I don't think people realize just how true the physical illness analogy is.

Having physical aspects to a disorder still does not dismiss responsibility. People who do not take care of their physical health are far more likely to develop a physical disease. People who do not take actions to improve their health once they have an illness will not become better. Medicating a physical disease may be necessary but it will not substitute positive actions towards physical health.

Physical diseases can be genetically influenced. They can occur to healthy individuals. This is also much like mental illnesses. But you still have a responsibility to take care of yourself.

I know two sisters in their 20's who are very obese. I know that they seem to have a genetic predisposition to their problems. One I know has heart issues abound, sleep apnea, and had ovarian cysts. She posts about these all the time on Facebook. Whether or not these are a result of their weight or a causitive factor I do not know. However, I also know from their facebook posts that they continually fail at taking control of their physical health habits. They can't stick to a diet or a health regimen. I know that their condition represents a struggle that I could not imagine, and if taking care of their health was as easy as it was for most others then they would never have reached the state they were in.

I hate saying all that because I know that one of the sisters is a sweet heart who I simply can't bear saying anything rude about. However, the husband of that sister has joined a medieval reenactment group that I am apart of, and he has used his activity in this society as a motivation and means to lose a lot of weight. We participate in a form of unchoreographed 'fighting' involving armor and heavy hitting with rattan. It is physically intense. He used to pant, heave, and often quit earlier than the rest of us during fight practices. His diabetes and asthma made the physical effort more strenuous than for the rest of us. YET, he returned every weekend! He has also been regularly walking. He has lost weight and seems to be doing better. He has continually been replacing his armor kit for a newer, slimmer one.

We can't hammer the blame for our illnesses on ourselves, but our responsibility can always help alleviate the conditions. Being a 'physical' illness doesn't excuse everyone.