That boy has gone crazy

I believe it was Dennis Leary who said, "whatever happened to people just being crazy?"

The American Psychiatric Association has defined over 400 mental disorders (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mental_disorders_as_defined_by_the_DSM_and_ICD). With each passing year, more and more are added to this list.

I do believe many of them have some fundamental and educational basis to stand on. However, there are several types of disorders that only seem like more extreme everyday mood swings. Someone who is clinically diagnosed as "depressed" may just be really sad over some life event. This normal over-diagnosis usually isn't a problem, however when it is used as a crutch in everyday learning situations or crimes, that's where it becomes dangerous.

In school, some kids were unable to grasp concepts and thus fell behind to due their inability to educate themselves at the same pace of 90% of the class. Back then we simply diagnosed it as "stupidity". Over the years more "disabilities" have been discovered. Parents have become aware of this, and instead blame their shortfalls as a parent to keep their children focused on homework at home on their child's new found "learning disability".

Don't get me wrong and don't go all liberal on me, I DO believe there are several thousands of people out there with actual disabilities or diseases that hinder their brain development and intelligence. However, this is the way the world works. Some people are born to be super-geniuses, and others are born to greet at Wal-Mart. That's just the way it is. It's no different that being born short.

Does being short prevent me from participating in many life activities that are otherwise available to those over 6 feet tall? Undoubtedly yes. But you know what, once you come to terms with this realization that we all can't be born and bred the same way, you move on!



On the flip side is a "recent" newsstory about Mark Becker (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/24/ed-thomas-iowa-football-c_n_220184.html).

Mark was a disgruntled former student athlete under the tutelage of Ed Thomas, his high school football coach. Becker, one afternoon, went into the school's weight room and shot Ed Thomas (football coach) 6 times in cold blooded murder. After being questioned by authorities about his motive, he said, "The Devil told me to do it, that he was evil, and the only way to save the other kids, was to kill him".

Righteously, the jury convicted him of first-degree murder. However, the defense argued Mark Becker was insane at the time and suffered from Schizophrenia. To me that defense sounded nothing more than Mark realizing his life was basically over after killing someone and reached for an excuse to save him from jail time. It happens all the time, but this is the most recent case I've come across while watching the news.

It's unbelievable and only makes me believe even less in these clinically diagnosed disorders.

That's just my thought, but maybe I'm the one with schizotypal personality disorder.

Does Obamacare cover this?