Mental Health America posted the above quote on Instagram on May 15th. Something that I have seen time and time again when scrolling through Twitter or Facebook or any other social media platform is people using mental illness to either justify or penalize people who do bad things.
The most recent example is the tragic shooting in Buffalo where a white supremacist coordinated a hate crime against Black Americans. It makes me sick when people equate racism to a mental illness or try and blame a mental illness for harmful actions. There is plenty of stigma around mental health as it is and inaccurately equating acts of hate and violence to mental health is harmful to everyone involved.
It not only places negative stereotypes around people who have mental illnesses but it also provides an excuse for racists, homophobes, and other hateful people.
Before I dive any deeper I want to preface that I am not a mental health professional and I am basing my opinions on my own personal experience and knowledge about mental health. While I have done thorough research, I am not qualified to offer mental health advice or guidance.
Another thing that irks me a bit is the argument that because the shooter was coherent and intellectual means that he can’t be mentally ill. I have seen a few tweets using this as a way to “debunk” the notion that what the Buffalo shooter did was due to a mental illness, so I will give the benefit of the doubt and assume they come from a good place. However, by using the ability to function in society and intelligence level as means of ruling out mental illness, people are reinforcing the idea that everyone with a mental illness is incapable to live normally and cannot be smart or functional. And as a mentally ill person, I would like to state that that is simply not true.
At the end of the day, it is important to note that the conversation around mental health is still new. Genuine discussion and debate about it are starting to become more normalized so it is vital that we do everything we can to ensure that authenticity and accuracy flow through our words.
Mental illness cannot justify acts of hate.
My heart breaks for Buffalo and the families that have been affected by this event. If you are interested in donating to help the families of the victims please click here for a list of verified GoFundMe fundraisers.