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this post was submitted on 01 May 2024
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Showerthoughts
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No, what there has been is an increase in an already prevalent phenomenon (see: mass shooters) of blaming mental illness and/or personality disorders for abusive, violent, and flat out fascistic actions, when they don't actually cause those, it's just so much easier to do than to think more deeply and/or critically about the systems and structures that don't only enable, but encourage such behaviour, especially in those with privilege and power (because actually mentally ill people are much more likely to be victims of violence and other abuse, than perpetrate it).
Using diagnosable conditions as shorthand for "abusive" or "toxic" or "harmful" or "violent" or "racist" or whatever else, is ableism. It deepens already existing and harmful stigmas, prevents people from seeking help and support and being open about their struggles, and actually puts them at greater risk of further abuse just for being diagnosed the way they are, even if they've never hurt a fly.
In short:
Source
In more depth:
https://www.zillennialmag.com/post/when-narcissism-becomes-an-ableist-way-of-discussing-toxicity
I fell for that trap once. The statistics show people with a diagnosed mental illness are actually less likely to participate in violent crimes than the general population. Thats not to say mass murderers don't have underlying mental illnesses but it's easy to just assume that they do. Yet, as we already know, a person who has no mental illness is perfectly capable of violent crime.
If you try to inject this conversation into normal discourse you might be surprised how fast you discover some people's prejudices against mental illness.
Sadly, I wouldn't be surprised at all, I've been making these points for years and have had some truly toxic reactions.. The irony would be delicious if it wasn't so harmful..