On another forum it’s dawned on me that someone I occasionally interact with may have some fairly serious mental health issues. She is extremely intelligent, but may even be schizophrenic or something. I don’t know, maybe I’ve got the wrong disease. Anyway, it’s caught me by surprise.
Any advice on how to help? Just be nice and know that’s really all I can do? She promotes some very unhealthy ideas, so I feel some sense of responsibility not just for her, but for those she may be negatively affecting. I feel quite sad and powerless…
Be of good humor and supportive even in disagreement of the ideas that you think are bad. Gently suggest what you believe are good ideas that would compensate for the bad. Be honest but certainly not judgmental. Other than that, diagnosing and treating ailments of that nature is not your field of expertise, especially online. Armchair presumptuous guesswork is as likely to do as much harm as good, such as talking about it behind her back thinking that she won’t know or suspect and even inadvertently causing the wrong “she” to believe you are talking about her. It isn’t something to play with. If you have contacts in the field who you respect, perhaps suggest them to her… privately. Your safe options are very limited.
In short, be nice and sincere, but leave it alone.
I am not sure about your background, profession or training. But…
Firstly, learn about the illness and learn about the appropriate language regarding the illness.
Secondly, research the recovery model of mental health (especially the elements of recovery)
This is a start http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recovery_approach
Then, thirdly, accept that: you are not in a position to diagnose, you are powerless to help, and possibility she may not want your help (online is not the appropriate forum for this).
Finally, treat her like you would anyone else — with kindness, with compassion, and engage in appropriate conversations.
If you’ve only known her for a short period of time and only “occasionally” interact with her, anon, I would keep things just as simple as you can. Unless she’s actually become a really good friend of yours and you and her have become non-sexually intimate/close, and you trust one another a great deal, (which is not the way you portray the acquaintance) why would you feel a sense of responsibility for her or even for those she may negatively affect?
That may sound cruel but remember that “hell is paved with good intentions”. Compassion is a great thing but unless you know for a fact that you can help her and not make things worst and not open pandora’s box, my perspective is that I think it’s best to just continue to be present to her in a casual way. Perhaps the fact that you feel sad and powerless shows that you may be beginning to invest more energy and thought in her than might be a good thing. Sometimes we reach out for ‘causes’ within our lives but we also have to ask ourselves: “Whose cause are we really reaching out for” ? I don’t mean to offend, anon, only to give you something to think about. You did ask. lol
It seems to me responding to the ideas with your own views is the best response. If you are truly worried about her mental Health you could PM her, but without any guesses as to her diagnosis. I Think the odds are low this will do any good in any direct causal sense, though it might be a good thing for you to do. But these are separate issues. Mentally healthy or at least not likely to be diagnosed people can have horrible ideas also, so I would focus on the ideas. She would be getting feedback about her mind’s productions which is feedback about her mind if you do this.