Turtle, you are as human as the rest of us, no matter your title.

I was surprised to find many of my family and friends had personal experience with depression when I had no choice but to reach out for help. I also found my last 2 employers were sympathetic to me even though they had not had experience with MI. I know I was lucky there. I was not stigmatized or treated any differently after I told them about my affliction. I had even told the one that I was suicidal and he said I'd have my job back when I felt ready to return. (It's possible he didn't know what "suicidal meant)
In short, I found support and understanding where I never expected to. You can't tell by looking at a person if they have MI. But you can tell by how they treat you if you can ask them for help.