Do you view people with certain mental health disorders differently?

No.
But if they manage to refer to it in every conversation I wonder what they want me to do about it.

I wonder how who decides that a person’s personality is “disordered”. What standard are they holding someone’s personality to? Like if you don’t act like Joe Blow over there, there is something wrong with you.

I agree, every conversation would be annoying.

At least for BPD, it is characterised by unstable relationships, fear of abandonment, it usually stems from trauma. I am being kind of basic (too much to list) but I don’t believe it is the “personality” you are thinking of. My personality isn’t defined by my mental disorder, however it is influenced by my disorder if that makes sense? My fear of abandonment causes me to have a more clingy personality, for example.

As for the others, not sure. I know Dissociative identity/multiple personality disorder, is legit two different personalities.

I guess the “standard” is why they are the way they are. Some people are just naturally clingy, others are clingy because they’ve been hurt before. Something like that. Is this who you really are, or is this the result of trauma?

^ Trying to explain something I am still learning myself is a bit hard.

We are who we develop inb to. What makes some of it “wrong?”

Once it becomes something that severely impairs you, it becomes a disorder. For example, BPD causes people to feel emotions very intensely. A situation you may be depressed about, I might be suicidal over. That is where it becomes a disorder.

It is not “wrong” in the sense that, this is just how my brain is wired. It is not a negative to be diagnosed, which seems to be what you are getting at? It doesn’t mean anything bad really.

So it is not “oh I act differently than the average person, so I must have a disorder” it is more “My brain works in a way that severely affects my day to day life, and also affects the people around me, in a negative way” It isn’t an excuse for bad behavior, I just don’t know how else to word it.

Psychopathy, you bet I view them differently.

So if something happens that severely depresses you, but doesn’t affected me in the least…who’s wrong?

Nobody is wrong^

You cannot look at most mental disorders like that. Neither of us our wrong, our brains are different.

@Blackwater_Park Antisocial personality disorder is another good example. That one is controversial for sure.

@MakeItSo1701 I view other mental illness for what it is and I don’t think poorly of someone because of it. BPD is on the opposite end of the spectrum from psychopathy. Psychopaths are different, and should be treated differently. I’m going to discriminate against them and I’ll openly admit it.

@Blackwater_Park totally understandable. I won’t try and change your mind. I used to feel the same about a lot of disorders, and there are obviously still some I have issues with. But we will keep this simple.

Edit: “simple” As in, there are some things classified as psychiatric disorders that are beyond the scope of the question. Pedophillia would be one, and everyone is going to view them differently. ASPD is within the scope if that makes sense

My mother has Narcissistic Personality Disorder and she was abusive and manipulative…so I’m a bit biased. Of course, she completely refused treatment.

That said, I do understand it affects everyone differently. I’m sure some folks with NPD are far less horrible than my mother was.

Than who?

Less horrible than his.mother.

I will help if I can, but only if they want it of course. Many of these folks are dangerous. I refuse to become their next victim. It requires firm boundaries!

I used to be attracted to those with obvious mental illnesses.
Now after being burned a couple of times I keep to myself, for now. After my financial debts are paid, and money saved, I will play it by ear.

I joined an online dating site, and was swamped with so many likes that I had to take a step back. Im not ready to date yet.

Friends first until I’m ready.

I had a bunch of clients with these disorders and I would be leery having a clise friendship with them because they were volatile people who would flip on a dime and start screaming.

I do view them differently, not negatively but with caution and empathy.
My mom had issues and until a late diagnosis, life was tough sometimes. Her mood swings, depression, and trouble with finances affected her life and others. I miss her every moment of my life but know she is finally at peace.

I guess. My dad definitely had a mental health disorder. We could never completely identify what it was because he refused to go to a psychiatrist/psychologist. He just said he didn’t need to because there was nothing wrong with him. Yet we did talk to a psychologist to get an idea. He said the symptoms sounded like schizophrenia but he couldn’t say for certain. But living with him I was fully aware of what would and wouldn’t set him off (for the most part). So I treated him very differently from everyone else I knew.

I once switched therapists because they said I should cut someone out of my life because they had BPD. I felt like it was inappropriate and unprofessional advice considering that they didn’t know anything else about this person.

My second therapist was more open to talking about my dynamic with this individual without writing off an entire group of people.

They said that with this diagnosis, people tend to hit a fork in the road in their thirties. They tend to get better or they tend to get worse.

@seawulf575 Rick refused to go to the doctor in the months leading up to end. It seems to be a guy thing and I don’t understand it. Especially if you have insurance.

@raum…and there is that.

“flip on a dime and start screaming”

and threatening, and hitting, and…

^^^^ Yeah. My Mom flipped on a dime too. I used to get off the bus and stare at the house, wondering which Mom I was going to walk in on.

@Dutchess_III I understood it. Not as a man, but as a person sitting and watching. He had wild fantasies. He was developing a full blown reality for himself, complete with spies that were out to get him and more exciting things. If he admitted he might have a problem, he would have to burst that fantasy bubble and admit to how horribly he had been acting. That is one of the joys of mental illness…the ones afflicted don’t always know.