Have you ever been discriminated against due to your mental illness?

Answer 1

I had this really really cheery upbeat rich girl tell me that my CLINICALLY DIAGNOSED (yes, im not some stupid emokid pretending to have problems) clinical depression was all in my head and that its caused by me having a negative attitude and being around negative people. It's really insulting having someone who doesnt know anything about me tell me how wrong i am for something i cant control.

Answer 2

Discrimination comes with having a mental illness, it is usually based on fear and ignorance. I have been discriminated regularly with comments like,"snap out of it" "get a life" "Your crazy" etc. But what is normal and if I had cancer or diabetes would I still be discriminated against? No I don't think so. I find that family members are often the ones who discriminate and the media. Most of my friends are mad and we have friendships based on trust and empathy and we're the crazies. What a wonderful world!!!!!

Answer 3

Yes. An old acquaintance came into a store I was applying at. She and I were talking and she asked me how I was doing on my new meds. I thought nothing of it. Then when I went to turn in my application, the store manager tells me that she was very sorry but the position had been filled. I asked her why she didn't tell me this when I inquired if the job was still available. She didn't say a word, just glared at me and said quietly "we don't take your kind". I didn't even bother with a reply. Nothing I wanted to say would have been good. I simply thanked her for her time and left. After that I have never told anyone I apply with or work for that I have a mental illness. I wish people weren't so scared of us, but fear of the unknown is common.

Answer 4

I have suffered with Bipolar Disorder type 1 for the passed 15 years and prior to this I suffered irritractable epilepsy {Epilepsy which cannot be treated with medication}. Needless to say, I have been socially discriminated due to my Epilepsy growing up as a child. And now, due to my mental illness, I am of frequent discrimination in the work place. This is mainly due to fear and predudice as prior to receiving appropriate treatment, I experienced rapid mood swings and paranoia. Ironically, I was not discriminated until very recently now that my condition is professionally treated.
I recently applied for a teaching position at work, which I had more than enough experience to fulfill. However, my superiors felt that I would not be suitable for the position as it would "stress me out potentially leading to a crisis".
Another example of recent times involves my direct area I work in. As I fell ill in an acute environment, again my superiors sought fit to assess and diagnose my condition as "unfit" to work in that environment as it would "stress me out potentially leading to a crisis". This was despite letters from my specialist.
Wanting to move on from the discrimination, I applied at another job and as by law in this country, you unfortunately have to reveal any pre-existing medical conditions. So, i did. And again the employer felt that the work environment would be too stressful for me and even though i have been stable for 18 months I would not be suited for that position.
So, in conclusion, yes definately I have been discriminated due to fear and my potential for unpredictabile behaviour which has a more likely probability to affect someone not receiving treatment than someone who is. So, 5% of the population, at least, how many people are discriminated. I think I would have a better chance if I was publically breast feeding.

Answer 5

Well I have never been mentally ill, at least I don't think so, but yes, people do discriminate against mentally ill people, and even send them to prison when they commit crimes, which are obviously caused by their mental illness.

Answer 6

yes i have i suffer with severe depresion which is termed as a mental illness. and i have been in a psycatric hospital for trearment on several occasions.people have often called me eigther a nut case or say that i am crazy but i just put it down to their ignorance and lack of understanding as i know that depression can strike at any one at sometime in their lives i know that depression is an ilness just as heart trouble is but because people can not see it or it's affects like you can with other illness they don't class us the same but we to are human beings and have feelings just lik non sufferers so please treat us as such

Answer 7

No I have never been discriminated as i did not have any (known) mental illness.

Answer 8

i did lose my job 4 and a bit years ago after i suffered a nervous breakdown, but really did`nt care as i needed the time to recover. i`ve had depression for as long as i can remember and make a point of telling employers of this and have never had a serious problem, lucky i guess.

Answer 9

No, but I don't tell everyone about it either. The meds I'm on help me function normally, so people can't tell I have mental illnesses (PD and PTSD) unless I tell them.

Answer 10

It happens to me all the time, ESPECIALLY by my own family members who are mentally disabled themselves. But it's hard for me to get a job, even with a college degree, & no one cares about me & my disability.