Severe mental disorders don't get nearly enough advocacy or proper representation

While conditions like depression, anxiety, and ADHD are severe in their own way, I'm not talking about those; I'm talking about taboo conditions, things that could ruin your life if the wrong person found out about it, like employers, peers, friends or even family. I'm talking about Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Schizophrenia, conditions falling under the Antisocial Personality Disorder umbrella, the "time bombs" of the mental world.

Conditions like the former get a lot of advocacy and representation, as do a lot of physical conditions. This is undeniably a good thing, and I'm not saying that should be changed at all. However, I believe it's time for that branch to extend to the other side of the spectrum.

People with these severe conditions are often ostracized, dehumanized, and demonized for something they didn't ask for and can't control. They're portrayed in the media as monsters, when in reality a lot of them are seeking treatment to manage their conditions and aren't much different from anyone else when doing so. Not every schizophrenic person you'll meet sees demons in their loved ones. Not every antisocial person plans to shoot a place up. Not every bipolar person is gonna stab you if you look at them wrong. All that these harmful stereotypes do is make people feel like they can't be trusted nor can they ever hope to live a normal, successful life.

Aren't we past the days where people with mental disorders are shunned, shamed, and pushed away for something they can't control? We've already made strides to do the same for other conditions, and it would be much more progressive and beneficial to continue to do so. Proper education, representation, support and resources should be provided to the general public as well as to the people who actually deal with the conditions. The fact that the biggest representation of people with these conditions is in horror movies, in dramas where they're always painted to be the bad guys, and in crime reports and true crime podcasts so people think that they're incapable of being safe to be around" needs to end.

People deserve to be recognized for who they are as humans, not for the conditions they face in their day-to-day lives.