We in America no longer lock away people with mental illness or intellectual disabilities as routinely as we once did, unless their impairments are profound or they’re considered a danger to themselves or others.
People with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessions and severe anxiety or depression now often live in group homes, with their parents, or sadly, in many cases, on the street. They are among us, and sometimes we find them unsettling, strange, and even a little scary.
So people with mental illness must struggle not only with their impairments and demons, but also with the stigma of being different. They’re watched and studied and counseled. And rarely do they find a place, as other Americans can, to just be themselves, to get together and hang out wi
