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Riki's picture

"If something is broken, it

"If something is broken, it should be recognized as such. This does not mean that everything needs to be fixed just because we know that it is broken."

I think it's important to realize that some people don't want to seek help (even if society deems it necessary) because they feel as though aspects of their mental condition allow them to do or create things that they otherwise could not have done. For instance, some people with bipolar disorder don't like treatment because they like what work their mania gives rise to and they feel more creative during their manic episodes. There are many great works of art that probably wouldn't exist if the artists had sought medical help -- Van Gogh, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Kurt Cobain. That isn't necessarily to say that everyone who suffers from a mental "illness" should abstain from getting help, just that positive things <i>can</i> result from dark times. Sometimes mental "illnesses" should be embraced instead of looked down upon.

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