Yes they can overcome indeed.
> But my experience with mental health is that it is, very often, a weakness. Remember, I’m not saying an individual is weak for failing to cope with mental illness, but that individuals are characterized by many strengths and weaknesses (socially constructed, yes, but real nonetheless, and mental health is surely a weakness.
To be honest most will never understand people with mental illnesses, even the closest ones. You have to have experienced such a struggle in order to understand them. Do you think broken arm a weakness? probably not same applies to mental illness, mental illnesses are mostly due issues in brain functioning, if not why drugs improve their symptoms.
So... how do you react when a coworker has a baby? Basically expect them to be weak, raving lunatics for the next 1 to 3 years?
Really hope you're not one of my coworkers.
> needless stigma
> ignorance…many consider it a ‘weakness’
I hear your point, I really do. But my experience with mental health is that it is, very often, a weakness. Remember, I’m not saying an individual is weak for failing to cope with mental illness, but that individuals are characterized by many strengths and weaknesses (socially constructed, yes, but real nonetheless, and mental health is surely a weakness. Somebody that couldn’t get any sleep Sunday night because of their issue isn’t going to bring a valuable, interesting, and diverse perspective to the workplace on Monday. They’ll seem like a raving lunatic, and even if this meeting can be moved to Tuesday, how is this not a weakness? The key to handling any weakness to understand it and compensate where you can. I worry that perspectives like yours trivialize the complexity of mental health awareness and accommodation.