my life, my pace

That’s what they’re calling intermittent explosive disorder (IED), which is defined as at least three incidents of anger attacks in which physical harm was done to other people or property. Supposedly, this disorder could affect up to 16 million Americans, explaining away all those road rage incidents and bar brawls (and how about abuse?). Sorry, they couldn’t help it, they have a disease. I fully believe that there are people who just might have a real problem that they cannot control through the usual means (such as learning how to deal with bad situations in other ways besides flying into a rage), but that there are many more that are more than happy to hide their unacceptable behavior behind this rather convenient medical diagnosis, which then removes any obligation on the “patient’s” part to change. Seriously, now, based on this definition of IED, my brother-in-law should be diagnosed with it. But I don’t for a minute believe that he does have this disorder. Rather, I believe he has failed to learn how to manage his anger in a healthy manner because of the oppressive and aggravating environment of his upbringing thanks to my dear mother-in-law. Besides, she is so unreasonable that I think I just might develop anger attacks (involving people/property harm) upon exposure to her even though I react in a perfectly well-adjusted manner to other people who piss me off. And if I fly into a rage with mother-in-law three times, then do I have IED? I don’t think so. But I could just pretend that I do so that I never again have to follow the societal norms for proper behavior towards my mother-in-law. And that’s the problem with “medicalizing” bad behavior, which is discussed very nicely in this article, which I couldn’t have written better myself. Instead of telling someone that they have a disease (that there conveniently isn’t a pill for), can’t we please deal with unacceptable behavior in a manner that places more responsibility on them to change their behavior? Really, why should the rest of us who learned how to manage our anger in healthy ways have to put up with and accept people who just refuse to do the same because they simply can’t be bothered?

DISCLAIMER: In case it wasn’t obvious, I am not insulting anyone who really has any of these more open to debate “medical disorders.” My intent was to show that anyone (including those who do not have the condition in question) can use that condition as an excuse for bad behavior and that it is these people that I have a problem with.

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1. they should just add prozac to the drinking water supplyI stumbled upon this article today that discusses further implications of intermittent explosive disorder, including that it's treated with Prozac. Let's just add this disorder to the long list of psychiatric disorders treated with Prozac. How convenient for pharmaceutical companies! Who needs to waste time with counseling/therapy to learn how to really deal with life's problems when all you have to do is pop a magical pill that will cure all your failures to cope with life's little problems? And for those who have to deal with people with disorders that are treatable with Prozac, why bother trying to convince them to go into therapy when all you have to do is slip a little Prozac into their food? It's sad, but true, that popping a pill is so much easier than actually dealing with the fact that you just might need therapy to work through issues that you've ignored and that are now biting you in the ass. And that it's also easier to suggest to someone you know who just might need therapy to pop a pill instead. I'm guilty of it myself with my mother-in-law, who probably has some depression mixed in with an anxiety disorder. There is absolutely no way in hell I will ever be able to convince her that she just might have these problems, let alone get her into therapy. And I'd rather not even try because the evil manipulator in her is just waiting for the chance to suck my husband and...
2. maybe i’ll pass on that prozac after allI’ve off and on considered that maybe I need Prozac to take the edge off of dealing with the in-laws, especially now that not-so-dear brother-in-law has arrived and will be around for eight long weeks. Just the thought makes me want to go all IED on something/someone. Now before I needlessly self-medicate, am I clinically depressed? Let’s go through SIGECAPS, our little med school mnemonic for depression. Major depression is diagnosed when a patient experiences depressed mood + 4 SIGECAPS for two weeks or more. So, first off, depressed mood for 2+ weeks? Well, yeah, I guess. Sleep disturbance? If you mean not being able to fall asleep for hours and involuntarily waking up at 6:30 every morning, then yes, that’s been going on for quite awhile now. Decreased Interest in previously pleasurable activities? If you mean sex, then yeah, haven’t been interested in it for awhile. Guilt? Well, not really. Decreased Energy? Yep. Decreased Concentration? You mean it’s not because I have ADD? Change in Appetite? If I eat any less, I just might disappear. Psychomotor agitation/retardation? Huh? I don’t think so. Suicidal ideation? Not lately. So that leaves me with depressed mood and 5 SIGECAPS for 2+ weeks. Guess I’m depressed. Most of these symptoms can be explained by other things besides depression. My sleep disturbance can just simply be insomnia or my natural sleep cycle. I just might not be interested in sex because of other issues—fighting about the in-laws all the time just doesn’t really set...
3. compulsive studying disorderDo you... ...feel the constant need to memorize things? ...feel that everything you do is wasting your time if it doesn't involve memorization of obscure facts? ...always carry some sort of book with you just in case you get bored enough to study (for me, it's First Aid for the Wards even though wards is still a good long while away)? ...try to apply obscure things that you've learned to everyday life? ...look for something new to study once you finish whatever it was that you were studying before? ...feel that your life lacks purpose when it isn't spent studying? ...think the world would be a better place if only everyone studied? If you answered yes to three or more of these questions, you may be suffering from compulsive studying disorder, or CSD, an extremely rare but serious condition in which patients find life pointless if it is not spent in the pursuit of knowledge. CSD is characterized by periods of study mania, defined as prolonged and feverish studying, followed by periods of study inertia, characterized by prolonged slacking off and an inability to study despite the mental urge/need to study. Studies have shown that periods of study inertia often coincide with and intensify right before important exams, which can be quite debilitating. Studies have also shown that periods of study mania often follow important exams when patients feel let down by the fact that they no longer need to study and want to cling to the sense of purpose...

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