The stigma attached to mental illness can often make living with and treatment of a mental disorder difficult. When a stigma of mental illness is attached to a person his or her family may treat them differently, and when talking to friends and acquaintances many talk about an individual as suffering from a disorder. This creates a stigma and a person with a mental disorder may have trouble coping.

At other times the disorder is controlling the person's life, and stigma or not the reality of the situation is the person possesses a serious mental disorder. So when does a stigma become a nuisance, and when does the disorder and not the stigma take over the person's life?

Mental Illness: Stigma or Reality will discuss different disorders and laws, as well as treatment of the mentally ill during earlier time periods. Decide for yourself when a stigma is a potential drawback or concern for the mental health of a person with a legitimate disorder.