That's just trying desperately to give the benefit of the doubt. "Surely no one would be this bad on purpose."

As austenallred mentioned, I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.

But by linking mental illness to scumbag behaviour you're making life worse for all the people with mental illness who aren't scumbags - which is most of them.

A group that I am a member of. Perhaps I'm biased but I don't feel like my life is particularly worsened.

I've had the misfortune of bearing witness to paranoia fueled by both mental illness and drug abuse (and a combination of both). I've also worked with and for unapologetic assholes. There are things about this case and his communications that have me leaning toward the former.