Take That Mother F$#@$^! I'm Mentally Disabled!
When I hear codgers/radio personalities/people on Fox News talking about how everyone has an excuse for the bad things they’ve done (“Momma didn’t love me,” “Daddy was a drunk,” “Grandma gave me paper towels for a birthday present”), I usually ignore them. In defiance of what the people at Fox News tell me, I try to judge things I hear on a case by case basis, instead of making a proclamation and demanding that everyone agree that it explains everything that has ever happened in the past, present, and future. And then, the other night, I caught the very end of the NBC Nightly News where Brian Williams was describing, and mocking in his own intolerable smug way, the discovery of Intermittent Explosive Disorder. I have considered this disorder (drawing upon my one semester of Psychology from college) and decided that it is, in fact, a load of horse poop, in every situation that has ever happened in the past, present, or future.
According to the Washington Post, “By definition, intermittent explosive disorder involves multiple outbursts that are way out of proportion to the situation.” If this is a psychological disorder, then I want to sue somebody, because I have been surrounded by people like this my whole life. In fact, I was one of them, so I want to sue somebody for the damages that I caused to myself. In my house, we have a definite candidate for this disorder (although he has temporarily relocated to the Middle East). I had no idea that when I christened his alter-ego “Spaz Boy” I was actually mocking a psychological condition that he had no control over. That time he took the bag full of spilled Chinese food and howled at the heavens, he wasn’t just being a loon, he was uncontrollably demonstrating his disability. That time he freaked out because I forgot to have the dealer stamp our maintenance book after the car was serviced, he couldn’t help himself - he is mentally challenged. That time (or should I say those times) he screamed and grabbed his head as the Philadelphia Eagles gave away a game they had almost won, he wasn't just reacting irrationally, he was emotionally disturbed.
However, the strange thing is, Spaz Boy doesn’t come around much anymore. I suppose it is possible that someday the HP’s head will explode with all of the rage he had been suppressing for the past ten years. However, I suppose it is also possible that living with me has changed him a little bit, without any need for medication or intense psychotherapy. If he was able to change on his own (and years ago I was able to change on my own) maybe the other sufferers can too. I believe in medical terms this is called “chilling out.” Throwing temper fits is not a sign of mental illness; it is a sign of self-indulgence. I’m sure the court cases using IED for a defense have already sprouted and begun working their way through the system. Psychologists might as well start printing money with all the expert witness testimony they will be providing to every jerk who takes a swing at someone else in a bar. But the worst outcome of this new disorder is that the people at Fox News will be right. If this is allowed to be a disorder, then there really will be an excuse that everybody can use to explain the bad things they've done.
According to the Washington Post, “By definition, intermittent explosive disorder involves multiple outbursts that are way out of proportion to the situation.” If this is a psychological disorder, then I want to sue somebody, because I have been surrounded by people like this my whole life. In fact, I was one of them, so I want to sue somebody for the damages that I caused to myself. In my house, we have a definite candidate for this disorder (although he has temporarily relocated to the Middle East). I had no idea that when I christened his alter-ego “Spaz Boy” I was actually mocking a psychological condition that he had no control over. That time he took the bag full of spilled Chinese food and howled at the heavens, he wasn’t just being a loon, he was uncontrollably demonstrating his disability. That time he freaked out because I forgot to have the dealer stamp our maintenance book after the car was serviced, he couldn’t help himself - he is mentally challenged. That time (or should I say those times) he screamed and grabbed his head as the Philadelphia Eagles gave away a game they had almost won, he wasn't just reacting irrationally, he was emotionally disturbed.
However, the strange thing is, Spaz Boy doesn’t come around much anymore. I suppose it is possible that someday the HP’s head will explode with all of the rage he had been suppressing for the past ten years. However, I suppose it is also possible that living with me has changed him a little bit, without any need for medication or intense psychotherapy. If he was able to change on his own (and years ago I was able to change on my own) maybe the other sufferers can too. I believe in medical terms this is called “chilling out.” Throwing temper fits is not a sign of mental illness; it is a sign of self-indulgence. I’m sure the court cases using IED for a defense have already sprouted and begun working their way through the system. Psychologists might as well start printing money with all the expert witness testimony they will be providing to every jerk who takes a swing at someone else in a bar. But the worst outcome of this new disorder is that the people at Fox News will be right. If this is allowed to be a disorder, then there really will be an excuse that everybody can use to explain the bad things they've done.
posted by Shannon at 10:28 PM
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