to despair at ignorance surrounding mental illness?

[DisturbinglySexuallyInactive]

Who says it's bad form to start threads about threads anyway?

I do feel really disturbed though, by comments on a thread about bipolar disorder in the mental health section and I post in hopes of reassurance that these are not typical of mumsnet as a whole! Then I think, maybe people just don't know what it means to have episodes of mania (or hypomania) and depression, and how it just isn't a choice, how the behaviours associated with those states are part of an illness?

I don't know which thread yo uare referring to but I would have to say there is a lot of ignorance generally about a lot of things. The majority of people are always fairly dumb and mentally lazy about 'difference' - and the socio-political climate of the last 10 years or so has encouraged that sort of mindset.

I haven't read the posts you've mentioned, but there is a terrible amount of ignorance surronding mental health in the general public. It infuriates, and to a degree, frightens me, that its so misunderstood, and pre-judged. Then again, I don't think you can always blame people for being as such, because it just isn't covered in school, or on the news, or in any way to educate people.

Its the prejudice that gets under my skin. Okay, so I'm ill - but I'm not just a condition!!

I think the worst cases are those surronding self harm. The whole "Its just attention seeking" or "Rebelling" - associating it with teen angst. sighs

I've been told so many times, "Well just do something that makes you feel happy instead of whellowing!", and "Think positively for goodness sakes!", as if its that easy

this is the thread, just for reference

perhaps I have an excessively rosy view of society at the moment, but I thought we were entering into a period of increasingly better informed, positive attitudes to 'difference'

Hmmm...

Thing is, both me and my partner suffer from mental health conditions. And we support each other. I know what a drain it can be sometimes dealing with someone who you love very much and seeing them reacting in a negative way, and its okay to be annoyed sometimes, too! But I get totally what you mean... I'm kinda annoyed and I haven't even finished reading yet!!!