Hey so I randomly thought of how stigmatized a particular group of mental illnesses still are, even in the community of people who go "we're accepting of mental illness ❤️". That group being Cluster B personality disorders. It's honestly really irritating sometimes when I think about it, especially because I do have family members that are in the Cluster B community, even if I'm not myself (at least, my therapist hasn't brought it up to me and I have no reason to suspect I am). It's genuinely so hard to find information on Cluster B disorders that either isn't a medical paper filled with confusing terminology, includes pop psychology terminology, or doesn't stigmatize the community further, that I sometimes feel like I don't even know my family members well enough to support them through their struggles. Which is DEPRESSING AF to think about.
I just want to let my followers and any who see this post know that this blog is accepting and actively trying to learn the TRUTHS about Cluster B disorders, especially from the people who have them. I may mess up from time to time and say something stupid, but it's not from malice or hatred, just me genuinely not knowing. It especially doesn't help that it's so stigmatized and pop psychology terminology is unfortunately a thing, one so common I've found many websites that claim to be made by psychologists using these terms despite them not being officially recognized or made to grift people. As much as I may be accepting, I wouldn't be a safe space if I wasn't willing to learn about the people I want to provide a safe space for. And luckily, I've always been a curious person, so I'm more than willing.
If I ever do say something, don't be afraid to correct me, since I'm always willing to learn from mistakes and learn about other people (in fact I'm sure I've messed up a few times already, just statistically with how common those people psych terms are I'm bound to have mistaken one as being real..). I just don't actively ask people because I don't want to be someone who's going around asking too personal questions on accident. Going around and asking people about their mental or physical health isn't the best way to make someone feel safe, but so many people seem to think it is for some reason. So here's my invitation to correct me if you feel comfortable doing so, I'll be happy to hear from you!
If anybody who doesn't have a Cluster B personality disorder but are accepting and open to learning more about people who do want to, you can reblog this post.
I'm not usually one of those people who make posts saying "reblog this post if [blank]" since I know I'd feel like I'm reblog baiting, so I'm not going to word it like that. However, I genuinely do want people to find their safe spaces and for others to learn how they can make their blogs feel safe by actually listening to people in the Cluster B community and not articles that may, unintentionally or not, stigmatize them. I feel it's important for people to be able to feel safe with a good variety of people regardless of their mental or physical health status, but it's also good to let people know if you're a safe space for them but aren't a part of their community, in case they have had bad experiences and aren't ready or don't feel comfortable interacting yet.
