# Serious Question: Why are mentally ill patients...



## Flace (Oct 7, 2013)

I have met a few friends/people in my life that are officially certified mentally ill by the state psychiatric hospital. They are not catatonics like seen in the movie Shutter Island or any other movies. They had some form of mental illness... be it schizophrenia, OCD or depression. They had stayed in mentioned hospital for periods before.

The above is to bring across that i am not referring to people who has some psychological disorder like SAD... but serious mental illnesses.

And what i have noticed in them is they all (or most) have a common trait, that is their desires are especially strong and most of the time unable to contain them. Why is that?

Examples... they have a very strong desire to want things they want, often without real use or need for it. And coming to basic needs it's even more rampant. They tend to go on hard for things like food, sex and cigarettes. 

Why is it so? Is the strong desires result of mental illnesses, or are mental illnesses the result of strong desires?


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## Lacking Serotonin (Nov 18, 2012)

I've been at a psych hospital 4 times and I really have no idea what you are talking about. They may have an addictive personality is all I can think of. The people/friends of mine from there or NAMI groups seem to be exceptionally intellectual and smarter though. I relate to them and SA'ers better.


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## DonnaDunno (Nov 15, 2013)

The OP sounds like they work in a state ran lock down facility and have been observing the patients there and extrapolating the behaviors of those patients to the behaviors of all seriously mentally ill people. In mental facilities that are lock down the people are stuck there and feel they have little control over their lives(wake up and bed times, the food available to eat and how much of it, physical activities, social activities, classes etc.) and it's common (maybe natural?) for humans to seek to indulge themselves when and where they can if they are feeling denied. It might be one of the few ways they feel they can exert some level of control within their environment or it might be that it's easier for their brains to focus on meeting simple needs without doing the more difficult work of delving into their interpersonal/emotional needs. 

I dunno. Oh and I was a patient in a lock down place for a month years ago if that gives my thoughts on this any more legitimacy.


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## tieffers (Jan 26, 2013)

I think there's just a greater need for comfort and coping mechanisms in the mentally unwell. To put it really simply, I think we're all just looking to feel better. People don't form addictions or obsessions if they're happy and well-adjusted. It's a clear indicator that something's lacking, and sex, food, drugs, etc. are all substitutions for the pleasure and happiness that our mental illnesses rob us of.


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## alisha7525 (Dec 27, 2013)

its a difficult one to answer whether its the mental illness that causes the strong desire or viceversa but the thing is i feel its because of the strong desire and getting fed up with it is the reason for the mentall illness


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## the misanthrope (Aug 15, 2016)

it is not uncommon for the mentally ill to also suffer from addiction of some kind. If peoples meds are not working, they may self medicate.


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