Why do people call suicidal/mentally ill people "stupid, worthless & pathetic"?

Question

Are they trying to make themselves feel better? It's NOT like we want to feel this way & we're not sitting around saying "Woe is me" . A person who can admit they have a mental illness, take pills that don't work & that cause more harm than good & listens to bogus diagnoses by quacks is in NO way stupid, worthless or pathetic. Any snide comments back will be reported as abuse so if you can't say something helpful: move on!

Answer 1

I haven't known anybody to say that about the mentally ill. If they do, they're an asshole. But I do want to say that this sound more like a projection by you, the depressed, and is not really what people are saying. And although I would not call you pathetic in any way, you said youself that all the help you have tried to get doesn't work....then maybe you should try something else. You seem to be stuck in self pity and you seem very bitter. Your happiness is in your control, even if it is more challenging for you to attain than it is for others. If you really want to feel better, you have to make yourself more powerful. Don't be a victim to yourself, and don't try to victimize yourself with others. You need a reality check, and you need to start making positive decisions. Dont sit in your unhappiness.

Answer 2

I am bi-polar and have had several intakes in the last couple of years. I know how you feel. You bring up some good points. Many people are just plain ignorant when it comes to mental illness. People like you and me know volumes more about the subject than most people. The general public, it seems to me, has taken the iniative to educate themselves on may topics of daily life that our parents and grandparents never gave a thought to. You know things like retirement planning, how to play cards and surf on the computer....just to name a couple, probably not the best analogies but.... But mental illness. Hell they will run backwards to avoid a serious discussion about the disease. It is convenient to take the approach which you mention in your question. They don't have any intelligent thing to say, so they make little of us. It's easier for them to cope with the matter in that way. So they stare at us and say painful things and all at our expense. I fear that it is going to be a good while before things change with the general public regarding those of us who are mentally ill. It just makes a painful illness worse, it makes the climb a little harder. We just gotta do a day at a time, not be discouraged from asking for help of others and pray.

Answer 3

There are a lot of misunderstandings about mental illness. Here are some examples I can think of:

1. Mental illness doesn't exist and people who say they have it are either faking or weak.
2. Mental illness is possession by devils.
3. All mentally ill people are dangerous.
4. Mentally ill people are not human.
5. Mental illness is something to laugh about.

Sometimes media and entertainment are to blame. Newspapers have headlines like "former mental patient kills family." Movies have stories about violent "psychos" who kill people. Some mentally ill people are violent, but this is actually a tiny minority and not indicative of mentally ill people as a whole.

Actually, things have gotten a great deal better over the years, but there are still many people who are completely ignorant of mental illness.

Answer 4

Because to many of them in there big high powered jobs they just see us as pathetic little people feeling sorry for themselvs.IT IS NOT TRUE!!They think that everybody lives life how they do,that the treatment they offer is the best in the world and how could it not makes us better.Because it takes more than a few hours of talking to somebody to erase years of abuse,violence and self hatrid.
I attempted suiced in January and quicker than you could say overdose i was in a 'mental hospital',they got a doctor phchiatrist person to 'evaluate' me and purley from the look on his face you could see he wrote me off as a hopeless case.Ive had the same reaction from countless other doctors.
People like us are not stupid,worthless or pathetic despite what we ourselvs may think or all those posh hospital folk.

Answer 5

um, who in the world says that? but if people do say those things, man, don't worry about those fools as they are the stupid-pathetic ones.

you know the subject of mental illness is very braod and includes many types of people. some people think mental health issues are over blown and think it's all somehow a way for people to avoid work, beat criminal cases, get symapthy, etc etc etc. in some cases that point of view may even have a little bit of validity.

however, anyone who uses the terms you use to describe the mentally ill is living in the dark ages and your best bet is to leave those folks alone in their hate for things they obviously have no understanding of, and move on.

Answer 6

I don't know anyone that I would call a friend that would be so callus as to make fun of depression, or suicidal tendencies, of course I'm particular about what I call friends. The first thing I notice from your question is that you feel that the Dr treating you does't know what he's doing, giving you drugs that don't work. You have to treat your Dr. with respect and help him help you, let him know exactly why you feel the drugs arn't working, let him know why you feel his diagnosis is wrong, the are litterally hundreds of antidepressants, anti anxiety, anti psychotic drugs out there, and getting the right one for you is a two way street. If you are open with him and talk with him like an adult, your therapy will go a lot faster, and less stressful. Good luck and hope things work out.

Answer 7

Hi =) I think people who have that kind of reaction, do so for a few reasons. Either they don't know/care how to handle a situation as such, or are ignorant of the possible effects it may have on the person/family.
This sort of behaviour really is terrible, because instead of sympathising and helping (or even not helping, just keeping your comments to yourself), it worsening the person's situation, as you may know. People who react this way probably don't know how the person is feeling, or may think they are preventing any acts or movements by doing so. (don't ask me how they migh think this).
I'm glad you spoke out to make at least some people realise what they are doing to people who have the courage to slowly but surely search for a solution or way to handle things in life. It made me think also. Take care <3 And thanks again, hope I have helped xx

Answer 8

People who make those statements are generally ignorant and show it in their statements. Ignorant and afraid of what they don't know. The truth is suicidal people need a lot of help, and mentally ill people just need to be understood. Remember, what we know about the brain is only a fraction of what we need to know. Most mental illness is now controlled with neuroleptics, and the chemical changes can be "seen" on a PET scan.

In my house, we have three bipolars and a brain tumor...it is never boring. (I grew up with a bipolar mother and a schizophrenic brother). So, I decided to go against the way I was raised...hiding the truth about who we are. There is truly a fine line between genious and insanity. I decided to raise my family to revel in our differences. We are very vocal about our issues, we have no secrets. The end result is that friends, people I've known for life, have have introduced me to their "odd" family member. Instead of having a house that is shunned by friends neighbors and family (except by the old lady next door) we always have friends over, we always have people calling.

We laugh at the wrong times, and cry at the right times. My sons psychiatrist tells me that he believes that the rapid increase in bipolars, schizophrenics, etc are due to the brain evolving. Who knows. Maybe he's nuts...maybe he's on to something.

I make it sound light, but I am not minimizing the effects. I believe every wall in my house has had to be repaired at least once, there are times that I cringe and pray for strength. I have had child protective services called on me several times (they always closed the case immediately, indicating I was doing what I had to do). I have had the police and code compliance called on me (okay, the old lady next door really doesn't understand...) and I have learned to survive...and laugh at all the ignorance around me.

But for the most part, being open and honest makes it hard for people to call us names.

And, for those who don't understand...well, when my first son was nine and had to be put on trileptal for mood stabilization I cried. But I joined a support group, and when our state tried to reduce mental health benefits for children we all agreed to take our kids off meds for three days and meet at the capitol. We didn't have to, but we were all prepared to do so.

the reason I am telling you all this is because I want you to know you aren't alone. Ignore the ignorant! Let 'em rail...and take care of yourself.

Answer 9

I believe it’s because they are totally uneducated regarding mental illness. You are right, we sure didn’t stand in line and say “PICK ME...PICK ME!!!!!” DON’T EVEN get me started on bogus diagnosis by quacks!!! Yahoo would delete my account due to my choice of words! LOL!! You hit the nail on the head regarding taking pills that don’t work....most cause worse side effects than the disease. You need to surround yourself around people that care and understand, and the h*ll with the rest cause they’ll never have a clue! My ex-husband couldn’t understand my illness, his belief was that ppl with depression were “just feeling sorry for themselves”....what a (BEEP)! I now have a b/f (for 4 years) that is very compassionate. Trust me, I thank God every day!!! Yahoo has numerous groups for ppl with mental illnesses. The only two that I would recommend have been very quiet lately. My email addy is open, so please feel free to shoot me an email if ya need someone to talk to! Even if ya just need to vent...I WILL UNDERSTAND!!! Keep your head held high, and toss aside those ppl in your life with their negative thoughts regarding mental illness. They don’t deserve your friendship! SENDING BIG HUGS YOUR WAY!!!!!

Answer 10

People who are not suicidal have never felt what we have felt, they can not reason with our thinking b/c they have never been there. People also have a way of trying to get us to see their point of view which may not always help or be correct but seems how they can not relate they say ignorant things. They think they are helping us by saying these things but in trueth they do not know what else to say about the subject b/c they lack the knowledge and have never felt what we have.