Page 3 | People mocking mentally ill people in public (warning, not nice to read)

SpinningFloppa · 14/02/2023 01:46

Are you sure she was mentally ill? Religious people often get on the bus round here shouting this sort of thing

MissWings · 14/02/2023 07:21

I don’t believe for one moment these people were all nervous laughing. Some, potentially, but I am not sure why everyone is quick to suggest that. Some people are just quite cruel. The OP has clearly put in her title that people were mocking. Stark difference.

Spidey66 · 14/02/2023 07:36

I'm a mental health nurse so obviously I have empathy for those having a psychotic episode or other acute mental health issue. It can be really scary having hallucinations and feeling everyone's out to harm you.

A couple of years ago I was downstairs on the bus when there was a lot of noise from upstairs and a couple of people came downstairs to complain of a passenger shouting and screaming. The driver used his microphone to ask him to leave but he didn't so the police were called (right call, they can take him to hospital). I went up to speak to him, he was thought disordered but he'd been taking drugs (he asked me if I had crack-i didn't have any!). I asked him if he'd ever been in local mental health unit and he said he had, but didn't want to go back there. I told him the bus wasn't going anywhere until the police arrived to take him to hospital as we were worried he wasn't well. He did get off the bus-i hope the police found him and took him to hospital.

Other passengers were surprised I'd approached him but I deal with people like him every day, I know how to deal with them.

OneFrenchEgg · 14/02/2023 08:01

spidey by telling him he left and then wasn't able to access help - wouldn't it have been better not to tell
Him?

Spidey66 · 14/02/2023 08:09

On hindsight you're probably right....but he was so unwell he would likely have come to their attention sooner or later.

AuntSallie · 14/02/2023 08:13

Autumnlife678 · 13/02/2023 19:10

The other day I was on a bus and a woman got on, she was shouting lots of stuff about how we're all evil and we should all die etc. She was clearly very unwell.

But what was so upsetting was the reaction of other passengers. A few people laughed, and a couple of other people started arguing with her, telling her to shut up etc. They were being very sneery and ridiculing her.

I wish I'd spoken up myself and told these other passengers to shut up themselves, but it might have escalated into a bigger argument. So I just sat there and quietly said something to the woman next to me about how awful it was that people have such a lack of compassion. She agreed with me, but I wish I'd spoken up and told these other passengers to shut up themselves.

I know these things have been going on for a long time, but considering all the publicity and speaking up about mental health that there's been over the past few years, I would've liked to have thought people wouldn't still react this way. How awful that people can be so nasty. A serious illness can happen to anyone.

What you should do in this situation is call 999 because the woman was clearly having a psychotic episode and was at high risk of harming herself. I know police cannot force a person to go with them to A&E for psych assessment, but the ones that are properly trained are often successful at convincing them.

River82 · 14/02/2023 08:19

treasurefoil · 14/02/2023 01:29

On a bus would you be nice to a schizophrenic man. You keep distance as he's potentially dangerous. Yes it would be lovely if everyone was perfect but in reality that unknown person on a hysteric state is a danger.

Despite having bipolar (type II) I have definitely got off the train before when a man with psychosis was talking to himself about 'punching a woman'.

I was the only person in the carriage with him.

CopperMaran · 14/02/2023 08:32

Orangesandlemons77 · 13/02/2023 19:13

I understand whay you mean, however it isn't pleasant being told you are evil and deserve to die etc, as well

I do think people with MH problems need to try and get treated for them as well. Which is tricky I know as it can come with a lack of self awareness.

OMG. What an unpleasant post disguised as an ok post. Your lack of empathy for people with truly awful health issues where one of the symptoms is that they have no idea they are even ill is astounding. It is right up there with the people who complained when CBeebies had a presenter who was born with one hand.

Op, I totally agree with you. It awful to watch. I had to watch many people treat my Mum that way before my Dad was finally able to get medical people to listen and my Mum got sectioned. Even now it happens from time to time although she is a lot better on medication. If it’s any comfort : The chances are she was too ill to take in their behaviour and be upset by it.

Munches · 14/02/2023 08:37

MissWings · 13/02/2023 19:23

Okay where do I start. The recent publicity we have had in recent years has only just touched the surface, in that, it’s the garden variety mental illnesses that are socially acceptable. It’s okay to be depressed or anxious. It’s okay to have conditions like OCD. It’s okay not to be okay. It’s NOT okay to have severe mental Illness whereby you have psychosis, or you lose touch with reality and the attitudes of those people on the bus proved that.

What I will say is, those people on that bus never know what their future has in store. The boundaries between sanity and insanity can actually be surprisingly slim. All we need is a trigger for our own personal capacity to cope with mental illness and we could quite easily lose the plot. I’ve known people to suffer psychosis after experiencing severe stress that is usually quite unusual over the course of a lifetime. For example, a child death, severe unexpected trauma, divorce or any number of things that could potentially overload our psyches to the point whereby we cannot cope any longer.

I would judge those people for being naive as well as lacking in empathy.

This is an excellent post.

I have a mental illness. It freezes me. I can’t work due to it and it affects the quality of my life daily. I think I may have suffered a psychotic episode once. It was utterly and completely terrifying.

Even on MN, not every poster is sympathetic or empathetic or even understanding of mental illnesses and I have occasionally read quite aloof and unkind responses when a poster has posted a thread asking for support.

Munches · 14/02/2023 08:47

Orangesandlemons77 · 13/02/2023 19:13

I understand whay you mean, however it isn't pleasant being told you are evil and deserve to die etc, as well

I do think people with MH problems need to try and get treated for them as well. Which is tricky I know as it can come with a lack of self awareness.

This. This is the kind of unempathetic and unkind posts I mean.

It makes me very very sad when people
just presume a person with a mental illness can just “ get help” for “ their issues/ problems “ ( that phase in itself really fucking annoys me- you wouldn’t be saying that if someone had a physical condition or illness) and then they think , boom, job done…

Er no, actually, it isn’t that simple. Depends on the illness , the severity, whether there are multiple diagnoses, the treatment, the medication and some bastard ( like mine) mental illnesses never actually never go away… despite all of the treatments and therapy in the world. It’s learning to manage it as best you can with given tools, coping strategies and resources and medications.

But I would never even expect you to ever understand this or show any empathy or kindness given by the comment you have made.

JustAnotherManicNameChange · 14/02/2023 09:07

It's not acceptable behaviour , however incidents like that can make people nervous or scared. Some will laugh,some will go into fight mode, some will keep their eyes down and hope it all goes away. At the same time there will always be arseholes that think anyone different is less and something to laugh at or bully.

You know best what the situation was on the bus.

Plitvice · 14/02/2023 10:00

Why is it frequently happening on or around buses? I was waiting for a bus when I saw a lady leave the church across the road and come to the bus stop. She asked me how long I had been waiting (totally normal - fine). Suddenly, she started saying stuff about how she knew that I was a witch and working for satan and I would go to hell. Bus arrived in the same minute, we got on. I expected it to start up again but absolutely nothing, like she had never even noticed me!

OhMyBleedingHeart · 14/02/2023 10:10

stbrandonsboat · 13/02/2023 19:18

When people refer to 'mental health', they really mean 'emotional well-being'. When faced with someone who is probably having a psychotic episode they don't register it as an illness or disability and that kindness and compassion would be a more appropriate response instead of laughing at or berating the person. Some people are just immature, thick or a combination of the two.

This 100%.

All the mental health stuff in the media stops at depression and anxiety. People like this aren't included and it's sad.

DuplicateUserName · 14/02/2023 10:37

Spidey66 · 14/02/2023 08:09

On hindsight you're probably right....but he was so unwell he would likely have come to their attention sooner or later.

Yes, but possibly because he was dead or had harmed/killed someone else.

You interfered massively though. The police were on their way and it was very dangerous to tell him that.

Alconleigh · 14/02/2023 15:39

Bluntly though, if I am in a confined space with someone behaving threateningly and erratically, my first thoughts are not going to be "ooh I must be be kind, how awful this persons life is" it's going to be taken up with evaluating the threat, trying to work out whether I am actually in danger, and acting accordingly. Would I be openly laughing and taking the piss? Definitely not, not least due to potential for harm arising from that. But my main concern, at least initially, is absolutely going to be for my own safety. And I don't believe anyone who claims theirs wouldn't be, tbh. I lived in London for over twenty years. Developing the ability to notice and avoid those who were behaving outside accepted norms was a basic skill. Because if they are a stranger I have no way of knowing if they are safe or not.

Orangesandlemons77 · 14/02/2023 16:34

It's interesting that people think I'm not empathic when I have actually had psychotic episodes myself!

I found people were scared and couldn't handle it, found it frightening etc.

And a lack of awareness goes with it meaning it is hard to access help.

It seems my post came across wrong! i was trying to show I could see things from the other people's point of view.

I'm on long term meds now which do help. - antipsychotics and antidepressants. My diagnosis is recurrent depression with psychotic features.

Orangesandlemons77 · 14/02/2023 16:36

It was 'lack of insight' rather than 'self awareness' I meant. This is the correct term.

MissWings · 14/02/2023 18:10

@Alconleigh

Who has said they wouldn’t follow your strategy though? I know I certainly would. The issue was people mocking and sneering at the person. Like you said, more fool them, bit of a risky strategy. I wouldn’t want to upset a mad person, and if they’re mad and bad then good luck to ya!

MissWings · 14/02/2023 18:12

@Orangesandlemons77

What proceeded your first psychotic episode if you don’t mind me asking? Was there a specific trigger or was it something that built up over time due to a severe depression etc.

River82 · 14/02/2023 20:06

MissWings · 14/02/2023 18:12

@Orangesandlemons77

What proceeded your first psychotic episode if you don’t mind me asking? Was there a specific trigger or was it something that built up over time due to a severe depression etc.

I'm not the person you asked, though I had mild symptoms of mania after I graduated uni a decade ago (bright colours, seeing sparks and hearing breathing, foot steps and my name out loud).

The same thing happened about seven years ago (though just for an evening) when a relative died.

The first was caused by being prescribed an SSRI before being diagnosed with bipolar. The second from coming off a medication as advised.

I was med-free for years after without issue. A person can have hallucinations as a one off and be fine.

It's the reason why I haven't had children yet, since the hormone change can trigger it.

MrsMorrisey · 14/02/2023 20:47

DuchessDandelion · 13/02/2023 19:31

Sounds a bit like MN

😂😂😂😂true.

ThomasWaghornsConeHat · 14/02/2023 20:52

Maybe people was scared and didn't know how to react and laughed? People do weird shit when they don't know what to say. Like when someone dies, and they cross the street to avoid you.

MissWings · 15/02/2023 07:42

@River82

Thank you for sharing.

iloveeverykindofcat · 15/02/2023 08:19

@stbrandonsboat has it. Mental illness is really but not everything is mental illness. Most people have no idea about mental illness. The proliferation of diagnoses is largely fuelled by the market.

Freyda · 15/02/2023 11:51

Ignorance and fear play a huge part in these reactions.

I've just buried a relative who died alone at home from a physical illness that wasn't picked up early enough for treatment. She was too unstable mentally to engage with services, or her gp, but not commitable. This was due to her having had severe physical reactions to older type anti-psychotic medication. She wasn't a threat to anyone but was in a permanent state of unstable mental health while new meds were being tried. I'm sure people will have found her behaviour worrying to be around. Breaks my heart to think people would have laughed and mocked her.

I'm just thankful to the stranger who once called an ambulance for her whilst she'd been a missing person, collapsed on a bench, malnourished after wandering the city streets for a week after a "medication holiday" (to establish whether it was the meds causing the issue). Saved her life that time, sadly not so lucky this time around.

With the current state of inpatient care being under rapid review, after horrific failings exposed up and down the country, it's no wonder patients don't want to engage at times.

Thank you to all who are showing compassion on this thread.