If you have a mental illness you can't really be held responsible for the things you did when you weren't in control of yourself. Legally speaking this is true.

If you have a mental illness you can't really be held responsible for the things you did when you weren't in control of yourself. Legally speaking this is true. It should be true socially as well. "I screwed up, I was experiencing a paranoid delusion" should be enough. However, you can be held responsible for failing to manage your known mental illness. I've worked with several people who have mental illnesses. I don't hold a grudge against them for things they said and did when experiencing a paranoid delusion. I do hold them responsible for managing their illness in the future.