But it is possible, given the right strength of character, right? Audie Murphy(if addiction can be considered a mental illness), Nikolas Tesla, Isaac Newton etc.
Or maybe the right term here is "deal" with mental illness. Because as far as I know, they never got rid of their illness just dealt with them in such a manner that they could function.
All of them had very different issues. Some, like Murphy's addiction, does indeed involve willpower in the treatment. It's hard to say exactly what people like Tesla, Newton, or Poe had because we're just guessing at the diagnoses, and these people has to attempt to their illnesses because there was no other option.
Certainly, there are people who stand out in history. John Forbes Nash Jr. (A Beautiful Mind) famously went long stretches managing his schizophrenia without any medications. People like him are the exception that prove the rule, however, as schizophrenia is a lifelong illness that normally cannot be self-managed, especially considering that many schizophrenics lack insight into their own illness.
Magicmiles' claim is akin to claiming that any infection can be cured through sheer force of will. While it's possible to recover from a bacterial infection without antibiotics, there's a reason antibiotics are considered one of the most important inventions of all time.
Basically, I'm curious about the new norms arising around mental illness. When I got diagnosed with mild autism there was no rush to try and treat it. The pediatrician essentially said, if he can't adapt take him to a specialist if he can, don't.
That's because there's no cure for autism spectrum disorders. Treatment is focused towards helping ASD patients adapt better to social norms and to manage other symptoms like seizures or anxiety. So yes, it makes sense for your pediatrician to say that if you couldn't adapt you would need to seek interventions that would help you adapt.
Nowadays, it feels like there's a whole lot more panic. I dunno how to articulate this thought. It feels like people now know more about mental illness but not enough to actually be of help but enough to get themselves paranoid or even worsen the situation.
Correct. We've reached the stage where the public is more
aware of mental illnesses but they are not
educated on them. Thus there is still a lot of stigma, misinformation, and panic attached to them.
Which is why I recommend staying away from the Internet for anything related to mental health (or health in general, even.) If you're concerned about your own or someone else's mental health, see someone who is qualified to assess it, like a doctor or a professional YouTube commenter.