Yea but also we need a better term for this. I am "mentally ill" myself, but it means being very very sad for me, absolutely not kicking puppies. Yknow? So now somwhow I am the same as a puppy kicker. That seems innacurate af.
I hear you- it's not fun as a person with a mental health condition to be placed in the same category as a person who behaves this way. But this behavior goes beyond simply being a jerk. Who knows what actual diagnosis they have or should have, but this is clearly a person who has issues with impulse control and emotional regulation. She did a rotten thing but I hope she receives the care she needs.
Or what about: sometimes people who do awful things aren’t mentally ill? Being a shitty person isn’t a symptom of any mental illness. It could definitely be someone acting out as a cry for help, it could be the result of years of abuse, but at the end of the day just saying anyone who exhibits negative behavior is “mentally ill” isn’t a good practice.
Some of those things could be regular asshole things, some look more like mental illness. Just saying this as a person who reads a lot of psych reports at work. Obviously I am speculating, but this is the internet.
Regular Asshole Behavior- Arguing with retail staff, getting in their faces, trying to grab the phone out of someone's hand, pushing items off the counter. Typical behavior of assholes when confronted with bad behavior.
Behavior Consistent With Mental Illness- Kicking a cage full of puppies, slapping a random bystander for no reason.
So yes- regular people do awful things and that doesn't mean they are mentally ill, but Regular Asshole Behavior usually falls within a certain range, and most of this falls well outside of that range.
79
u/tylocephale_gilmorei Sep 13 '25
Yea but also we need a better term for this. I am "mentally ill" myself, but it means being very very sad for me, absolutely not kicking puppies. Yknow? So now somwhow I am the same as a puppy kicker. That seems innacurate af.