Makes Me Think - Today a classmate confused the terms 'mentally impaired' and 'mentally ill', and I called him on it (my sister has a mental illness). He argued that there wasn't a difference, and that they were all people he didn't want to talk to. My teacher sent him to the dean's office. A shy boy in my class thanked me later and said people say the same thing all the time to him, about his schizophrenia. The difference a few words makes MMT.

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Today a classmate confused the terms 'mentally impaired' and 'mentally ill', and I called him on it (my sister has a mental illness). He argued that there wasn't a difference, and that they were all people he didn't want to talk to. My teacher sent him to the dean's office. A shy boy in my class thanked me later and said people say the same thing all the time to him, about his schizophrenia. The difference a few words makes MMT.

#16285 (3) - Jun 5, 2012 by sockmonkey - Inspiring - Yes, that made me think too! (421) - No, that made me sleepy. (29)

Comments

Thank you as well. I have never been more insulted in my life than when a well-respected teacher stated in class one day that mentally ill people have a "deficiency" and are therefore lesser humans. As someone who daily suffers from a mental disorder, I instantly called him out on it. Hopefully it made a difference.

#1 - by Angria
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I've been called mentally handicapped because I'm mentally ill. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for standing up for your sister and all the rest of us.