Are people with mental illness stereotyped as mad and dangerous?

Question

Not all mental illlnesses end up with pschopathic serial murderers. Why can't people be more understanding?

Answer 1

WHAT! i can't do that, no no no, go away, shut up shut up, i can't hear you, you are not really there, you are not there, where are my pills, oh there they are,.............sorry what was the question again?

Answer 2

Because of many different reasons, but some of them is the way that we use our language. That's crazy, she went mental/mad etc. Also the media have played a huge role. There is also that fear that someone with a mental illness would be more likely to do something really bad because they may not be as aware of 'right and wrong' during a phase of mental illness. Our basic ethical beliefs come from trusting in rational thought, if we perceive someone as irrational then they are deemed a threat.
That's why.

The thing that really bugs me is that you can have a heart attack and get treated for it, and people think oh poor you your heart had a problem, but its been fixed now. But if you have a mental health problem, you are written off for life. What is with that! People need to realise that your mind is just as likely to get sick, at some point in your life, as any other part of your body.

Mental health problems are issues that people can get over or live around, providing that they get the right support. Why doesn't society blame itself more when a poor individual is failed by the system, and hurts or kills someone?

Answer 3

Extremely sad but true. I work within the field and frequently see stereotypes with the mentally ill. People need to understand it is a disability that can often be managed just like other illnesses with med magagement, therapy, and supportive people around them. Of course, a safe environment is necessary, too. That's the simple answer. There are plenty of people with mental illnesses who do not manage their illness or suffer more extreme symptomology that can behave dangerously to self and others. And there is a substantial difference between all mental illnesses and "psychotic" which is where when the person is not applying societal rules or reality to their thinking. This can be very dangerous with hallucinations both auditory, visual, or textile. Often "psychotic" is a symptom not a standard. It can be minimized with meds, therapy, and a safe environment.

People always hate what's different to them. They don't want to be around someone that makes them the least bit uncomfortable. Is it because they feel threatened?

Answer 4

i work with adults with mental health problems and on the whole they are actually pose more harm to themselves than to others and the stereotypical image of a crazed schizophrenic running down the street holding an axe are not born out in real life. These stereotypes arise from an occasional event and are blown out of proportion. I would hazard a guess although I have no statistics to back this up, that proportionally, there are more sane axe murderers than there are axe murdering schizophrenics. (that is of course if you can class a sane axe murderer as sane??). however, stereotypes are really useful and humans need them in order to categorise and make sense of the world. just think how difficult life would be without stereotypes - they are not always a negative thing.

Answer 5

I think that they are all stereotyped, for no good reason at all. Someone who has say bipolar disorder is more common than people think but nobody knows because of the way that society has them marked. And if someone has been to an institution? Forget it! Automatically people think you have been strapped down in a straight jacket and thrown into a room with the "four white walls". People are afraid of what they do not understand, that's why there are stereo types I suppose.

Answer 6

I think that sometime they are sterotyped as such but I think that they need a chance to prove that they are like that. You know innocent until proven guilty. I also think that many other people are stereotyped, like much of the older population thinks that kids are mostly troublemakers and many kids think older people do not understand them or are all rude. When people come in contact with a few people displaying a common characteristic, they just assume that is how everyone in a similar situation is. It is nothing against people with mental illnesses.

Answer 7

You can partially blame the media. If someone with mental illness commits a crime, the media jumps all over it. However, they ignore the millions of people with mental illness that are completely law-abiding. What sells more newspapers, "Schizophrenic man mugs local woman" or "Schizophrenic man gets part-time job"?

I don't think people will thoroughly understand until the news starts to focus more on these positive cases or more people spend time with people with mental illness.

Answer 8

Yes unfortunately, that has been my experience. I have suffered all my life with anxiety and social phobia because I was psychologically abused as a child, then the person who abused me (a close relative) used my "mental problems" as a controlling mechanism and a stick to beat me with. I didn't understand what was going on until well into my adult life. In more recent years, I have tried as much as possible to keep my so-called "mental problems" under wraps for fear of being labelled or discriminated against, as has happened. I prefer the term "psychiatric injury" as more appropriate.

Answer 9

The answer to your question is yes unfortunately, even people in wheel chairs after suffering a stroke are classed as odd to say the least.
How to overcome this stereotype idea is the difficult part.
I can only relate a personal experience, and hope some one some where takes note and tries the same thing, I will risk boring every one to death!!
I used to visit what I called 'my local bar' I had noticed on a few occasions a young feller in a wheel chair, he some times sat with his Mother, he could just about sip on half a pint of beer, he was very difficult to understand when he spoke, and he always had a miniature chess board in front of him and appeared to be trying to solve some sort of gambit .
All this was intriguing me, being a natural nosey git I went over one evening and asked him what he was trying to do!
He eventually got his message across to me and we even got a few chuckles in, his Mother wasn't looking very happy about the way the conversation was going, but I continued.
He was a good player but I soon discovered that he had been 'allowed' to win many times because of his disability, as it happened I was a far better player, and I had no intention of 'allowing' him to win, I wiped the board with him and as he was looking at me in amazement, trying to get some words out , I told him he was a tosser, and he had no idea how to play chess. His Mother was appalled , he just stared at me, then his face lit up , he started laughing we were actually friends for a long time until I lost touch, but he used to enjoy abusing me as much as I enjoyed having a go at him!!
These people are not to be pitied they are just as human as you and I, treat them as such!!
And if I have bored you all to death, I dont give a sh**!!

Answer 10

Ignorance basically.
Mental illness is more widespread than is generally accepted and touches most families in one way or another.
I mean not all psychopaths are serial killers either, we have probably worked with people with psychopathic tendencies and not realised it. Think about it...no conscience or empathy, single minded approach to get whatever they want, no desire to fit in....sounds like most of my managers!

Seriously, you make a good point and I hope people listen to you.

Answer 11

most are stereotyped this but depression is classed as a mental illness and many if not all people who have it are not mad, you can never really tell how bad someones mental illness is or not but never judge a book by its cover .xx