PoetPhilosopher
Veteran Member
I was diagnosed with Schizophrenia at age 21. At age 25, in the midst of it, I joined an internet forum and debated with people. I told people about my Schizophrenia and upon them seeing that I changed my opinions quite a bit at the time because I was often presented with better facts in debates, they urged me to talk to my Psychiatrist about it. So I did. He said I am getting better. I went back and told the forum. They told me to get a second opinion. So I did and the second person was actually curious enough to look over some of the threads, both my posts and the comments. He told me to stop going to the forum because such negativity may hold back my progress. So I did. Anyways:
I think this forum is harsh to people with mental illness, especially those with stronger forms of it. It's not funny at all. All I'm seeing in the threads of those with mental illness are narrow-minded responders who don't know the first thing about the specific condition, doing one of the following:
1. Telling them to see a Psychiatrist instead of posting on the forum
2. Attacking their posting habits
3. Asserting that they can't help them with personal advice because the person with mental illness has mental illness
4. Telling them they're insane because their posting habits don't fit the responder's narrow-minded views
Really not funny. At all.
Also seems like stealth breakage of rule 3, sections 1-3.
I'm not a big fan of complaining without offering proper solutions, so here is what I think the solution is:
Don't treat them like a special (guinea pig) case. You might have to be a little more sympathetic at times, yes, for sure, but they don't want their threads derailed just because they suffer from some condition. Save the personal diagnoses for when people are asking for them very specifically and won't take no for an answer (which never happens), or for cases where a person is suicidal and it's your God-given duty to tell them to get help even in cases where doing so means you are saying things that really aren't your place due to quick action being needed.
Going back to that personal story I told, the ironic thing was had I never told them I had Schizophrenia, I doubt I would have even been called out. People shouldn't be punished by responders for wearing their opinion on their sleeves.
I think this forum is harsh to people with mental illness, especially those with stronger forms of it. It's not funny at all. All I'm seeing in the threads of those with mental illness are narrow-minded responders who don't know the first thing about the specific condition, doing one of the following:
1. Telling them to see a Psychiatrist instead of posting on the forum
2. Attacking their posting habits
3. Asserting that they can't help them with personal advice because the person with mental illness has mental illness
4. Telling them they're insane because their posting habits don't fit the responder's narrow-minded views
Really not funny. At all.
Also seems like stealth breakage of rule 3, sections 1-3.
I'm not a big fan of complaining without offering proper solutions, so here is what I think the solution is:
Don't treat them like a special (guinea pig) case. You might have to be a little more sympathetic at times, yes, for sure, but they don't want their threads derailed just because they suffer from some condition. Save the personal diagnoses for when people are asking for them very specifically and won't take no for an answer (which never happens), or for cases where a person is suicidal and it's your God-given duty to tell them to get help even in cases where doing so means you are saying things that really aren't your place due to quick action being needed.
Going back to that personal story I told, the ironic thing was had I never told them I had Schizophrenia, I doubt I would have even been called out. People shouldn't be punished by responders for wearing their opinion on their sleeves.