[Rudey]

Originally posted by sugar and spice
Well, there are some physical illnesses that can affect those that deal with the sick person on a daily basis . . . and mental illnesses that are well-controlled may affect others very little.

In general, though, I don't think it's that strange that people make jokes about mental illness -- people make jokes about things that make them uncomfortable, and mental illness makes most people uncomfortable. I think one of the major problems is that, as a whole, we understand physical illness much better than we understand mental illness. I mean, you take diabetes versus schizophrenia . . . And especially because there is a much larger emotional aspect when it comes to dealing with those with mental illnesses, I think that makes them especially hard to deal with. You take somebody who's got cancer, and most people will understand if they're in a bad mood one day. You can't say the same about somebody who's suffering from severe depression.

Aren't the physical illnesses you brought up really affecting others through mental illnesses?

-Rudey