MainerMikeBrown
04-17-2016, 11:00 AM
If you have mental illness, such as clinical depression, bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, and so on, it's important to realize that you aren't your mental illness. Rather, you have mental illness.
Yet many people, even experienced mental health professionals, will often say that their client "is bi-polar," or "is schizophrenic."
They are wrong for wording it this way. Instead, they should say, "This person has bi-polar disorder," or "This person has schizophrenia."
I mean if someone has, say, cancer, they won't say that person "Is cancer." Instead they'll say, "That person has cancer."
Big difference.
After all, a person with mental illness isn't who they are, just like cancer patients aren't their cancer.
Yet many people, even experienced mental health professionals, will often say that their client "is bi-polar," or "is schizophrenic."
They are wrong for wording it this way. Instead, they should say, "This person has bi-polar disorder," or "This person has schizophrenia."
I mean if someone has, say, cancer, they won't say that person "Is cancer." Instead they'll say, "That person has cancer."
Big difference.
After all, a person with mental illness isn't who they are, just like cancer patients aren't their cancer.