Dear Dr. Trainwreck,
How can I, a layman, tell the difference between someone I have to cut some slack for because of their mental health diagnosis, and someone who is just being a jerk and blaming their diagnosis? Don’t some conditions make conversations around this hard, or even dangerous?
Dear ____,
I can see why you did not sign this. Because yes, dangerous is exactly the right word, and I am going to have to tread carefully in order to address this. Mental health, as a whole, is such a living, changing, evolving concept that stating anything for certain is almost always a bad idea (I write this with the complete awareness that I have stated things for certain right here in this column). I think the question, really, is whether or not this person—or any person—is, to be a bit harsh, worth the trouble…
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