The kids and I were out doing some errands the other day and I realized that it was lunchtime and we were not going to make it through grocery shopping without something to eat. The restaurant I wanted to go to was closed, so we ended up getting fast food. I was slightly grumpy about this, and as we were leaving I was in an even worse mood because of the conversation I overheard in the booth behind us. Someone was saying that "if that law passes, I'm going to have two illegal guns and I'm not turning them in." Another person chimed in with "it's not guns that are the problem, it's all those mentally ill people."
My blood froze. I was so angry. The opinion "it's all those mentally ill people" spoke to me of the attitude that mental illness is something that happens to someone else. If you have the attitude that mental illness is something that happens to someone else, than I can practically guarantee you that someone close to you is not getting the mental help they need.
Most of us know someone who is suffering from mental health issues, whether we realize it or not. Most people with mental illness of some sort work very hard to hide it because they know that they will be met with this kind of attitude. They don't tell their friends. They may not even tell their families.
Mental illness isn't something that happens to someone else. It's something that happens to that-person-right-there who isn't talking about it because they're afraid that you'll act like an asshole.
People with mental illness need support from people who love them. If someone looks at "all those mentally ill people" with disdain and fear then someone else is going unsupported.
When we talk about changing mental health care in this country, it's important to realize that attitudes about mental illness need to change too. Our attitudes contribute to the lack of adequate care for those with mental illness.
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