The cost of transparency: Living with schizoaffective disorder in tech
13 days ago
- #discrimination
- #schizoaffective-disorder
- #mental-health
- The author discusses the systematic exclusion faced by individuals with schizoaffective disorder in professional, healthcare, and personal settings.
- Despite initial enthusiasm for their technical contributions, workplaces often push them out once their mental health condition becomes visible.
- Healthcare providers frequently treat individuals with schizoaffective disorder with fear and condescension, undermining their agency in their own care.
- The Python community, which benefits from the author's contributions, has ostracized them after their mental health disclosure.
- Personal relationships often deteriorate when friends or partners learn about the author's condition, leading to isolation.
- People with schizoaffective disorder face life-and-death consequences, including reduced life expectancy and higher rates of homelessness.
- The discrimination stems from fear and stigma, particularly around psychosis, which makes others uncomfortable.
- The author highlights the impossible choice between living authentically and facing exclusion or remaining silent and suffering in isolation.
- Real inclusion requires healthcare partnerships, workplace accommodations, community acceptance, and personal understanding.
- The author resolves to continue advocating openly, refusing to accept a world where people with schizoaffective disorder are expected to remain invisible.