its a good question, i have many friends who have or have had depression so i surround myself with people who understand and they do help me through a low phase.i have had a tendency to only have friends who have depression or m/h problems i see this now as a big mistake the more open i am to people ,not all as some would exploit this ,but i find having a mental illness has given me great sensistivity so i select folk i want to know ,if they are scared of me thinking they'll catch it then who needs them anyway.!i found the folk ive told are supportive and helpful, but most say they just don't understand it, i think there is a lot of truth in that. the more education is made and the knowledge of how much suffering is involved can more highlight mental illnesses and having mental illness teaches me to be human

today i make an urgent plea to this nation.do not neglect your sick and elderly do not turn away from the handicapped and dying.do not push them to the margins of society.for if you do,you will fail to understand that they represent an important truth.the sick,elderly,the handicapped and the dying teach us that weakness is a creative part of human living,and that suffering can be embraced with no loss of dignity.without the presence of these people in your midst you might be tempted to think of health,strength and power as the only important values to be pursued in life.but the wisdom of christ and the power of christ are to be seen in the weakness of those who share his sufferings ' john paul II

apologies to non believers but i think he hit the nail on the head