Fucked Up Shit

[cand86]

A thread for all sorts of biphobic links, a.k.a. fucked up shit. (Forgive me if there's already a master thread like this).

To start it off, something I tripped over today:

http://doctor.ndtv.com/news/detailnews.asp?id=3386

Look at the headline. Read the article. Look at the headline again.

What the fuck?

[bityme]

It's the medical version of "Pass it On." These idiots can't get the funding to do research so they read someone else's and then come up with new findings from studies that were not originally designed to evaluate the area they are making conclusions about.

It's like reading a whole bunch of studies about gas mileage in cars and then publishing your findings that red cars have the worst gas mileage because they have a tendency to go faster than the gray or white cars seniors usually buy.

I never believe the "studies of the studies" and I don't feel people should believe in absolutes. LOL

[M. Wolfe]

But it could be on to something. Its sad but non-heteros like ourselves tend to go through a period of shame and depression, I mean:


The researchers noted that such mental disorders among gays and bisexuals are not due to their sexuality but might be due to the lifelong stress involved because of the overt and subtle discrimination they face, even in liberal countries. This often leads to social exclusion and rejection by their own families.

I don't think this is "bi-phobic" by any stretch of the imagination. Being atypical can be hard, I know it, you know it, we all do.

[MissyMissy]

even though this study is lame in that it isnt its own study...
if you think of it we are not gay, we are not straight.
i get a lot of shit from some people. there is only black and white no grey.
i get...
you can't love men and women at the same time. there is no such thing as being bisexual. you either like men or like women, not both. then you get those who think you are a lesbian when you are not. you are bisexual. you get a lot of crap from some gay/lesbian persons for being "halfway" you get a lot of crap from straight people for it as well. it is frustrating and can get deopressing. you are prone to getting abused more and you tend to fight back a lot when you have had enough. then people think you are insane for defending yourself.
now i love people for what they are and do my best to accept them, but i seem to get a lot of harshness at times. it has taken a toll on me, but i can say i am still alive and there are people who love me very much. the loving support has kept me going through all the crap i have been through for a long time.
missymissy

[M. Wolfe]

you can't love men and women at the same time. there is no such thing as being bisexual. you either like men or like women, not both. then you get those who think you are a lesbian when you are not. you are bisexual. you get a lot of crap from some gay/lesbian persons for being "halfway" you get a lot of crap from straight people for it as well. it is frustrating and can get deopressing. you are prone to getting abused more and you tend to fight back a lot when you have had enough. then people think you are insane for defending yourself.
now i love people for what they are and do my best to accept them, but i seem to get a lot of harshness at times. it has taken a toll on me, but i can say i am still alive and there are people who love me very much. the loving support has kept me going through all the crap i have been through for a long time.

I have been unreasonably lucky in this regard, Everyone I've told aren't the type to assume they know anything, and since they didn't know what it was to be bisexual, they made no attempt at telling me what I must be, they knew that only I'm going to know what goes on inside of my own mind.

[Papelucho]

It's ridiculous because there's nothing in the article that backs up what is said in the title. The author didn't bother explaining their premise.

I've heard that bisexuals are more prone to mental disorders because of stress and anxiety before, and it's not unreasonable when you think about it, but the article is poorly written.

[alegrias]

I think some of the responders missed the point of the original post.

The article talks about how gays AND bisexuals have more problems with mental health. But the title only mentions bisexuals. Are they saying that all non-straight people are bisexual deviants???

I also hate it when a study like this is referenced in the popular press, without giving the details of the original study. How many people were interviewed for this study?? How were they selected??

[AmericanBeauty]

But what the article and study are saying are true though.

Gay and bisexual people do have a higher prevalence of depression/anxiety/substance abuse/mental illness.

Just look at the suicide rates for gay/bisexual teens, and the studies done on this.

While they're not sky high they are higher than average than the suicide rate for heterosexual teenagers is.

Being a teenager wasn't fun at all for me but then it wasn't enjoyable being totally different and not heterosexual like everyone else was, or having friends/family members expect me to grow up and wind up marrying a woman.

Also it's not like they are saying that bisexuality or homosexuality are caused by mental illness/depression/anxiety.

The below paragraphs are from the article, look up these smaller studies or do your own research and you'll see that what the article is saying is true. I don't see the article as being biphobic or homophobic since it's bringing to light the higher incidence of and the topics of mental illness, substance abuse, depression, and anxiety among gay and bisexual people.

The findings strengthen the evidence from smaller studies that gay, lesbian and bisexual people have a relatively higher rate of mental health problems. However, none of this means that homosexuality is itself some type of disorder that gives rise to poorer mental health, stressed the researchers.

The researchers noted that such mental disorders among gays and bisexuals are not due to their sexuality but might be due to the lifelong stress involved because of the overt and subtle discrimination they face, even in liberal countries. This often leads to social exclusion and rejection by their own families.

[FalconAngel]

It's the medical version of "Pass it On." These idiots can't get the funding to do research so they read someone else's and then come up with new findings from studies that were not originally designed to evaluate the area they are making conclusions about.

It's like reading a whole bunch of studies about gas mileage in cars and then publishing your findings that red cars have the worst gas mileage because they have a tendency to go faster than the gray or white cars seniors usually buy.

I never believe the "studies of the studies" and I don't feel people should believe in absolutes. LOL

I have to agree with that.

They also stated that they couldn't do any study as to why it is that way. Why not? What stopped them? Making the effort to complete the work so that they could publish complete findings instead of incomplete ones?

[meteast chick]

Okay, so I see the point of the headline only mentioning Bisexuals, but c'mon, even without the so-called 'case studies', etc, there are some they are on the right path. There are just things we, as a society, cannot dismiss.

Okay, yes, I'm not bi, I am gay, but I have been through the cycle and I am currently living it.

As a child it's tolerated, even cute, to seem cuddly and overly friendly with members of the same or opposite sex. Hell, I had the biggest crush on my Kindergarten teacher and my mom thought it was SO CUTE. Miss Scott, if you're out there...

Entering and during the teenage years as our hormones are raging and social inclusion acceptance is at it's pinnacle, a great number of things can happen. Studies have been done about depression elevation during the teenage years. I think that's directly due to the first statement of this paragraph. Those already confused about their sexuality in a predominant heterosexual society can be in mental agony. In my rural, white-bread town, I only shared the secrecy of my inclination toward the same sex to a VERY select few. I had a few bi and gay friends in other towns, but would have never thought about bringing them back 'home'. Hey, I was 16, sue me.

I can't speak for everyone, but until after I came out, my internal struggle was horrific. Denial, denial, denial. It has nothing to do with the fact that one may be bisexual or homosxual, but the internal struggle is elevated, and the lifelong struggles with society at large are a factor to depression, anxiety, etc etc.

This is not to say that everyone who is bi or gay has mental issues, and not to say that everyone who has mental issues is bi or gay. But I think the basic idea the article brings to light is valid

Just my opinion people.
luv and hugs,
xoxoxoxoxoxox
meteast

[cand86]

Yeah, I can see what a lot of people are saying- I don't think it's too much to say that indeed, bisexuals face a lot of mental stress and that the headline has some merit to it.

It's just the fact that the article talks about gays and bisexuals, and yet the headline only mentions bisexuals- it just makes me wonder, as they selected the title, what in the world was going through their heads. "Ah, yes, an article about mental problems faced by gays and bisexuals. Let us title it 'Bisexuals more prone to mental disorders'."

[AmericanBeauty]

Yeah, I can see what a lot of people are saying- I don't think it's too much to say that indeed, bisexuals face a lot of mental stress and that the headline has some merit to it.

It's just the fact that the article talks about gays and bisexuals, and yet the headline only mentions bisexuals- it just makes me wonder, as they selected the title, what in the world was going through their heads. "Ah, yes, an article about mental problems faced by gays and bisexuals. Let us title it 'Bisexuals more prone to mental disorders'."

At least we're mentioned.

[M. Wolfe]

'Bisexuals more prone to mental disorders'

Ahh, now I understand your beef here. I didn't see that at all. I think you should have clarified cos we all thought you were suggesting the study was based solely on a prejudicial idea. Well, you might be right on the title. The study on the other hand is an entirely different discussion.

[Hephaestion]

Negroes are supposed to be more prone to mental disorder environmentally induced and through gentic predisposition.

Farmers are supposed to be more prone to mental disorder because of long hours, financial burden, social isolation.

The average family man is supposed to be prone to mental collapse because of increasing financial burden, work pressures, a pernicious taxation system, problems with relatives, shit neighbours.

So God help anyone who is negro, a farmer with a family who owes on his home with a yearning to be back in a promising adolescence when homosexuality was explored. But as we all know significant time travel is currently impossible. Hmm! That sheep is begining to look more and more attractive.

Group A more prone than group B - on what baseline? Another example of 'lies, damned lies, and statistics'?