Opinion

Mental afflictions don't warrant disrespect

Jim McCormick

Before I get started, I'd like to apologize to the community at The Cougar Web. Unfortunately, in my column last week I blamed the Web site for rudeness on someone who was genuinely being sarcastic. The example was a poor one, and I didn't catch the problem until the next day.

We now return to your regularly scheduled column.

I have found of late that people are distinctly prejudiced against the mentally ill. I don't know why there is such apparent hatred of those who don't think using the same patterns that the average person does. This intolerance affects me on a daily basis, as I doubt that it's any secret that I'm not a poster child for perfect mental health.

Even those who are considering treatment for whatever mental health issues that they suspect themselves to have tend to think twice and approach mental health professionals with a sense of fear. They know that if anyone finds out that they're seeking treatment for psychological problems, they will be ridiculed by society at large.

This hostility is a disturbing trend in society. If we treated cancer patients the same way we treat those with mental illnesses, people would avoid diagnostic procedures with no regard for their own health. If you've known someone who died after a long, protracted battle with cancer, imagine that person dying two years earlier because it wasn't okay to seek treatment for a life-threatening health problem.

Those who would dismiss the mentally ill as worthless hacks would do well to look to the worlds of art and science. Many times, it's not the "sane" people that give us works of genius, but the Van Goghs who cut off their ears, or the Tesselas who spend their lives doodling on impractical military projects that give us lasting contributions. Even Princess Diana had many of the symptoms of clinical depression, and those symptoms are partially blamed for the collapse of her marriage with Prince Charles.

Because of my mental illness, people have a tendency to see me as nothing but an annoying joke. There are people who would have everyone view me as some subhuman because of my struggles. I can't believe for an instant that I am an isolated case. There's always that weird person with whom nobody wants to associate with, simply because their behavior, while innocuous, doesn't follow the standardized norm.

Most people with psychological diagnoses are not going to hurt anyone and can contribute to society just as well as everyone else. The only major difference is that we think in radically different ways, but these unconventional thought patterns can open up new insight into the world around us.

The mentally ill are not to be feared or pitied. They are to be treated with the same respect that any person deserves. Instead of fearing psychological problems, people should investigate them. After all, the only way to stop fear and hatred is through knowledge and learning, which is all anyone can ask for.

McCormick, a columnist for The Daily Cougar, 
can be reached at rantman_2000@sbcglobal.net.