[johnchristopher]

> My point being that I don't understand where you draw the line.

The line is drawn once it becomes dangerous for people around the person, or the person itself, or when the person is suffering from that condition (and not just "society misunderstanding him").

For instance, I have been the focus/target of a schizophrenic person whose condition was abruptly worsening at the time. He became a danger to me and my significant other (we are talking physical threats, punching walls, etc.). It escalated with him going to the police to file a complaint against me and two other parties for computer fraud which I only learned 6 months after he had gotten out of my life.

So, that's why mental disorders aren't just "behaviors that differ from the norm". I wish it were just cushy misadaptations but it's not.

[50656E6973]

Nothing you described was indicative of that person having a "mental illness" so much as exhibiting anti-social behavior.

[johnchristopher]

> Nothing you described was indicative of that person having a "mental illness" so much as exhibiting anti-social behavior.

I know this is the internet and for all you know I could be a dog but this is HN and I assume that if I say that person suffered from schizophrenia you know I am not saying that lightly.

Now what more do you want ? A transcript of the conversation between his mother and the department director where she explained his meds were off and they had been waiting for their psychiatrist to adjust the dosage - if that was possible, because she was contemplating to temporary force him to get into a psychiatric hospital ? A YouTube video of how he told me the friction between us was from the bad energy coming from electrical outlets and that the Koreans had taken advantage of him while he was sleeping to replace his heart with a nuclear missile so that we would fight but now it's okay because we are on the same side ? A testimony of another party about the damage he did to a wall with his fist while holding him close to his other fist and screaming "your pal was this close to get it" ? An audio copy of the message I left on my SO voicemail telling her that during the interview at a police station for an IT position they asked me what those fraud computer charges were about (yeah, nice way to find out...) ? A screenshot of the newspaper I was reading on my laptop at that time, it had a picture of something that reminded him of his sister or her wedding and he concluded I had hacked his computer or his sister's computer to get those photos ?

A written note from his doctor ? A wikipedia entry to cancel <citation needed> card ? Bordel.

Now, don't get me wrong. Schizophrenia doesn't define these people. They are human beings, I value them as much as the next one. But with a bad diagnostic and treatment or during a crisis ? They can get hard to relate with.

On a personal note: it's a bit worse for me since I tend to consider myself a good listener and too much empathic for my own good. It doesn't mix well with people in that state. But you'll get no data points for that.

[50656E6973]

That's much more indicative.

>if I say that person suffered from schizophrenia you know I am not saying that lightly.

Unfortunately, it is very common (even on HN) for people to toss around labels like "crazy", "nutjob", and "schizo" against people they disagree with because it exempts oneself from the burden of empathizing, introspecting, and thinking deeper.

[watwut]

That person was supposed to be schizofrenic which makes me assume there was diagnozes. The rest of anti-social behavior he describes is behavior schizofrenic have when their condition is bad. The impact on those around them is very real.

[coldtea]

At the extremes, the two are not really different categories of things. It's not like a sociopath is just an emo teen...