• assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Right, it would have to be extraordinarily rare conditions, or a common condition with an extraordinary severity. My point is, at that level, are we better off calling it a rare birth defect vs mental illness?

    Because it’s rather offensive and only makes the stigmatism worse to label it as a general mental illness.

    • ParsnipWitch@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      No, I don’t think talking about the fact that some symptoms from certain mental illnesses heighten the risk for people to become criminals is stigmatising or should be considered offensive. Some mental illnesses can be the result of a birth defect, so I don’t see how that’s better?

      For example the symptoms described as psychopathy are very likely traits people are born with. These people are at higher risk of coming in conflict with the law, which can be averted with the right care. Others could develope an antisocial personality disorder because of an abusive upbringing, again something that can be helped with the right therapy.

      If we just label people as evil or pretend they are somehow “defective” human beings since birth, that can have dire consequences.