Often we see people as winners and losers. We consider a mental illness as something other people have, not our concern. We can embrace the stigma and mock the individual because having a mental illness carries with it a weakness and lack of control as well as a fear factor. The way society fights that fear is to mock the symptoms of the illness and the sufferer as well as to hide the individual by pretending we do not see that person and then ignore the gravity of the mass existence of the condition. We see mental illness as a disease that happens to someone else that does not affect us as a possible outcome when in fact, mental illness affects all segments of society, every age group, rich and poor, all genders, as well as all races and religions. When society sees a threat such as a Socialist politician or a rogue nation, they often call the person a "wacko" or "crazy." If someone dislikes or disagrees with a person, they often say that the person is "crazy" regardless of the fact they are not mentally ill. If a business has a sale and they want to convey way low prices out of control, they say it is a "crazy sale." If they called it a cancer sale or heart attack low prices, people would take offense, but it is still ok to stigmatize and denigrate the mentally ill. President Trump uses this form of attack often as well as Republican politicians and commentators and they have no shame about causing harm to people with an illness which is just as legitimate as someone with a bodily condition that requires traditional medical assistance.
It is often hard to empathize with someone with a mental illness unless you have a mental illness yourself and know the pain, fear and destruction and the extreme suffering you will endure. Often there is a lack of availability of assistance unless you have significant wealth and support from family, friends, and your employer etc. which can often be non existent. The first emotion you will probably feel when you experience your first "episode" will be denial. You will think, "I cannot be "mentally ill." Then as things progress, the fear will come as your world begins to disintegrate and you lose support and friends as well as end up hospitalized and in debt dealing with the possibility of homelessness. You may come to realize your prescribed medication is not working and that you are facing episodes regardless of the fact you are doing what was prescribed by a Doctor. You begin to feel helpless and out of control. You may now feel like a loser that society shuns and people stigmatize and fear. Your insurance coverage may not be sufficient to help you get adequate care and your workplace may let you go when they discover your condition. You may find yourself homeless and without support or food. You may be treated worse than a dog. This is a terrifying reality that can happen to anybody. Often, the fight against mental illness is a lonely one. People should realize they are not immune to mental illness and are affected in many ways by those that are cast off by society due to no fault of there own. Alcoholism and mental illness may appear the same in many ways, but most people will accept an alcoholic's strange behavior over similar behavior from someone mentally ill. For all the talk of increased care for the mentally ill, so many people are suffering in silence and still left behind. The stigma remains and understanding is not helped by negative stereotypes perpetrated by people who should know better, even politicians who do not see the legitimate crisis before their eyes and just give metal illness lip service when an extreme public tragedy occurs.
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