And The A.S.S. Award Goes To…Toothpaste For Dinner

I enjoy a good dose of mental health humor from time to time. As long as it doesn’t make fun of, abuse, or otherwise degrade people with mental illness and promote stigma, I think it’s healthy to laugh at ourselves sometimes.

I’m sure my feelings play a big role in why I heart Chato’s efforts at Mental Health Humor so much.

However, this borderline personality disorder cartoon at Toothpaste For Dinner doesn’t sit well with me.

The t-shirt in the cartoon reads:

Front:
ASK ME ABOUT BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER

Back:
OR I SWEAR TO GOD I’LL KILL MYSELF

I’m not an expert on borderline personality disorder (actually, I’m not an expert on any mental illness – I’m just your average consumer going through and researching the same experiences and resources as you). I have a working knowledge of the disorder, but I couldn’t understand the suicide reference in the cartoon.

So, I turned to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) as I’ve done so many times before, looked for their section on borderline personality disorder, and found:

There is a high rate of self-injury without suicide intent, as well as a significant rate of suicide attempts and completed suicide in severe cases.

Suicide threats and attempts may occur along with anger at perceived abandonment and disappointments.

So, the words on the t-shirt in the cartoon now make sense to me, but this new understanding didn’t launch a giggle fest.

There’s a fine line between offensive and humorous when it comes to mental health cartoons and jokes. Some people manage not to cross that line, and for that I’m truly grateful, because, hey, we all need a laugh sometimes.

However, there is nothing funny about any aspect of suicide – talking about it, thinking about it, threatening to do it, or completing it. Nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Suicide is always a serious matter. If someone is contemplating or attempts suicide, he or she is going through some pretty heavy stuff. If someone actually completes a suicide, he or she will never come back.

The person will never get a chance to change his or her mind, and the family members, friends, and other loved ones are left to deal with that forever.

What the hell is funny about any of that?

So, to you, Toothpaste For Dinner cartoonist: I’ve viewed, and enjoyed, most of your cartoons for a couple of years now. I’ve been a semi-faithful visitor to your site, and even laughed at your anxiety cartoon. But your borderline personality disorder cartoon is tasteless, offensive, and inconsiderate.

Shame on you, and you get an A.S.S. Award.

For those who would like to learn more about borderline personality disorder, I recommend checking out:

• The NIMH’s Borderline Personality Disorder Fact Sheet
• NAMI’s page on Borderline Personality Disorder
• The Mayo Clinic’s section on Borderline Personality Disorder
• BPD Central
• BPD World
• Borderline Personality Disorder Resource Center

Image: Mine