UK, Ireland / Mentally ill people in British society [55]

Sometimes I feel discriminated against, despite the fact that my problems are the more socially acceptable kind. Living with the kind of stigma that is attached to mental illness, to any degree, is a really mean battle to fight. It is especially depressing for people with long-standing kinds of problems that are competent enough to function normally such as aspbergers, personality disorders, etc.

Do you know that I have had a job where they wouldn't schedule me on certain days because they thought I seemed a little "unstable" and couldn't handle the stress? That's the kind of thing I'm talking about which leads to discrimination. It had nothing whatsoever to do with the job or my performance. My work performance was as good as anyone else's, they just didn't like my demeanor/personality and the fact that I am a woman only further perpetrated the discrimination. They wanted to let me go because they didn't like me, but they couldn't because that would have been illegal.

And did you know I've come across some people who flat out told me that I should not work in health care, because I suffer occasional panic attacks. I can understand that logic for certain positions, but to tell someone they SHOULDN'T work in a field is just highly offensive.

UK, Ireland / Mentally ill people in British society [55]

Please define what you mean by "mentally ill" and "insane" because someone you define as suffering from psychological or neurological/psychiatric illnesses is not necessarily insane. Mental illness is a very vague term. It sounds like you would rather live in Nazi Germany.

I have an eating disorder, high levels of anxiety, and in many ways pretty much emotionally unstable, yet I am an educated woman and can support myself and it is unlikely you would be able to tell if you knew me in real life. Unless you lived with me or a coworker for a long time you probably would not even have an idea. I am to some degree "mentally ill" but no I am not insane, because I know for example, that my eating rituals are odd. To me "insane" implies someone who is very manic or psychotic or has some kind of intellectual issues. Despite the fact that these "insane" people are difficult to be around, I think that is a very cruel and irresponsible idea, that they should be locked up or cut off from society. Everyone has a right to exist in a public place. With the same logic you could send all the people with any health defect to gas chambers, really.

The percentage of "mentally ill" people that actually commit violence is very low. Did you ever consider the fact that you might actually be overly anxious, worrying about a threat when there is no threat?