I worry that the mentally ill shall face some of the same "treatment" as did US Muslims after 9/11.

[Fire Walk With Me]

30. Knowing something was wrong with me, I studied psychology and abnormal psych

as well as lots of other things, some useful. I hope that everyone you mention does well and lives as full a life as is possible. I would also like to present the other side, so to speak, in that I've experienced some of it and the system is not perfect, is not omniscient, and makes mistakes which can cause harm. Sometimes there is good intent and that's a buffer, but most often there were people who just couldn't hear a patient as a human being, but only as some cookie-cutter amalgam of whatever is in the current literature, and God forbid you not fit. I was finally diagnosed with bipolarity NOS ("non-specific", meaning they don't know!) in addition to classic alcoholism. I'm sticking very close to the AA program as it does work the miracles it promises...but when I was in the ward, the near utter lack of understanding on the part of doctors and staff regarding classic addiction and the 12-Step solution as both stunning and horrible. Again, it was like talking to walls. Many times what I said was indeed the truth beyond what they saw about me and they did come around to it in most instances. Horrible. Awful. Unacceptable.

I'm lucky to be functional enough to be here having this discussion, and I'm grateful for that. But as others here have said, even given proper support and comfort/conditions, there is a hard limit to what we may have in this life. I dare never pass on this DNA through fathering children, for example. Would never adopt for the mere reason of the illnesses and also, because I live at half the level of the poverty cutoff and could not fund a family if I wished. My ability to really work has been taken from me. All I'm saying is that none of this is easy on this side, either. Especially now that the irate are marching in and are sometimes =not= interested in having any amount of this sort of conversation. I worry about absolutist characterization and further suffering for myself and others as a result. Things are bad enough and we have to be heard. Peace!