Should mental illness be excused for bad behavior?

[Cherrylicious]

Every time I hear stories about someone doing extremely horrific things and displaying very bad Behavioral qualities, they always go back to their childhood trauma and how they were abused, beaten, molested or mistreated in any type of way and they tend to justify their behavior by blaming "mental illness" for everything that they do wrong even if it's something that's not as serious I'll give some examples.

Bullied victim: "I was bullied and teased as a child so that's why I beat up and bully people".

Victim of molestation: I was molested and raped as a child so that's why I hurt other children.

A person going experience depression: "I have ADHD and I am very depressed and a lot of things are going on of my life that's why I don't want to do anything and that is the reason why I'm lazy and that is why I treat people the way that I do because my ex-girlfriend and my friends have done me wrong etc"

I personally have never experienced having any sort of mental illness/disorder nor experienced any sort of heartbreaking trauma that have enabled me to react in a certain way as a result of treating others a certain way and behaving a certain way however, I don't believe personally that there is no excuse for people to be acting a certain way even if they have experienced certain things and should not be used as an excuse. But that's just my opinion.

[ChillaxingLove]

Be aware some people use it as a legal excuse to get out of things, but I’ve seen actually mentally sick people and they are very dangerous sometimes.

My Mom who is a professional social worker told me a story of an adult daughter taking care of her mentally sick mother and my Mom highly suggested that the daughters’ mother be put in medical care and not taken home. The daughter did not listen and was later reported being stabbed to death in the news. Mental sickness is real and in real cases isn’t a fake lame excuse. A lot of them are homeless people.

[ShadezMcgee]

Mental illness should not be used or tolerated as a front to be excused for poor behavior. As someone who deals with anxiety and depression, it can be hard to reign it in, but it doesn't excuse me for being an asshole at times and nor do I use it as an excuse.

I will agree with people on it when they call me out on the times it gets bad. Point is, mental illness should not be exploited for certain behaviors.

Depending on the mental issue it may have some leeway, but not a complete pass.

[weysally]

there are some times when it can be an excuse, but most come down to teaching, like in the film karate kid, it says the teacher says the pupil do,

[welcomemen]

I think people who do that are pathetic. I have been through some tough and sad moments in my life and still have zero criminal record.

[Derekk]

Mental illness is never an excuse for poor behaviour unless you are literally unable to comprehend how you're acting. Some people with schizophrenia or who are institutionally dangerous? They have an excuse, but they should also be locked away from society.

[BagoH]

The moment someone uses their mental illnesses as a means of justification of their bad behavior is the moment you hit em in the head with the 'HELL NO NOT GONNA ALLOW THAT ' hammer. Everybody is fully responsible for their actions , feelings and thoughts. As an adult you're responsible for controlling your behavior , you're responsible for healing your old wounds and becoming a better YOU. The sooner one acknowledges this the quicker they'll heal and become a better version.

[OddBeMe]

Very few crimes are excused for mental illness. Choices are made no matter what.

We are finding issues with brain damage and people’s inability for impulse control or anger management. But again, we can’t really stray from “They made a decision to break the law.” Convict and treatment.

[Guardian45]

Whereas I understand your need to see justice be served for crimes committed, criminologists and psychologists want to understand what motivates or precipitates criminal behavior.

Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, personal history can explain or predict some crimes. For example, someone who is ND disassociating and disconnected from reality, can do things that they might never do otherwise. Imagine someone with PTSD reliving a wartime experience as if it was reality.