From: Gene McAloon 

On Fri, 10 Oct 2003 21:03:37 -0400, Judy Folkenberg
 wrote:

>
>
>Gene McAloon wrote:
>
>> >>I remember that survey well if only because of the controversy it
generated and the
>> ludicrous fallout to this day of some of its conclusions. The most obvious
problem with
>> it was the outfit that conducted it.  Naturally enough that outfit would
tend to see
>> mental health problems everywhere.
>
>As I remember the interviews were conducted by people not employed by NIMH. In
fact, I
>know they were not.  The first phase of the study was done in three or four
cities across
>the nation.

That is routine in conducting interviews and it makes the results even more
unreliable insofar as the interviewers were probably just that, not trained
observers. In any case, the interpretation of the data collected was made
by an agency that in effect has a vested interest in seeing as much mental
illness as possible.
>
>> >>If you know anyone with a manic-depressive disorder, I
suspect strongly
that you know
>> they do only because they told you.  It is not just GPs or internists who
often don't
>> recognize a manic-depressive disorder. Correctly diagnosing such a disorder
is
>> difficult even for professional councilors, psychologists and
>> psychiatrists and even then can usually be done only over an extended period
of
>> observation.
>
>I don't deny that's it's an imprecise "science."  Having said
that, yes, I've
known a
>number who have exhibited signs of manic depressive disorder.  There's
currently one
>employee at work, who is currently totally impossible to work with.

Oh come now, Judy. A fellow employee can be seen by other employees as
impossible to work with for any number of reasons. It is a bit far-fetched
to suppose that the employee is manic-depressive and in any case you are no
more qualified to make that determination than I would be.
>
>>  >>Quite normal mood swings are not symptoms of
manic-depression although
some in the
>> pill-popping generation seem to think so and might even be encouraged to
think so by
>> drug companies only too eager to sell them more pills.
>
>I'm not talking about normal mood swings.

And are you qualified to say what is and what is not a "normal"
mood swing? I think not.
>
>Judy

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