do you believe mental illnesses are not always true ?

Did you get milk and cookies with your meds? I thought Canadians were not rebellious.

I think it can happen that occasionally people get misdiagnosed - in the past mental institutions were full of people who didn't have any mental health problems, however I also think it's rare now.. When you mention getting diagnosed with a mental health illness because of violence.. well see violence is not a normal response.. so it might be that  a person who is violent does have a mental health issue and does need meds.. 

I do also know that one of the problems with mental health is that those with those kinds of difficulties are the last to be able to see and accept it.. I say that as all my kids have ADHD and I know that they often cannot see that their responses and anger are not normal.. 

Lastly.. while I am a fan of freedom, I also recognise that some rules are there to protect people.. and those who don't follow them are a danger to themselves and to others. 

I guess I don't give much credence to a lot of these so-called "mental illnesses" they talk about.  But am willing that those who wish to play in that area have something to play with.   Seems too much to me just excuses for bad behavior.  You don't want to "comply with the rules" that is fine with me long as you don't threaten or ruin the good time of those of us who choose to comply with the rules. Or at least most of them.  World doesn't just exist for you but for all of us so we carefully try to live in ways we disturb each other as little as possible and expect as much from others as well.  Anti-social behavior if it harms other is criminal behavior whether you are locked up behind bars or in an institution.  

Methink demonic possession and/or influence accounts for many mental illnesses. 

I think the field of mental health is constantly evolving and it's very difficult to get an accurate diagnosis. Some people think it's very easy to look at a person's behavior and say they've got XYZ condition, but the problem is that a whole lot of things contribute to behavior. In order to get the right diagnosis, the individual must really be willing to look at his or her behavior and also work with someone who is willing to strip away the layers to find the underlying causes. 

What it comes down to is that certain behaviors aren't acceptable. It's not ok to be violent. It's not ok to make death threats or yell at people. And, when you have someone who is displaying these behaviors, but is insisting they're ok, there's very little professionals can do to help beyond medicating them so they don't pose a risk to themselves or others. Adding to the problem is the fact that most health systems and medical professionals aren't equipped to handle mental health needs. So, unfortunately, we do have a number of people who don't get the help they really need because the system isn't equipped to provide it. 

I'm not anti-medication at all. I think there's a time and a place for it- usually when there's a chemical imbalance or the brain isn't functioning how it should. There are legit conditions where people have heightened responses to things and it's really hard for them to control it because their body is having a physical reaction to stimulus. BPD is one. Historically, doctors have tried to medicate it, but they're learning medication does't really help. The parts of the brain that are responsible for giving the fear response are physically different, and it's those differences which cause the person to move into a "flight or fight" response quicker, plus they have more trouble regulating their responses because they're so intense. Again, historically, they've medicated these people to try to keep them on a more even keel, but that doesn't always help. What does help? A proper diagnosis. Teaching these people how their brains are different, teaching them what the signs are that they're about to explode, and giving them tools to help them learn to regulate themselves. They may always have the same instinctual response, but at least if they understand their emotional process, they can learn breathing techniques and other things to calm the physical response, so they can live more normal lives. Again, though, that requires having an awesome care team who can diagnose and support, as well as individual being willing to actually take a good hard look at his or her responses and want to make changes. 

I recently caught Hannah Gadsby on Netflix. She's a comedian and has a standup special called "Nanette" running right now. She is funny as all get-out, but she also gets deeply serious through parts and discusses trauma as well as mental illness. And, while I don't want to ruin it because it really is a must-see show, she does use historical references to highlight how humane treatment, as well as love and care from family, can mean everything to the well-being of someone struggling with mental illness. And, while she addresses it from a philosophical standpoint, it's actually rooted in science and psychology. Loneliness and lack of connections/ lack of belonging/ is at the core of many disorders. 

My point being, ultimately, yes, it's possible to be misdiagnosed. But, you know yourself better than anyone else. Are your behaviors ok? Are you forming natural and healthy relationships? Are you enjoying life and feeling good about yourself? If not, then diagnosis be damned- you take those resources you're being given and run with them. You deserve to live a happy and full life. Give them your full honesty and total cooperation and look within yourself to sort out what's really going on. You don't have to agree with the diagnosis you're being given, but at least try to work with the people who have been trained to diagnose and give them what they need to be able to diagnose you properly. Learn everything you can about a diagnosis you've been given. Ask questions about what led them to the diagnosis. Ask if another condition could be responsible for the symptoms or contributing to it. Find out what other treatments are available for each condition and keep working them until you find what works. You've got a whole life ahead of you. You're so young. Seriously- like- you've got 50-60+ years to live a full happy life. Sort this stuff out now so you can make the most of them. 

i think its possible that theyre not always true

American nut houses are special purpose prisons, except you don't get a trial before you are sent there.