Here I was thinking the stigma surrounding mental illness was decreasing, but it seems the opposite is true. Now that you mention it, I have noticed it, and it is tragic. I mean, most people on this site are mentally ill and they're some of the nicest people I've met on the Internet.

Mental illness is a part of us, but it does not define who we are. People who suffer from a mental illness are no less complex than the rest of society. People who commit heinous crimes like murder, rape, etc. are certainly messed up, and they may be mentally ill, but I highly doubt that the mental illness is what leads them to commit such acts.

I'll use myself as an example of being messed up a few years back, but not mentally ill. A few years ago, I found the infamous "Yelling At Cats" video hilarious. It's basically a 2006 YouTube video where somebody screams verbal abuse at his cats for no reason. The worst offender is when he screams "YOU ARE A F**KING PIECE OF S**T! I'M GOING TO RAPE YOU!" I thought this was so funny back in the day, but now I don't find the video funny at all, and see it as a classic example of the cruelty of the Internet.

When will this end? When will people wake up and realise that mental illness does not cause people to commit heinous crimes, just as I woke up and realised that "Yelling At Cats" is not funny? The people here are so nice and kind, so why should they suffer from the stigma? It just is not fair, at all!