It makes me furious when people use stereotypes to describe people with mental illness. When Brian Williams called Ariel Castro "The Face of Mental Illness" I just lost it. It was never even proven that Castro was mentally ill. And even if he was, his illness goes so far beyond the norm that it just doesn't even make sense to say what Williams did. Irresponsible reporters like Williams just prolong and amplify the stigma of mental illness and it makes me angry. Most of the mentally ill people I've met are good people. They wouldn't hurt anyone else. Movies, the media, and the news are giving people a totally wrong impression about what mental illness actually is, and I have no idea what one person like me can do about it. Organizations like NAMI are trying to help, but they have almost no voice when compared to national news reporters and the like.

/rant