Do Sick People WANT to Get Better?

anotheruser

Quick question I have just thought of that would be interesting to hear some views on.

Do sick people want to get better?

Has the rise of ADHD and other illnesses become accepted in our world that those people with the illness don't feel the need to get better as they are accepted in society?

Discuss.

ceh209

YES I bloody well want to!!!

I have (had?) anxiety and depression issues and am still on medication for these.

I don't want to be on this for the rest of my life. I keep trying to reduce the dosage and come off them completely. My longest off them since I started a few years ago is 3 months before I start having panic attachs again.

I've made changes in my life (new job etc) which mean that this time I _AM_ going to do it and stay off them forever!! :j

azzabazza

What a strange question. I have recently had an operation related to problems caused by rheumatoid arthritis. I hate feeling incapacitated and I certainly want to be back to feeling capable of running my home and life.

lostinrates

I do.

But.....something I find on support forums for some of my issues are that some really do seem not to want to or to keep status quo and not push things. Other things I find really concerning are when people are asking how to 'fail' or heighten test results.

I miss so much things I used to do. I miss riding and running. I miss knowing I can always walk well! I miss yoga. I miss dancing. I miss being able to feel 'mobile'. I miss being able to jump in a car and end up a hundred miles away ready to work all day then party all night, or just being able to jump out of a car after a couple of hours drive!

I have been lambasted on here for 'admitting' that I don't claim anything ( I am not opposed to anyone claiming, We are in the fortunate position of it not being essential, and I think we are lucky because its good for me) and feeling uncomfortable about getting a blue badge. I am very wary of ending up in the mind set that this is how it is for ever. Its difficult balance, sometimes I think I am wrong about the blue badge thing, because is think there are times it would certainly enable me to do MORE, but I am not convinced it would be something I'd not use on days I felt less incapable.

For me responsibility comes before pleasure, When I am feeling stronger I clean the house and do the gardening and attend to things I cannot keep up with. A friend of mine has A different condition, a fatigue one, so we have similar issues sometimes, and her attitude is different, in that by claiming and using the money for the essentials when she is able to enjoy herself she has 'fuel in the tank' to do so. For her, she admits, getting a better would actually see her worse off in terms of quality of life.

I don't think either of us is right or wrong really.

lostinrates

azzabazza wrote: »

What a strange question. I have recently had an operation related to problems caused by rheumatoid arthritis. I hate feeling incapacitated and I certainly want to be back to feeling capable of running my home and life.

Its uncomfortable, bout I don't think its that odd. I think something similar on health condition forums I use for information gathering. Among the people very strongly desirous to improve their lot, there are some who just don't have the drive.

Whether that's depression, desperation, or something else, I don't know, or even if its universal.

There is the situation I am in, where I don't need something like a blue badge every day, but that's also partly because I don't go out everyday. . I
Don't go out on 'bad days' and that can mean forward planning to try and time a 'strong day'. I have to go out next week one day, so I know that the days running up to that I must NOT push too hard and the day before I must do next to Nothing. Its hard to maintain employment, for example, on that sort of basis. For people who only need 'a bit of help' its sometimes better to be classed 'not well' than 'well' because the bit of help to enable a nearer to normal life, is only available if things are bad, not if they are just 'not fine'.

Not sure I have made that very clear. Oh well.

DomRavioli

It is a bloody strange question.

I'd rather have feeling back in parts of my body that have lost it - which in turn caused depression for a while; given the circumstances both my clinicians and myself thought I dealt pretty well with it.

The OP is obviously a troll.

tomtontom

ADHD is not something you 'get better' from, it is something you learn to manage.

OP I'm not sure that you understand what you are asking - would you rather such conditions were not accepted? Do you think there is a magic cure to ADHD et al?

A.Penny.Saved

I believe that many people "need" their illnesses. Their illness does something for them and overcoming that is quite a challenge which many people do not have the motivation to solve. Solving many illnesses is a massive job and a simple pill very rarely fixes anything.

If it was a case of take this pill and you will be free of your illness, providing it was not a cyanide pill, many people would think about it and some would take it fairly quickly. Those that hessitate are the ones who have a lot to lose if their illness was eliminated and are the ones who do not really want to get better. The benefits outweigh the adverse effects of their illness.

Indie_Kid

What an odd question. Of course I want to get better. I don't want to be relying on medication to ensure that I can go out and not be gasping for breath and be at risk of having an asthma attack and I don't want to be relying on medication so that I'm not in constant pain.

Flick216

I think for some people, their illness defines them. Losing the illness would make the lose their sense of self - a bit of Munchausens I guess.

I think most people would be quite happy to be rid of their illnesses. I certainly don't want to have constant back pain. I want to be able to get back to the gym, be able to wear heels again, do my own gardening etc.

Cloudydaze

It is a bizarre question to ask but after watching my lovely active, athletic, energetic friend get struck down with ME, I often got the feeling that she took on the role of 'the sick person' far too easily.

It didn't help that she moved back in with her parents who wrapped her up in cotton wool. I know it sounds that I'm lacking understanding and compassion but it was so frustrating watching someone who was once so full of life essentially give up.

In contrast, a guy I used to work with became a paraplegic after a freak accident. He is a complete inspiration and refuses to accept his fate and is fighting all the way to make the best of what he has. He refuses to let his limitations stop him.