re: Do you think people with down syndrome are unfortunate?

People with Down syndrome have a higher tendency for a lot of different medical problems, and have a life expectancy more than a decade less than people without. Then there's the whole never being able to care for yourself completely stuff and being an extra burden on your family that they may not be able to bear. I know that may sound cruel, but the attention that they require is extensive and breaks many people.

On a personal level, they probably aren't just "incredibly joyful and seemingly care free" all the time. That is probably just a part that you have seen in very limited exposure. There are emotional development issues that come with the territory of mental disorders that include things like anxiety and depression. Individuals will obviously vary, but imagine a person with Downs who is high functioning enough to understand that he is disabled and will never be able to live a fully functional life like the people who he sees around him. Doesn't that sound horrible and frustrating?

All that sounds pretty defeatist though. Downs people have still have great lives with great accomplishments in their own way, but it is definitely an extra burden in my opinion. I guess who knows though. I do have a severely mentally handicapped cousin from a different genetic disorder who my uncle has said is the only one of his children who probably is truly happy, so what the frick do I know.