General Discussion

HuckleB

(35,773 posts) Tue Apr 5, 2016, 11:59 AM Apr 2016

An Open Letter To Society About Mental Illness

http://modernliberals.com/open-letter-society-mental-illness/

"According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, one in four adults experiences mental illness in a year. That’s about sixty-one million people. One in seven, or about thirteen million people, live with a serious mental illness, like schizophrenia, major depression, or bipolar disorder. And every single time some white guy decides to slaughter innocent people, society immediately jumps on the blame mental illness bandwagon.

I have borderline personality disorder, major depression, and mild PTSD. I am isolated in that I have no support system outside my immediate family. The irony is, when I was really sick, deeply immersed in BPD, I was very popular. Now that I am well-ish, I have no friends. Oh, I have people online who are whatever online friends are, but I don’t have anyone I can call and just say “I really need to get things off my chest, can you listen for awhile?” There are millions of folks who are isolated and struggling with mental illness in America, and whenever we hear society call us all violent, or dangerous, it isolates us even more.

Being mentally ill statistically means you will be a victim of violence, not a perpetrator. Does this stop society at large from labeling us all as dangerous? After Sandy Hook, a woman I knew online-a liberal-wrote she thought all mentally ill people (she used the word crazy) should be locked up, in order to keep society safe. Wayne LaPierre, official sociopath for the NRA, suggested a registry for all mentally ill people in America. Because it’s easier to say we’re all going to snap, and shoot up a school, or a mall, or an African-American church, than dealing with our societal problems.

...

There is no shame in being mentally ill. There is no shame in getting help, or taking meds, or having days, weeks, or even months, where it takes all your energy just to get dressed. The shame lies squarely on the shoulders of everyone who believes we should be locked up, or in jail, simply for being sick. Do we do that with cancer patients, or diabetics?

..."

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This needs to be spread far and wide.

13 replies

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Highlight:

An Open Letter To Society About Mental Illness (Original Post) HuckleB Apr 2016 OP

Person living with Bipolar, cosigning. GreenPartyVoter Apr 2016 #1

Thanks! HuckleB Apr 2016 #3

"Just snap out of it" progressoid Apr 2016 #2

The more we know as humans, the less many of us seem to Understand. HuckleB Apr 2016 #4

Gigantic K&R!!!! Nt LostOne4Ever Apr 2016 #5

Thank you! HuckleB Apr 2016 #8

Most people have a hard time discussing it postatomic Apr 2016 #6

The shame also lays squarely on all levels of government, WHEN CRABS ROAR Apr 2016 #7

And workplaces, and neighborhoods, and liberal websites... HereSince1628 Apr 2016 #9

On all of us, in all arenas. HuckleB Apr 2016 #12

shameless plug for our two groups.... steve2470 Apr 2016 #10

+1,000,000 ... 000 HuckleB Apr 2016 #11

. HuckleB Apr 2016 #13

GreenPartyVoter

(72,381 posts)

1. Person living with Bipolar, cosigning.

Reply to HuckleB (Original post)

Tue Apr 5, 2016, 12:12 PM

Apr 2016

HuckleB

(35,773 posts)

3. Thanks!

Reply to GreenPartyVoter (Reply #1)

Tue Apr 5, 2016, 01:27 PM

Apr 2016

progressoid

(49,996 posts)

2. "Just snap out of it"

Reply to HuckleB (Original post)

Tue Apr 5, 2016, 01:16 PM

Apr 2016

And other quips aren't helpful. But sadly, there are still seemingly intelligent people who prefer blaming the victim.

HuckleB

(35,773 posts)

4. The more we know as humans, the less many of us seem to Understand.

Reply to progressoid (Reply #2)

Tue Apr 5, 2016, 02:34 PM

Apr 2016

It's strange, or maybe not.

LostOne4Ever

(9,290 posts)

5. Gigantic K&R!!!! Nt

Reply to HuckleB (Original post)

Tue Apr 5, 2016, 02:35 PM

Apr 2016

HuckleB

(35,773 posts)

8. Thank you!

Reply to LostOne4Ever (Reply #5)

Tue Apr 5, 2016, 04:57 PM

Apr 2016

postatomic

(1,771 posts)

6. Most people have a hard time discussing it

Reply to HuckleB (Original post)

Tue Apr 5, 2016, 02:56 PM

Apr 2016

Those that suffer from Mental Illness and those that are told about that Mental Illness.

I had no problem telling anyone who will listen about my psych issues. Almost all that I would tell got that 'deer in the headlights' look and wouldn't know what to say. I've gotten to the point where I don't discuss it anymore. It obviously makes many people very uncomfortable.

There was a nice website that linked from your link:

http://bringchange2mind.org/

Our society has created this massive stigma about the Mentally Ill. Our Police are being used as Primary Mental Health Providers. We still have miles to go. Some people think that Depression is just feeling 'sad' and all that's needed is a kick in the ass to get going.

WHEN CRABS ROAR

(3,813 posts)

7. The shame also lays squarely on all levels of government,

Reply to HuckleB (Original post)

Tue Apr 5, 2016, 03:39 PM

Apr 2016

local, state and federal, who refuse to fund even modest amounts, to make the lives of the mentally ill just a little bit better.
Plenty for war, but none for the citizens living all around us.
Their only solution seems to be arrest.

HereSince1628

(36,063 posts)

9. And workplaces, and neighborhoods, and liberal websites...

Reply to WHEN CRABS ROAR (Reply #7)

Tue Apr 5, 2016, 05:20 PM

Apr 2016

Prejudice and discrimination against the persons with mental disorders is mostly ignored

It's mostly ignored because that's the nature of deeply ingrained bigotry. It's common on DU to use persons with mental disorders as iconic models of ... our republican opponents. Why would we accept using one group of people who are afflicted with illness as adjectives for our enemies if we aren't bigoted?

Why do near 90% of Americans want mental hospitals closed but 83% of Americans not want a person with mental disorder as a neighbor?

Who want's a person with a mental disorder in their workplace? Do you suppose that has something to do with the national average for jobless among persons with mental disorders being around 80%