I know what mental disease Libertarians are suffering from!

[MrBogosity]

It makes perfect sense, the diagnosis fits me perfectly: [wiki]Drapetomania[/wiki]

Drapetomania was a supposed mental illness described by American physician Samuel A. Cartwright in 1851 that caused black slaves to flee captivity.

Cartwright described the disorder — which, he said, was "unknown to our medical authorities, although its diagnostic symptom, the absconding from service, is well known to our planters and overseers"[4] — in a paper delivered before the Medical Association of Louisiana[5] that was widely reprinted.

He stated that the malady was a consequence of masters who "made themselves too familiar with [slaves], treating them as equals".[6]

    "If any one or more of them, at any time, are inclined to raise their heads to a level with their master or overseer, humanity and their own good requires that they should be punished until they fall into that submissive state which was intended for them to occupy. They have only to be kept in that state, and treated like children to prevent and cure them from running away." [7]

In addition to identifying drapetomania, Cartwright prescribed a remedy. His feeling was that with "proper medical advice, strictly followed, this troublesome practice that many Negroes have of running away can be almost entirely prevented."[4] In the case of slaves "sulky and dissatisfied without cause" — a warning sign of imminent flight — Cartwright prescribed "whipping the devil out of them" as a "preventative measure".

Yeah, I think I might be a chronic case. No treating me!

[Travis Retriever]

It makes perfect sense, the diagnosis fits me perfectly: [wiki]Drapetomania[/wiki]

Yeah, I think I might be a chronic case. No treating me!

Why am I reminded of the Homosexuality = mental illness bit the right would often play upon seeing that?

Also, glad to know this one is for life.

[Ibrahim90]

It makes perfect sense, the diagnosis fits me perfectly: [wiki]Drapetomania[/wiki]

Yeah, I think I might be a chronic case. No treating me!

so wait, is this just a joke for the sake of the lulz, or is someone really proposing this about us?

either way, it s epic Lulz. at least it can now be said that we can draw common ground with those slaves who so truly yearned for freedom all these years ago: we both want freedom, people don't like us, and like to come up with all sorts of mental gymnastics to explain us all away. and of course, pseudoscientific crap is spewed about us to describe us XD

[MrBogosity]

so wait, is this just a joke for the sake of the lulz, or is someone really proposing this about us?

It's for the lulz, although at the time of course they really were saying this about slaves.

[evensgrey]

It's for the lulz, although at the time of course they really were saying this about slaves.

Unfortunately, this fits right in to the long history of highly dubious mental illness identifications.

Today, we have ADHD, which, if it really exists, is possibly the most over-diagnosed condition in history.  The idea that it exists as a real condition (as opposed to simply being the extreme and most inconvenient end of a normal range) is made more suspicious more recent identification of a whole new CLASS of mental illnesses by the fellow who described ADHD.  He called them 'Shadow Syndromes', and they basically work like this:  They're just like normal mental illnesses, except not as bad.  (Trying to medicalize what was previously not considered medical seems to be something of a theme here.  There's been a suspicion that some doctors have a tendency to do this, particularly in psychiatry where evidence usage is often a bit on the THIN side, but this is a rare example of it being really obvious.)

[MrBogosity]

But we do know there's a "there" there with regards to ADHD. Brain scans show that (at least some) ADHD patients have a kind of neurological disorder where parts of the brain that should be deactivated aren't--kind of like epilepsy, but with different regions. Of course, the diagnosis is based on behavior, so it's tricky.

[AnCap Dave]

Pfft, you want to hear nonsensical diagnoses. I was diagnosed with "acceptance of behavior disorder." It means I have a hard time tolerating behavior that I deem "disruptive." This was after I got arrested back in march for punching my mother's boyfriend in the face after he came home completely wasted at 1 in the morning and started waking everyone up to tell us how much our mother is a bitch.

[Goaticus]

But we do know there's a "there" there with regards to ADHD. Brain scans show that (at least some) ADHD patients have a kind of neurological disorder where parts of the brain that should be deactivated aren't--kind of like epilepsy, but with different regions. Of course, the diagnosis is based on behavior, so it's tricky.

I have a friend with overfocus type ADD. He stays focused on one thing and can't switch focus appropriately. Unfortunately it is common to misdiagnose it as ADHD and the stimulants they give you make it worse. After 15 years of problems he got a correct diagnosis and it was cured with very low dose anti-depressants.

[MrBogosity]

Harry Browne was diagnosed with "Chronic Euphoria." I'd like to have that one!

[Ibrahim90]

Pfft, you want to hear nonsensical diagnoses. I was diagnosed with "acceptance of behavior disorder." It means I have a hard time tolerating behavior that I deem "disruptive." This was after I got arrested back in march for punching my mother's boyfriend in the face after he came home completely wasted at 1 in the morning and started waking everyone up to tell us how much our mother is a bitch.

arrested because you defended you mom's honor? that's disgraceful!

I mean, if you killed him or maimed him, that's one thing you shouldn't do-but a punch? come on!

[AnCap Dave]

arrested because you defended you mom's honor? that's disgraceful!

I mean, if you killed him or maimed him, that's one thing you shouldn't do-but a punch? come on!

Nah, I admit I shouldn't have punched him honestly. Violence wouldn't have solved that problem. I was just very angry that I was woken up in the middle of the night by a loud, obnoxious drunk.

[Virgil0211]

I was just very angry that I was woken up in the middle of the night by a loud, obnoxious drunk.

And this is a disorder? =P

As for punching him, what the hell did the guy expect?

[evensgrey]

And this is a disorder? =P

As for punching him, what the hell did the guy expect?

Keep in mind that we live in a world where there are significant numbers of people who insist that they believe the only acceptable thing to do when faced with any kind of physical violence is to flee, regardless of where you are or what the violence is.  (Fortunately, these people have not succeeded in making this the law in Canada or anywhere that I know of in the US, although I know that there have been attempts to do this in the US.  We recently had an incident in Ottawa, which isn't far from the town where I live, and where some friends of mine do live, where a man broke into a house and later died of the wounds the residents inflicted on him.  For a change, the Crown decided to not waste a lot of time and money by trying to prosecute the householders.)

[MrBogosity]

Keep in mind that we live in a world where there are significant numbers of people who insist that they believe the only acceptable thing to do when faced with any kind of physical violence is to flee,

Or submit. That's what several governments in various places will tell you to do!

[Travis Retriever]

Keep in mind that we live in a world where there are significant numbers of people who insist that they believe the only acceptable thing to do when faced with any kind of physical violence is to flee, regardless of where you are or what the violence is.

Then by their own admission, government--which is an institution of violence--must be dismantled.