Why is mental illness seen as a weakness?

So many people look down on people with mental illnesses. I know that if it's severe enough it's a disability. But society looks at people suffering as though they should toughen up. People are under the impession that they're putting on an act for attention. My mother suffered from Mental Ilness for 17 years. It is no picnic, and I can't imagine anyone suffering needlessly.
Answer:
It is true, people with mental illnesses are looked down upon. I think our society needs to be more educated when it comes to mental illnesses. They don't look at it like they do other diseases. I don't even know if some people realize that it is a disease.

I sometimes wish my own family would be more educated. When I was first diagnosed with depression, someone asked me, "do you REALLY think you need to take medicine?" Someone else told me just to deal with it. Someone else told me to do something about it. So when I did go for help, this person still wasn't satisfied! I got to the point where I was suicidal, then they finally understood that something was really wrong! It's been a almost a year since that happened, and most of them are more understanding about it. There are some that I don't talk to about it, but that's my choice.

It is no picnic. I don't think anyone would ever pretend to have a mental illness to get attention. It's the most difficult thing to deal with, and I wouldn't even wish it upon my worst enemy!

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I think people don't understand as it is not visible like bleeding or a broken bone. Also insanity is an easy way to make a character a villain or evil in movies. Attitudes are changing, but slowly.

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although i totally disagree with viewing it as a weakness, i can understand how it feels to be living with severly depressed family members. from my own experience, it was the frustration of wanting them to feel better or at least try to see things in the light that i was so they could ultimately be relieved in some fashion. there's plenty of reasons for people to feel bad, it's obvious. but there's also plenty of reasons for people to feel good, and when the bad overwhelms the good, they're shutting off that part of their brains. I'm not saying they're doing that INTENTIONALLY. Definitely NOT.
like you said it's no picnic. i'm with you on that. but humans are not perfect, and yes, you could in some ways see that as a weakness. but we all fall short in some way or another, so i'm not sure why having a weakness is viewed negatively. it's reality.

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I'm wondering whether those who consider mental illness a weakness do so out of fear of those who are different, which is based upon a lack of understanding.

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We all have mental illness in some sort of way or another. I would never say that it is a weakness but I would say that it is a fight every day for some people, trying to coupe with every day struggles, life situations, just being an adult is heavy hard sh*t. People that look down on people for anything are lacking a lot for themselves and that is why they feel as though they are better than someone else, who maybe in a valley in their life. Mentally illness can be conquered with the right touches, meds, counseling, supportive familes and friends, all really make those vallies turn into mountain tops

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Society is funny. It's hard to accept anything outside the scope of their understanding. Mental illness is everyone problems because it's mainly the ones who believe thier sane to be the crazy ones. Their afriad to admit their shortcomings.A person who is in denial are the dangerous ones. Were a society of last minute ie. something has to happen for change to occur instead of providing what's needed because it's the right thing to do, caring, housing, acceptance, food, universal medical care, empathy, help etc.

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People's track record on physical illness isn't much better, from leprosy to things modern people say about those with bad backs or fibromyalgia, many painful conditions, or addictions, as if that's always the addict's fault for ever having started down the road to addiction.

Some of that is fear. Some of that is how people love oneupsmanship to boost their own self-esteem. People like to pretend they control their lives. There's some truth to that, but many things can come along to show that is not the case, any sort of illness, accident, unemployment, death of a loved one, natural disaster, .

I hope people's attitude will improve as the genetics of personality and mental illness becomes clear later this century. Who knows? Maybe those who love too little will finally be looked down on as much as those who love too much. Or maybe it will be clear that everyone lives in a glass house.

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yes i aggree we get a bad press a tough time

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You make a very good point about people looking down on others that have mental illnesses. I believe that if someone has a mental illness that they're a lot better then me. They have to brave what people throw at them every day of their lives. And they have to overcome obstacles to do daily tasks that we take being able to do for granted. In my opinion having a mental illness makes you a stronger person.

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Seeing mental illness as a weakness varies from culture to culture(my opinion). Attitudes really need to start changing very quickly. I.E Virginia tech---- We need to stop ignoring the issues that we see when family members or friends start suffering. You wouldn't let a family member bleed to death or watch them suffer so ignoring the issue would be just like that the problem is getting them help that is something that needs to change.

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years ago people also looked down on the physically handicapped, now it has got much better... we can only hope the same thing happens when people have more knowledge of mental illness

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