You've read about it way too many times; a man walks into a business and kills five employees, set off by his unexpected termination. There are typically two things people will say; his neighbors will say that he was a nice, quiet person that kept to himself, and the professionals will inform us that he was in therapy, seeing a psychiatrist, been institutionalized and, here it comes, is mentally ill.
He might be mentally ill, but it certainly isn't a given. When anything out of the "norm" happens, a faulty brain is always to blame, and then feared. History reveals that this is often the case, but it is not necessarily true. It might be safe to say that all serial killers, murderers and the like are suffering from some kind of mental illness, but not all, actually very few people, who have MI are classified such.
We just happen to be a part of a culture that sees MI as being bad. Everyone who has it, no matter in what form, or the cause, or how severe, is labeled dangerous and untrustworthy. The only way we who are so afflicted can confront this is to prove it isn't the case. We have to "come out", revealing who we are and that we are integral members of society.
It won't happen right away, but if we do nothing, it will never happen. Give it some thought, weigh the pros and cons and see if either, you are in the right time of your life, or in the right frame of mind, to undertake this challenge. The risk is great, the rewards to you possibly not there, but the reward to the entire MI community is priceless. Give it some thought.
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