by Kate Fitch
I’ve heard some real gems about mental illness. From family, people in my social circle, and even from treatment providers. I think a great way to highlight how ridiculous these are is to put them in the context of other illnesses and disabilities. See for yourself.
- “It’s not good to talk about this stuff, it’s so negative.”
- “It’s not good to talk about how the accident that paralyzed you is impacting your daily life, it’s so negative.”
- “Therapy? Just sitting in a room and paying some guy to nod and ask you how it makes you feel for an hour?”
- “Physical therapy? Just sitting in a room and paying some guy to help you stretch and exercise your muscles for an hour?”
- “Your insurance is running out, if you can’t pay out of pocket, you’ll just have to wait until your insurance kicks back in again.”
- “Your insurance is running out, if you can’t pay for your antibiotics out of pocket, you’ll just have to let the infection fester until your insurance kicks back in again.”
- “Relying on self-help is unrealistic, you need professionals to take care of you.”
- “Managing your diabetes on your own is unrealistic, you need professionals to take care of you.”
- “People with mental illness are just looking for attention.”
- “People with cancer are just looking for attention.”
- “Just stop letting your moods take over.”
- “Just stop letting the flu take over.”
- “You have a chronic mental illness, you’ll never be able to manage full-time work.”
- “You have Type 1 diabetes, you’ll never be able to manage full-time work.”
- “Why are you upset about this normally upsetting event? Are you having a breakdown?”
- “Why are you coughing with all this smoke in the air? Has the cancer spread to your lungs?”
- “Depression is all in your head.”
- “Asthma is all in your lungs.”
- “The mentally ill.”
- “The cancerous.”
Things people say about mental illness in the context of other illnesses.
