Laticauda, 1 year ago

Someone having a schizophrenic episode can become much more susceptible to radicalization which can contribute to them adopting bigoted views. So while that doesn’t mean anyone is obligated to tolerate them when they express extreme or bigoted views, I do think it’s much more nuanced than just saying “it’s no excuse”. Disabilities/disorders are called that for a reason, which isn’t because they’re easy to manage and only have pleasant symptoms. Cognitive/mental disabilities influence the way we think and act as well as our level of control over those things. People with schizophrenia are more vulnerable to being taken advantage of by cultish movements and ways of viewing the world because of something they usually don’t really have any control over. That’s why it’s important to help them seek treatment and why they need to maintain that treatment consistently such as making sure to stay on their meds and listen to their doctors and therapists. But unfortunately not everyone has access to treatment.

I agree with the other commenter that sometimes depending on the situation something CAN be an excuse. Having schizophrenia can absolutely be an excuse if the person literally doesn’t have control over the way their brain can leave them vulnerable to certain influences or ways of thinking. That’s why in some cases it’s an acceptable defence in court (one of the few cases where the insanity plea might be successful, depending on how the schizophrenia influenced their actions and how aware they were of whether what they were doing was wrong or avoidable). I think it’s important to recognize the difference between “it’s not an excuse” and “I don’t have to put up with it”. Nobody has to tolerate or put up with inappropriate behaviour from someone else even if that person isn’t in control of themselves, and even if they do have an excuse that doesn’t mean we can’t avoid them or call them out for what they say or do, or that they shouldn’t experience the consequences of their actions if those actions harm others (winning an insanity plea doesn’t mean you’re set free after all). If they can be given access to treatment and regain some level of control over their body and mind then that’s all the better. We can refuse to accept or allow that behaviour while still showing understanding of someone’s situation.

If course, just because someone has schizophrenia that doesn’t mean it’s ALWAYS an excuse, there are a lot of factors, and it’s possible for someone with schizophrenia to do something wrong and know that it’s wrong while doing it, even while having an episode. Of course that can be hard to establish for someone that may be getting harassed or mistreated by someone with schizophrenia, and I wouldn’t try to dictate whether they’re allowed to blame the one who harmed them or not. But I don’t think we can just dismiss it wholesale by saying “lots of people with mental illness aren’t bigoted”, because mental illnesses are very diverse. Sometimes the symptoms of mental illness can be unpleasant or unpalatable. Not everyone with adhd has memory issues, but some do. Not everyone with depression is suicidal, but some are. Not everyone with schizophrenia experiences delusions, but some do. And doesn’t just mean that they hallucinate stuff visually, it can mean that they start to believe things that don’t make any sense and aren’t based on reality. Those beliefs can be nonsensical like “the aliens are using my brain as a radio antenna” or they can be dangerous like “the Jews control the world’s banks and the holocaust didn’t happen”. They typically can’t control these beliefs any more than they can control visual hallucinations. So I think it’s unfair to say that schizophrenia, or any mental illness, is never an excuse under any circumstance.

That said, it’s difficult to diagnose someone over the internet so there’s some caution that should be exercised in declaring that someone has schizophrenia and thus might not be entirely responsible for their behaviour. Sometimes bigots can resemble schizophrenics if they grow extremist enough, but the difference is they generally have more control over the thoughts, decisions, and actions they took to get where they are.