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.

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.

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.

The way she talks about her friend is odd. She’s like; “I was REALLY friends with her sister,” but then she acts like they were super-close.

Thanks so much for the kindness <3

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

“What would the rest of her life been like? She would have either been institutionalized or a major burden on her family. There was just no way she would have survived on her own.”

Just remind your friend that it can be very hard and traumatic at first and for a while but eventually the crisis subsides and a lot of families get through this and remain close. Also, Nami can be a great support.

Exactly. I do think there is room to talk about the complex feelings that sometimes arise after a loved one with a severe mental illness commits suicide. A lot of people do feel some relief, and that is also often judged pretty harshly and really shouldn’t be. It’s not that different from nursing someone through a…

Holy shit, this bitch’s self-regard! In the first para of that little self-loving blog post, she describes how a former boss she calls “Cunt Chocula” hated her from the beginning, and says, “I can understand why, I’m a hot little blonde with a well-connected family from the Upper East Side of Manhattan.”

My friend suspects her brother has schizophrenia and it is quite scary. But my friend and I will agree with you that his life has value, regardless of how his mind is working at the moment. I’m sorry you’ve got this condition to work with, but it sounds like your brother has a good support system in you.

And as for the…

Thanks. I am so sorry about your friend. And my brother is strong and thankfully, one of the benefits of him getting older is that his symptoms have started to mellow out a little and he seems happier lately.

THIS. After working in therapeutic group homes with kids everyone else has given up on, I just want to scream to the world: PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS STILL HAVE VALUE AND THEIR LIVES DO TOO.

I lost my best friend with shizophrenia to suicide and it was one of the worst things I ever read. If anyone ever said such things about her to me they’d get straight decked. The stigma is terrible. Love to your brother. Living with it takes immense strength so I know he’s strong. I couldn’t have hated it more.…

This. Not only is she hideous to someone who was supposedly her best friend at one time, I couldn’t believe how she talked about this girl’s family. My partner’s cousin has schizophrenia as well and the lengths to which the entire family has gone to get her help (and failed) is heartbreaking. Her mom’s struggle is…

My brother has schizophrenia. His life has value. I could never imagine writing something like that about him. Just FYI people, stop making psycho or schizo into a slur. Stigma is a real problem and contributes to the devaluing of the lives of people who have thought disorders.