i hear a lot of stuff like “having BPD is an explanation not an excuse for hurting someone” but i genuinely don’t understand how something can be an explanation without being an excuse?
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This is a very American thing.
The US has, over the last 70 years, rejected the notion of mental illnesses being able to change the mental processes of a human almost completely. It is assumed that whatever happens in someone’s brain, any person at any time is completely rational and intentional in their decisions.
This goes so far in some places that even reflexive movements (like leaning away when someone gets close to you or swings at your face) are ruled conscious decisions and can land you in prison (resisting arrest).
While it is easy to see how bodily issues affect the movements of a person, for things in the brain and mind (those two are different, too), it is not. That’s not a reason for the shift in opinion, just the mechanism that allows it.
As far as I’m aware, there is no good research into why this has happened in the US, but it is most likely an effect with a hundred small causes. For one, the desire for punishment seems to be the major drive behind many aspects of the American laws and legal system. On the other hand, there seems to be a deep-rooted angst to be locked away for wrongly being deemed insane rooted in something like that happening in the 50s and 60s. One could even accuse pop culture, e.g. Batman’s villains all being ruled insane and being put into Arkham Asylum instead of a prison. Or the trope about pleading temporary insanity to avoid consequences for crimes.
But it all boils down to one thing: If you stumble and run into someone because of a broken leg, it’s an accident. If you do the same thing because of a mental illness, it’s assault and battery.
Again, this is how it is in the US. It’s very different in other countries.
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