"mental disorders don't exist"

...just tell him hes full of crap,its just in his head.

and then add "...which would probably be some kind of mental disorder... if only they existed!"


I actually have a friend like this. He doesn't buy into BPD (and the ironic part is he's diagnosed with PTSD from serving overseas!!)

Then again, there are also some religious people who refuse to believe Dinosaurs ever existed.

But in truth, there are a good number of close-minded people lurking the earth. Heck, I have to call one of them "Dad" every now and then. Perhaps we're jumping to judgement though. Is it that he doesn't believe in anything related to psychology or could it be that he is poorly communicating a belief that all "mental disorders" are actually caused by something else and are really "medical disorders"?

Part of me wants to suggest trying to get him to read a book like "Get Me Out Of Here" or "The Buddha and the Borderline" but if he's locked into his beliefs/invented reality, that might not help either way.

I'm not sure what one would say to such a person, especially while suffering from one of the supposedly non-existent disorders. Hopefully he comes around - and quick. Otherwise you're not going to get much of the support you need from him.

How long have you two been together? If you've been together awhile and he's just now saying this it's a lot different than if you just got together. I'm with the people who say they couldn't be with him, but I also understand loving someone despite it all. Just talk to him about it see why he thinks that. And if he really thinks it. He might have just said it in the moment while being frustrated over something. As in "mental disorders don't exist she is doing this on purpose!" Have him read up on BPD. He could have a lot of aha moments. I hope he starts being more supportive.

i think they defendly do exist
but the dsm is a joke so ther's no way to define them unless you make your own
(and no i'm not a sientologist)

JohnnyBlaze wrote:However, if they'd known for a while what I've been diagnosed with, and were still denying that any of the things existed, then vaya con Dios.

Or how I would say it:

Vete al carajo.

I think there is a big difference between thinking that the DSM is pure unadulterated bull**** (like me) and denying that a person can suffer horribly from crushing sadness, anxiety, hallucinations, existential despair etc.
That can defiantly be a deal breaker.

My boyfriend is one to believe that mental disorders don't exist as well. We've left it as that's something we don't discuss with each other. It's really frustrating, and I definitely feel invalidated, and unsupported. However for those of you who have read my posts on my boyfriend, I don't know how much longer we're going to be in this relationship anyways. But that's another matter...

I agree with everyone else. Perhaps after things cool down try to have another conversation with him and see where he's coming from. It might end up having to be one of those conversations that you choose to "agree to disagree" on.

thank you all for your comments! you've helped a lot.

elizabish wrote:

CBear wrote:Perhaps he's doing it to purposefully be argumentative?

maybe! he's like that sometimes, but usually not to people he's close to. so i dunno!

Boredom is a helluva thing. Some people try to provoke people, just for the fun of it...I believe we call this "Trolling" on the internet for instance.

But hey, maybe, maybe not. I wouldn't know. He may have just been taught this, or heard it around and adopted the same idea without much if any research on the topic at hand.
I'd leave it as ignorance, but inform him that this bothers you, particularly the way that he said it. The way it makes you feel invalidated.

Alexander the Great wrote:

CBear wrote:Perhaps he's doing it to purposefully be argumentative?

That makes it any better how?

Oh, I didn't mean that it made it any more acceptable, or better.

I was just speculating what his intentions may have been.

If he doesn't even believe they exist then understanding and support is so far off that I don't see how a relationship would even work. The first step to getting over a problem is admitting there is a problem! My boyfriend recognizes mental illness and is open and supportive of therapy, but the understanding is not there and he doesn't even try to most of the time, but at least I know there is a chance of that changing because he does accept my diagnoses and even has some issues myself. I would feel like I was being called a crazy liar if I was told that and for me, it could go no further.

I dated a women who didnt believe mental disorders existed. It was EXTREMELY invalidating... she would often say "I don't understand why you cant just get over it". At which point I would go angerly off crying...
I dont have any advice for you unfortunately.. I never did know what to say to her on that subject... All I know, is that I could NEVER date someone like that again. It was one of my most damaging relationships...