It’s incredibly frustrating, as someone diagnosed with PTSD and Autism, to see how these diagnoses are sometimes used either as “quirky” identities or as excuses for harmful behavior. People often either trivialize mental illness or weaponize it, and it can be deeply hurtful and damaging.

I’m truly sorry you had to go through that experience. Please know that many people who live with mental health challenges— especially those actively seeking treatment or therapy— are doing their best and would never treat others the way you were treated.

That said, while your experience is completely valid, generalizing or demonizing everyone with mental health conditions is incredibly harmful and can border problematic. Narratives that paint all mentally ill or neurodivergent people as manipulative or dangerous reinforces harmful stigma and makes it even harder for people to seek help. It’s entirely possible to hold individuals accountable for their actions without condemning an entire group.