Thank you for such a sensitive an informative post. I have used those terms in my life and am embarrassed about it and will be very mindful of how I use some words about other people’s mental state in the future because you are very, very right.

My cousin has been battling schizophrenia for about 25 years now and the toll it has taken on his family is horrible. They have gone to such lengths to help him as his condition has worsened. All I see there are parents and siblings who love him, who are desperate to help him find some kind of peace and stability. To…

I agree 100 percent. I have schizoaffective disorder and how dare some basic bitch try to say someone's life does not have value due to their mental illness. I have good days and bad days but I have a lot of support so thankfully I get by pretty well. One thing I can't stand is when I disclose the fact of my illness…

I’m also tired of the assumption that anyone with any sort of illness, mental or otherwise, is solely a “burden” on those around them. I have found that being part of the support system for a loved one has enriched my life in ways I never expected, taught me important life skills, and deepened my relationship with the…

Much love and many hugs to you & your brother. My uncle was a paranoid schizophrenic and it’s a rough road filled with many wonderful stops. <3

Aside from the piece being very triggering to me, as someone who struggles with severe depression and suicidal thoughts (earliest suicidal thoughts starting at age 12), all I can think about is the family of the deceased.

I don’t know you, but I’d bet that, at a minimum, the lives of your brother and parents would be so much less without you. I understand how weirdly seductive those voices can be and how much effort it takes to resist them. But you are doing it. And by doing it, you are a testimony that BPD is not a death sentence,…

Thank you, Snack. I read the quote from the article where she said the former friend would just have been institutionalized or a burden to her family and I wanted to cry. Six months ago, I was recovering from a suicide attempt. Today, I’m setting up for my son’s D&D-themed birthday party and he thanked me for coming…

My mom has bipolar too, and she’s borderline. Ditto on hating people using the term as an adjective to describe their friend being moody.

:) ok! so while we’re talking about it, my partner is also chronically depressed, and the crises with her brother are especially triggering. recently she’s talked about how she wishes that her parents, who have substantial family histories of mental illness, had made different decisions about having kids. i don’t…

The part of mental illness I find so heartbreaking is that anosognosia, the denial that one has an illness, is so often a symptom of a mental illness. I have friends that have been frequently hospitalized just long enough to be minimally stable, but not long enough that they are medicated for sufficient time to…

I feel for you. My brother suffered from schizophrenia, and we lost him a few years ago in an accident that we all strongly suspect was a suicide. I miss him every day.

thank you for being the convener of this discussion and being so kind to all of us with related stories!

Same. My older brother has schizophrenia, is in his thirties, lives in my folks’ basement and I value his life. While I’m on it, I’m in my thirties, have depression and BPD and I hope to shit someone values my life, because most days it’s hard to stave off the “everyone is better off without me” voices.

THIS. This x 1000000. My best friend is battling through severe clinical depression and I can’t imagine anyone walking around thinking he were better off dead. Because I’d punch the shit out of that person.

My town’s chief of police recently joined NAMI and I was thrilled. He’s a huge advocate of crisis intervention training for cops.

This. My mom has bipolar disorder, and it’s infuriating how figurative that term’s become. Like, no, changing one’s mind often or being mercurial isn’t the same thing. At all. And it’s insulting to anyone that either suffers from the disorder or has a loved one that does to cheapen it that way.

Most sensible people know this. People with schizophrenia have lives of great value and have contributed so much to society, as well. There’s just a total ignorance and absurdity to people who seek to dehumanize them. They are the truly “sick” individuals.

my partner’s brother was just released from his 4th psychiatric inpatient stay in 4 years. we are trying to figure out as a family how to be his support, and how to find him more outside support so that he can be his healthiest. this shit is very real for us right now.

“My brother has schizophrenia. His life has value.”