A Quick Guide

metaphysicalbaby:

People who romanticize mental illness:

• neurotypicals who study psychology/psychiatry because of how ~interesting~ mental illness is but refuse to actually listen to mentally ill people 
• neurotypicals who think it’s edgy to call themselves “psychotic” or “crazy,” or otherwise claim actual mental illness as some weird Aesthetic

• neurotypicals who portray asylums as Spooky and make horror films about them, instead of mourning the very real acts of violence that were committed against mentally ill people there

• neurotypicals who use actual disorders to describe their quirks 

• neurotypical writers who use mental illness as some interesting, tragic plot device and refuse to write complex, believable mentally ill characters with happy endings

• neurotypicals 

People who DO NOT romanticize mental illness:

• mentally ill people who talk openly about their mental illness 
• mentally ill people who like some parts of their mental illness
• mentally ill people who consider their mental illness a huge part of their identity 
• mentally ill people who do not want to label their mental illness
• mentally ill people who self-diagnose, or feel uncertain about professionals’ diagnoses 
• mentally ill people who refuse treatment 
• mentally ill people