'Minus the Mental Illness, He Was a Good Guy'
The most helpful emails in health
Browse our free newslettersI attended a class not long ago, and the instructor talked about someone she used to know who had a mental health condition.
“Minus the mental illness, he was a good guy,” she said.
The class when on without a bat of an eye. No challenge, no question. Had she said “minus the [insert another illness], he was a good guy,” I imagine the reaction would be different.
No one should be blamed for getting sick.
So often, mental health is confused with character. Even an intelligent, articulate, well-educated teacher made this mistake. She was wrong.
Her friend was not a good guy minus the mental illness.
He was just a good guy.
JG is a “helper” (mental health professional). She is also an individual living in recovery of a mental health condition.
jennifer-g
Originally published: July 3, 2016