How do you grasp mental illness?

Question

how do you react to mentally ill people?

why does it have so much stigma?

Answer 1

People fear what they don't know.  In addition, it doesn't help any that every time something happens our U.S. media is quick to point out that the person has "xyz" and it is usually some sort of mental illness, whether the person had schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder or whatever!  (The kids from Columbine, the guy who has been blamed for the 2001 anthrax mailings, etc.)  Then we get movies of the week that show the sociopaths of the world and again these are the people that most of society thinks of when they think about the mentally ill.  

Most of society fails to realize that 2 out of every 10 people have a mental illness and they probably know someone with an illness and don't even realize it!  Still, we fear the unknown and if someone doesn't understand and know about someone else's mental illness they will be afraid.  People fear other characteristics they don't understand -- like race, ethnicity, religion, why wouldn't they fear illness?  It is a sad commentary on our "great society" that we can't get past these things, but we haven't yet.

In answer to your addition to say mental illness does not exist that it is all variations of normal, basically, I cannot accept because that would mean sociopathy is normal and I refuse to accept that.  Sociopaths are not within the bell curve of normal, they just are not to me.  Perhpas other mental illnesses could be within certain standard deviations of normal, but so are other illnesses -- they still need to be treated to return the body to a healthy state, as do mental illnesses.  You can live with a broken leg and let it heal by itself, but having it set is safer and it heals better.  Why not have it set?  Why not be treated for mental illness?

Answer 2

I'm okay with most mentally ill ppl, but that might be because I'm one of "them."

Ppl don't like ppl who are different be it race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, way of life, behavior.  Something is programmed into us to call different unsafe.  Once ppl become familiar with others, then the unsafeness goes away as does the stigma, etc.  Unfortunately, mental illness is way behind all the other "protected classes" when it comes to equality and equal treatment, and part of that is because most with mental illnesses don't feel safe going public about them.

Answer 3

Having a mental illness is like having a physical illness.  You just respect people regardless of any physical/mental sickness they have.