Idiot Spreading Idiocy

I had a whole other post about stigma planned, but this really pissed me off. Now I am no fan of Donald Trump, and I have largely looked upon his campaign as entertainment, but the comments that were referred to in the article really got to me. To perpetuate the idea that mental illness is synonymous with violent crime is to perpetuate the stigma that affects those with mental illness. The truth of the matter is a large percentage of those living with mental illness are not violent. According to this article by the American Psychological Association most offenders with mental illness do not offend because of their mental illness.

Now one might try to argue that the simple fact of being homicidal is a mental illness, but that is not necessarily true. People who are completely sane commit murder on a regular basis. Lumping homicidal tendencies in with mental illness does a disservice to those with mental illness. Enforcing a stigma that all mentally ill people are murderers can make it so millions of people don’t get the help they need. This line of thinking that mental illness somehow makes you dangerous is archaic, we’re in the year 2015, and we have made advancements in psychology, and psychiatry. We have a better understanding of mental illness and the people that are afflicted with it. The time for mass generalizations, and archaic assumptions is over.

The shooting of the two journalists in Virginia is a tragedy, and yes the person responsible for that crime may have suffered from a mental illness, but that doesn’t mean that all people with mental illnesses are dangerous. I mean just because some men are tall, and some men are doctors, doesn’t make all doctors tall. If I am to listen to Donald Trump every person with a mental illness should be institutionalized, and my dear readers we know that’s not true. We know that most people with a mental illness are high functioning, can hold down jobs, relationships, and are productive members of society. So let’s stand tall against the stigma, and show that living with a mental illness doesn’t make you dangerous, it merely makes you human.