For me it's always been the opposite. By the 'professionals', I get nothing, because I look too 'functioning' to be worthy of help. The times that I've gone to the emergency room suicidal, they've sent me home. One time I was in there with homicidal AND suicidal thoughts and same thing. The guy made fun of me and then sent me home. This after three different interviews to see what was 'going on' with me.
However, because I'm on disability I have been overlooked for housing and I am just barely able to cover my basic needs. When people find out I'm on disability I'm scorned. People ask me an array of insulting questions because I don't 'look' sick. I think it's bull **** how anyone with mental illness gets treated in the system and in daily life, whether it's outright physical and sexual violence, as some of you have mentioned; forced incarceration for minor altercations, or fabricated ones; police mistreatment; falsified arrests; or the way the systems that are supposed to help us not only fail us, but treat us with scorn and derision.