never been before. All the way there my mind will be racing with anything that could have gone wrong and god forbid I actually have to knock on a door to get in. I have been caught stood outside doors unable to get up the nerve to knock for the last 10 minutes and had to feign that I just arrived. I've actually managed to get over it on the internet because I have the safety barrier early on that I can drop out at any moment and become anonymous, potentially even creating a totally new account/character/whatever so that I can in no way be associated with anything stupid I did. Hell I even used it before. I must have had at least 10 runescape characters which I would put a few weeks effort into and then say something or do something I deemed as horribly embarrassing and as a result totally abandoned the character.

Egads, it's like I'm looking into... err... reading a mirror... err... umm...

Like I wrote it myself! Yeah, that's it.

[ChairmanPoo]

Yeah, and for two days I honestly thought I had Hodkin, when I read the symptoms. You shouldn't undertake self diagnosis unless you have ample experience about the real thing, and even then, you should apply it only as a criteria for stuff to ask your doctor about. :p

[JoshuaFH]

Hodkin?

[ChairmanPoo]

Hodkin lymphoma. I got paranoid about a supposed lump, which turned out not to be a lump at all. Again, when self-diagnosing, try to keep a cool head.

(this was years ago, for the record)