Reality Check :)

Okay, so this is actually something I wrote for a class . . . The topic was "why are people with mental illnesses treated so harshly?"
In my opinion, people with mental illness have been treated in such harsh ways is because, until recently, their illness cannot be explained in a way that everyday people can understand.

Mental illness is an invisible disability. As far as people are concerned, if a person doesn't act in a way that their family, friends or peers feel is appropriate . . . those groups of people try to rationalize why the person is acting in that way. Since they aren't dealing with a visible disability, the peers, family and friends have to create a context that will allow them understand how to help the person. For example, if a diabetic were acting disoriented and having trouble responding to questions, unreasonably silly or maybe quick to anger a person who is familiar with their diagnosis may ask that diabetic person it they need to test their blood, get them something to eat rectifying the situation. Whereas if that same diabetic were pulled over by a cop, the cop might submit the person to a breathalyzer test before anything else, assuming the person was drunk.

If I walked into an ER with the same symptoms and they found out about my illness, they would probably attribute it to my illness without even thinking (for whatever reason) I might have a low blood sugar. When a person with mental illness has the same problem . . . because there is no real way for their peers, family, friends or even doctors and counselors to immediately help, they feel inadequate and want to blame it on something, but can only blame it on the illness. Medically speaking, there is no immediate gratification for helping someone with a mental illness. There isn't even immediate gratification for the person with the illness to get treatment since it takes at least two weeks to a month for current medicines to BEGIN working . . . if they are on the right meds.

Because the large majority of the world is able to change their own perspective and motivation by merely thinking about it and resolving to change, they assume everyone can do it the same way. When people with chemical imbalances come into play (creating a more difficult barrier to change), those who can change their life by simply resolving to do so can't understand or explain why others without that ability don't simply resolve to do so. The person without the chemical imbalance thinks to themselves, shaking their head at the mentally ill person, “All you have to do is think positively and you’ll be happy! Focus on the positive! Focus on your gratitude! Focus on the happy things! Do that and you’ll feel better, I do!” I mean it IS difficult for nonchemically challenged people to change their thinking and at times find motivation sufficient to do things. However because it’s difficult for the nonchemically challenged to recognize and change their behavior, they assume all others live with that same level of difficulty. It isn't the same level. The chemical imbalance makes thinking positively and rationally extremely more difficult. Although thinking positively can help anyone to some degree, it takes a LOT more work than simply thinking positive thoughts to help people with a mental illness. I don't want to discredit the importance of positive thoughts alone, but they do not have the same impact for someone with a chemical imbalance and therefore cannot work as effectively as they do for people without a chemical imbalance.

It's kind of like in that previous example with the diabetic. I cannot walk up to a diabetic and tell them to think "raise my blood sugar" over and over again with any medically significant change. If anything, telling them to do that is wasting precious time where I really should be looking for some juice or sugar to help before they get into worse trouble.

It's difficult internal battle for a person experiencing symptoms of mental illness. Frequently people with a diagnosable mental illness don't seek treatment because they grew up learning the enitre "mind over matter" concept. Believing that if they changed their perspective and worked harder they could accomplish anything on their own.

For example, when I started becoming more clear in thought, my parents said they recognized a huge change in my level of gratitude. They’ve told me on more than one occasion that the reason I am better is because I started having an attitude of gratitude, instead of focusing so much on what I didn’t have. Really, I had made lists and lists of things that I was grateful for throughout the 12 years of my intense illness. I could make lists all day and all night of the things for which I was grateful. In an effort to believe it, I could make (and did make) lists of why I should not kill myself. However, no matter how long those lists grew, it didn’t turn off the woman’s voice in my head telling me nothing on that list outweighed or even remotely offset the level of my burden to those around me who would be much happier, better off and relieved if I were gone. I had a chemical imbalance. Rationality didn’t work.
When rational thought doesn't work, people around who have no problem with rational thought are baffled and ultimately scared.

If you were out for an evening run and glanced at a person farther the street, you would have no way to know if that person had a mental illness. Let's say they were well dressed and groomed pacing, appeared agitated and talking aloud to no one you could see. You would probably just assume they had a bad day and were talking to someone on their bluetooth phone about it. However, if the person wasn't well kept and in the same situation, you would assume they are mentally ill and quickly cross the street to avoid them. Forget the fact that in either case the person really is upset and talking to a real someone. Maybe the well dressed person is talking to a very real hallucination and the unkept person missed his flight, had to sleep over at the airport the night before and is angry at the prospect of doing it again while trying to schedule his next flight . . . on his bluetooth!

People treat others harshly because they don't take the time to understand them. Plain and simple.
What do you think?

-MOPS

p.s. I really like bluetooth ear buds because now it's completely acceptable for people to talk aloud when no one is around them. Unconsciously, I do it all the time. LOL!