mental illness has always been hidden or put on the back burner, so to speak; mentally ill family members were hidden in the basements or attics, or left in some asylum somewhere where they could be hidden and forgotten about, so society as a whole just didn't realize that mentally ill people really existed

now, it's coming out more and more that mental illness DOES occur, and that those of us who have it are real people, and we're not just "bad seeds" or "black sheep,' or whatever--but I think the human race is still so used to believing that it all comes down to a morality issue that people freak out when faced with it in real life