Brave post.  Thanks, TillyTrillium.  

I've had mental illness within my family, too. Escape from it (and treatment for it) was a long, arduous, painful journey, mainly because of my fear. Some of the fear was actually quite rational: people simply wouldn't believe me that the person in question was "mentally ill" (manic depressive schizophrenic was the eventual diagnosis.)...surely I was overstating the case.  Quote from another family member: "Well, we knew [the person] had trouble with nerves..."