That must be so frustrating. I've had people telling me things like I just don't have enough confidence in myself, I just don't get out enough, etc., (which both are true, but they are RESULTS of my illness-not the reasons for it). It's embarrassing too, because I don't WANT to be sick, but I feel like I have to yell at people and say that I AM!

jimi, I understand what you mean about the phobia part. I think something similar is going on with my sister. She swears up and down that schizophrenia does NOT exist, and if you do have it, you are either lying about it, or demon possessed. Well, her oldest son has it, and I've always got the feeling that she thinks that if she admits it, she may have to question herself. She's always talking about what a liar he is, he's milking the system, he's just disobediant to God, etc. She's also one of the ones that preaches to me about just having more self confidence; she and her husband were my legal guardians for a couple of years, and to this day, she swears up and down that my only problem was that I was "rebellious," and they still insist they did nothing wrong while I was living with them.