That aside, there’s the question of how the stats were gathered. If it was one of those phone surveys where they ask about symptoms, the figure is pretty much worthless even on its own terms.

However, I’m sure the whole thing isn’t a deliberate conspiracy to strip people of their rights– rather, there are many different special interests involved, some well-meaning. For instance, you’ve got your activists for the really mentally ill who sincerely think if enough people get diagnosed with Internet Addiction, schizophrenia will become completely socially acceptable.

*cue poster claiming “Internet Addiction ruined my life! How dare you laugh at my terrible suffering!*

Mental illness is one of the few reasons to revoke someone’s Second Amendment rights. Call me a conspiracy kook or whatever you like, but remember the criticism of the medical privacy laws in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings.

Mental Illness is also one of the few things that can cause a person to be institutionalized against their will, without due process.

Mental illness can prevent someone from holding certain types of jobs. Imagine spending 8-12 years and thousands of dollars on becoming a doctor and then being told that you can’t work in that field.

I understand the reasoning behind both of the things that I mentioned, but consider this. Psychology is totally subjective. If someone makes a wrong diagnosis, how do you correct it? How do you prove that it is incorrect? With everybody wanting to “error on the safe side” these days, this could be one of the biggest threats to personal freedom that we have.