As a kid, I remember one mentally ill individual that we used to make fun of so he could chase us. The thrill of making fun of him and running away overshadowed any reservations we would have had if he was our father or even a relative.
It pains me to know how much pain we must have caused him. I would learn to empathize and treat mentally ill individuals with respect and as just any other human being at a later point in my life! I would come to understand that the mentally ill are not a source of amusement or derision.
Sadly, it seems, a lot of us still consider the mentally ill as some source of entertainment!
Mental illness, like any other disease can affect anyone! And like any disease, the severity of it varies from one person to another.
The human psyche is very delicate and when it’s bruised, it can cause permanent damage to an individual’s mind. How people cope with this damage also depends on a lot of factors.
But suffice it to say, the mentally ill does not have to eat off trash or throw off their clothes to be recognized as mentally ill! It’s not unusual for people to suffer from mental illness and be in denial of it or not even know it. It’s up to those around them to get them the help they need.
There are lots of our people walking about and seeming perfectly normal to you and I but at some level, we all have unresolved issues that affect us in one way or another. Some of our actions confound others and we can even be irritating to others because the severity of what we deal with varies.
But you don’t have to be an expert to recognize that something significant ails another’s mind. It’s callous, unthinking, mindless, wicked and I dare say immoral, to be making fun of any sick person! It’s equally callous to be using a mentally ill person as a form of entertainment or to serve as your denigrator against perceived enemies.
If we cannot help the mentally ill to live up to their potential and to be regular members of society, we should not make fun of them or use them.
The illness they suffer from could befall you too! Importantly, it’s perhaps not a good idea to be fighting with an individual with a mental illness!
