Are you afraid of people with a Mental Illness?

No. But then, I've had a lot of experience in the mental health community and have a degree in psychology, along with my philosophy degree.

Why be afraid, we all have an inclination to mental fragility. Some suffer greater than others, because of that and poor care programs, they are seen as defects.

It depends on the mental illness in question. I'm not scared of depressed people, or folks with obsessive-compulsive disorder, for example. But I am very wary of folks who act erratically, because I'm not sure they won't lash out at someone near them.

I'm sure a lot of people will answer this with a politically correct "no", however I think to be honest, one would need to say "perhaps". My brother lived for several years in a house with a man suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. When this man was taking his medication, he was fine, but without it he was quite dangerous, because he imagined that the people around him were planning against him.

Eventually he committed suicide, and accidentally killed someone else in the process. So, yes, I was afraid of him. I worried for my brother every day that he lived in that house, and it so easily could have been him who died so needlessly.

Fortunately most mental illnesses can now be treated, and it would be a mistake to blame the sufferer in any way. However, I believe that often caution is wisdom, and can be safer for all involved.

You won't be afraid of people with some mental illness if you approach them with care and goodwill. -- that is precisely what they need. Sympathy (and empathy) is the tool that can connect anyone easily with anyone.

I am afraid for people who suffer, not of them.

I am more afraid of the men who hiss and whistle at me from under yellow hard hats as I walk down the street then I am of an individual or group encounter with mental illness.

I fear that they will loose hope and give up.

I fear that the media will continue to keep the average public afraid and disconnected from engaging in the fight against the stigma of this life threatening disease.

Children, Teens, Adults, Seniors...all ages and stages, all races and religions. Mental illness is an equal opportunity disease.

I fear for my son, that he will never find a truly peaceful day.

Fear does not have to keep us paralyzed...it can be our trigger to change, to action, our catalyst to helping improve the lives of our friends, family and neighbors. We have the power to turn fear into fearLESS energy to FiGHt.

If you want to help call your local NAMI chapter or Mental Health Center.

Join in the NAMI walk in the fall...we are having a team in orange county.

Talk about your feelings with people you meet, breaking the silence is our first step.

Thank you all for your wonderful insight and contribution to this question.

Not afraid in the sense that they may want to hurt me physically but cautious since their actions are often difficult to predict.

If someone has a mental illness I think it's good to be aware of it but also important to treat them with respect like you would with any other person.

Yes, I am afraid of all politicians. .... .... .... .... ....

I am not afraid and I will always do something to help them. I really feel sorry for people, who have such problems and I do not think that we should leave them to the fortune.

When you read news involving a person with mental illness that hurt or killed someone, you will be scared. I have that mentality before. Judging everyone with mental illness in general.

Until the day came that they actually lived with me in one house , 6 of them and for the past 3 years , a total of 38 individuals lived in my facility with mentall illness. When they're consistent taking their medication they are highly functional and can control their thoughts and actions. If they start to refuse their medications , they start to have raging thoughts, some become harmful only to themselves , others may hurt other people because of lack of control.

Well i'm not afraid of them only the politicians and Daeaner I want to kill them because are sick for money.........

I am rarely afraid anymore since I was diagnosed with a couple of mental illnesses. Even in the hospital, I have not met anyone who was a serious threat to my safety. But there were a few men who scared me just by their general high strung, angry personalities.

I always stayed away from them because I was very vulnerable myself. But that was just my vulnerabilities at the time more than anything.

When people who have a more serious disorder than I do and their symptoms are not under control I get a little scared. But it happens so rarely.

The truth about mentally ill people is that many of us are not dangersous at least not to other people.. When there is dangerous behavior, it usually indicates that the person has not been taking their medication, are under severe stress, or that the medication is not working.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.