Knowing the murky chicken or egg question that is personality or diagnosis, how can I dislike someone who I know has a certifiable psychiatric diagnosis for the things that make her who she is. That is, her diagnosis explains her behaviors but her behaviors are just too much to bear. It is no secret that one person on the zoo crew has a diagnosis of schizophrenia. She wears her diagnosis like a medal of honor. “This is who I am.” I just can’t bring myself to look past the behaviors that I know are attributed to her diagnosis. She is hystrionic, hypochondriacal, manipulative and deceitful. If someone believes their lies then isn’t it unfair to judge them as a liar when they see themselves as truthful? I should know better. I should be able to look past it all.
hear hear alice
I always heard this person describe the illness as severe depression with psychotic features. Kind of makes it sound a little less serious.
I agree with Dean. You can and should only tolerate so much. I think you can attribute things to an illness, but then we know that these illnesses are not just biological. You have to take ownership of the stuff that you say and do whether you have an illness or not. If this person is not psychotic, then they are responsible for their actions.
tough. when you figure it out, let me know! I deal with someone like that all the time and it is extremely difficult…
You might choose not to dislike the person, but also if they aren’t family, you don’t have to choose to be around them either. We have all known people who, deep down, aren’t bad, but we still don’t enjoy their company and that does not make you bad. You have enough complication in your life. There is no need to invite more if you don’t want to.