Reply #13: I've had good success dealing with the truly ill [View All]

[Warpy]

simply by telling the truth. When a schizophrenic patient has cautioned me to watch out for one of his/her hallucinations, I've just asked them to tell me where they are so I can avoid them because "You know I can't see them."

I do take the same approach when confronting another person's sexual orientation, religion, choice of a love affair partner, or fight with the same. I don't figure understanding what's going on is my job. My job is just to acknowledge that it exists for them even as it doesn't for me and to move on.

Most of the time, it's enough. However, if someone is dedicated to being a pain in the ass about any of the above, s/he will have to do it without my company.