Mental illness existed long before covid, I struggled through the lockdowns, more because I was working in social care for most of the time, than the lockdowns themselves.
I was sectioned 20 years before covid happened, and yes what I experienced through it affected my mental health, mental health that was already fragile to some degree from previous illness. But from the outside looking in you'd just see someone who's not resilient enough, using excuses because you don't know the previous issues, nor care, it's just an opportunity to air your grievances with life at the expense of someone else. (Not you personally, generic you)
I also posted on another thread about disability about how although we are demanding as a society that disabled people and those with mental health issues etc should stop using it as an excuse and get out to work.
People won't accept it though when in practice because it may affect them in the moment and they're not having that. The autistic cashier who doesn't make eye contact or small talk is rude and shouldn't be in that job if they can't be polite, for example. The symptoms of someone's mental illness, condition or disability isn't going to stop happening, no matter how much you shout at them. And if people won't tolerate the symptoms of these illnesses/conditions/disabilities affecting them individually , then what? Where do these excuse makers work? Because they must work, but just not anywhere that it might affect someone's 'experience' of buying a pint of milk.
Of course people fake mental illness, they fake physical illness too, people have been known to fake cancer, or other life limiting illnesses, it's hardly a new phenomenon.
But are people automatically sceptical of someone saying they have it, because someone else swung the lead? And feel utterly justified in saying that? Judge every little nuance, including the language used and demand 'proof'? Tell them they're making excuses for not having a job? Or claiming benefits?
No, because that would be unacceptable, it's acceptable with metal illness though, encouraged even.
Mental illness should never be used to excuse poor, violent, aggressive behaviour. It can be an explanation for said behaviour though. There's a difference between excusing something and explaining it.
Violent people with mental health issues are removed from society, it's why things like sections and places like Broadmoor exist. It's not like we go "Oh, you're psychotic, off you pop then'.
What it boils down to is people's feelings towards mental illness and their inability to square the way they feel with wanting to appear like a good person at the same time, in their own head. It might not be disgust, it might be annoyance, fear, or just an opportunity for one upmanship. That's certainly all ridiculing people's language is, a feeling of superiority over someone else - what other reason is there really?
People say it doesn't make sense, but clearly every single person who's commented here about the use of 'I have mental health' knows what is meant by it, because they wouldn't have a gripe about it if they didn't. So the only reason for highlighting it and the language used around it is to belittle someone else and feel superior, because it's not genuine lack of understanding.