Throughout the years mental illnesses have been perceived as evil, insane, or even demonistic. The misunderstanding of what mental illnesses really are and what it means to have a one has caused the topic to not be talked about for the most part. In doing so, it has created a long line of stigma associated with having a disorder that sets one apart from the rest of society. The stigma of having a mental disorder can cause those who have one to feel shame, guilt and ultimately not tell anyone that they suffer from one. Because of this, many people don’t get treatment for their illness, for fear they will be seen as having the negative characteristics that are usually linked to the mentally ill. 
	There are two main misconceptions that the general public has against persons with mental illnesses. The first is that everyone with a mental illness is “crazy” or insane. For most people the terms “insanity” and “mentally ill” go hand in hand. Insanity is when someone has totally lost touch with reality and cannot distinguish between what is real and what is not. Though a small percentage of the mentally ill could be considered this way, most people with mental disorders are in touch with reality and can function in everyday life. The second misconception is that the mentally ill are prone to violence and are more dangerous than people who are not ill. This is only true for a small number of the mentally ill, and does not characterize all mental disorders.
The misunderstandings and stigma is partly created by the media. When most people hear of someone that has a mental disorder on the news, it is usually about the violence or misconduct the person has exhibited. The media never tells of someone who overcame the difficulties of their mental illness to become successful. Even if someone who was successful did have such an illness, the media would never link the success of one and a mental disorder together. The media not publishing the good stories of the mentally ill could be because of the stigma that follows such disorders. In doing so, the achievements of those with disorders are never brought to light, which causes more misconception and therefore a negative view of mental illnesses. It can be thought of as a cycle with no one wanting to talk favorably of the mentally ill because of stigma, causing only negative views to be seen and therefore adding to the stigma of mental illness.
I am interested in studying the stigma of mental disorders because of my family history of such illnesses. I have found that even within a family, the stigma of mental illness can cause the illness to not be talked about. Stigma can even stop a family from getting help for the member of the family with a disorder. This can simply be because they don’t want others to know of such a “terrible” thing happening to their family. Because mental illness are thought of as “terrible” in society, it warps how most of the general public sees people with disorders. My goal in life is to show that the negative views most people have about mental illnesses are wrong. The reason for doing this paper is partly to see just what the misconceptions are, so I can clarify them to people as I come into contact with them.  
