Why does society show less respect towards mental patients as compared to cancer patients?

Question

I chose Cancer for a reason. Both illnesses presumably have something to do with our genetic make up.

Answer 1

GREETINGS, well lack of education is a problem. My ex boyfriend was bipolar. Some of his illness was true illness, some was lies and he used his illness to his advantage. That's why there's less respect, people don't know who is really sick and who is faking it alot of times. People don't understand the conditions and don't really want to many times, and alot of times the patients don't want to admit problems either so they cover things up. Cancer is physical, you see decline, sickness where people throw up, and there's alot of advocacy by patients out there. I fight that world with lymphedema, a side effect of cancer people don't generally know about and blow off. With mental illness, since people cover it, there is not alot of exposure or advocacy, you don't see movie stars coming out of the mental illness closet so to speak. Patty Duke was one of the few and Brooke Shields has petitioned for PPD.

A good example, a man has a heart attack, hits kids, kills them, people are like OMG, how awful, but he couldn't help it, he didn't know he was going to have a heart attack.

A mentally ill person stops meds or isn't treated, gets into a mood swing of anger, hits kids, kills them.

The heart attack man will not be charged. The mentally ill one will be beause they figure he did it on purpose, but in reality he couldn't control his anger because it was from his illness, and part of the illness is not wanting to take meds thinking you are ok, and not wanting treatment.

Unfair? very much so, but sadly very true. You have to experience mental illness to see both sides and many people don't.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, some tend to reject what they know little about out of fear. I am a cancer patient and I have not always been treated kindly either. I had someone ride by me on a bike and say "Yuck!" because I didn't have any hair. Another time I had two young men shout at me while waiting in my car at the post office. They screamed, "Are you dying or are ya a skin-head?!" They then laughed. People can be cruel to anyone or nice as can be. It is their choice. I am glad I have always chosen the latter. Keep sticking up for your brother when he needs you. My sister cried at the age of 53 when she heard what happened to me. It hurt her worse than me. I was too sick to bother. :0)

Answer 3

Not only is there little education about mental illness, but there is fear that is seldom based in reality. It is usually not visible the way a broken leg is, and people don't get that mental illness is due to unbalanced neurotransmitters in the brain.
I attend a bipolar support group, and most of us don't tell outsiders we have BP because most people will think we are all crazy and potentially dangerous. None of us would hurt a fly (except ourselves).

Answer 4

I can understand why it happens in some cases. My brother has schizophrenia and if you try to help him with anything, he adopts you and becomes helplessly dependent on you.

If people are mean to those with mental illness, it's because they see it as a character flaw, not an illness. They need education.

Cancer was seen the same way as recently as one generation ago. Your family was considered a bad prospect for marriage because it was thought you could pass it on, and it was hard to get a job if someone in your family had cancer because it was thought you might be next.
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Answer 5

Society is not educated about the mentally ill and most of them are not those protrayed in Hollywood.

Answer 6

Unfortunately its down to ignorance......... most ppl feel sympathy for the person wi the physical illness i.e broken leg.......but when it comes to mental illness ur just brushed aside...............[sigh]

Answer 7

I think it is because it is often people with mental problems that are the serial criminals, they are the ones that appear to most likely commit suicide. Or atleast this is what media leads us to believe.

Answer 8

Funny.Have a star.

Answer 9

because of ignorance

Answer 10

Because of ignorance.....