Recently, a massacre was committed in a movie theater killing a dozen people, and injuring dozens more. I refuse to name the killer because, I don't believe he deserves recognition. I believe that he was mentally sick, but because he prepared for the killings in secrecy, I believe that he knew it was wrong. If you are truly insane, you do not know the difference between right and wrong. At least, that's what I've learned. But because the news reports have claimed that he is an "undiagnosed Schizophrenic", people have "raised their eyebrows", to say the least.
It's tough admitting to anybody that you are mentally ill. Most people react with surprise, to me telling them. Some people distance themselves from me, letting their imaginary fears take over them. And some people have ended friendships. I'm still me, even though I have Schizoaffective Disorder. I'm still "sweet, kind, and loving", as my friends and family have said. I'd do almost anything for those I love, I'd give a stranger the shirt off my back. I'm not violent, I wouldn't hurt anybody. I know when my illness is trying to take over my mind, and I get help for it ASAP when it happens.
Mentally ill people get a bad reputation when sick people commit sick crimes, when in reality, only a few of us ever even think about committing crimes. I think that the stigma against mental illness is one of the things that bothers me the most. I'm fighting a tough battle against my illness, and I don't need discrimination thrown into it, it makes the fight so much harder. I just want to be accepted.
Fear of loosing ones own mind is the root of the discrimination against those with mental illnesses. By speaking out, you help lift the fog and let everyone know that most of us have had an illness or had a loved one with a mental illness.
ReplyDeleteThere are alot of mentally ill people that with thier medication are as nornal as nornal can be. I think sometimes label just need to be thrown out because it is not the label that make a person. It is the person under the lael that matters. I have worked with a lot of mentally ill people and they were all very kind underneath there illness. We just have to take every one and treat them like indivduals not as a group of mentally ill people. I know of one mentally ill person that took the life of a friend of mine and they most likely will not try him as sane and it makes me angry because he brutely killed a wonderful young lady that was tring to help him. What people need to do is look only at his case and not compare it to anyone else with the illness. He was sane at the time and he new whathe was doing. His crime though lead to stephs law that require mental health worker have to alway be with another person when someone with an illness is with them. All I am triing to say is your not as mentally person your a person that has an illness just like cancer or ashma. If someone with cancers kill someone they do not bring up thier cancer so why do they do this with mental illness. We need to start writting stories about the people that have sickness that handle it and live life despite it, like you. Love ya
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