Mental illness of any kind is a very serious problem and more common than it seems to be. It is also a very overlooked aspect to many people. If someone does something that is out of the ordinary, a person assumes they are either stupid or a mean person, even though they could have something wrong with their brains causing them to behave that way.
Mental illness is often treated differently than a physical illness by society, because you can see something physical. You can't see mental illness. Many famous people have had some sort of disorder, and not many people knew about it. I doubt they would want people to know, because there's such a stigma on it. And I don't think it's right, because it's not something they can help.
A lot of people have pre-conceived notions. They confuse schizophrenia and disassociative identity disorder. Media does not help this. The mentally ill are also shown as violent, when, in reality, they rarely are. More often than not, they are more of a danger to themselves than others. People assume they can't do things. Such as people saying those with Aspergers Syndrome lack matters or apathy. This attitude passes down to the people affected by these disorders, because they think it's okay to act that way. People also assume that all people with a certain disorder have the exact same problems, or act the exact same way. This is not true. People can not be (figuratively) put into a box.
Those suffering from depression are often told "cheer up" and "snap out of it". They cannot do that. If they could, they would. People say they are lazy, or other insults. A person who has not experienced serious depression would not understand. Severe enough depression can cause actual physical symptoms. Everyday tasks like getting out of bed each day can be extremely difficult, and thinking straight is impossible.
Children can be mentally ill. Yet, even psychologists seem to not be able to look past the fact that children can have other problems besides ADHD. ADHD is over-diagnosed, and has now become "my kid isn't well behaved enough" ...many children diagnosed with it, do not have a problem at all. And many children diagnosed with it, have a serious problem that is overlooked. Children who have mis or un-diagnosed disorders, tend to suffer greatly. Even if they are diagnosed, they may still be miserable. Because children can have Schizophrenia or bi-polar disorder. Usually, a diagnosis of a mental illness early means a lot of work has to be put in to help them grow up to be successful. And it's possible...but not when parents just let them do/say whatever they want.
Even with all this, people still treat those who have problems like these, as if the person themselves is a problem. They are looked upon with scorn and yet they have done nothing wrong. They may have trouble finding jobs. They can't make friends because no one wants to be around someone who is suffering all the time, or acts strangely. Children are cruel to those who are different, and yet the teachers may be indifferent, or even join in to the teasing, because they don't like the child. All because the wiring of their brain. People don't want to consider that others brains work differently, or have a problem that can't be magically fixed.
What do you think about this issue, and do you think there are ways to help society be more accepting? Why do you think people are so prone to acting that way? Do you think that only people who have experienced certain things can understand? What are your views? I feel this is a serious subject that needs to be talked about, though I prefer this not to become a discussion on medication.
