~Being friends with the Mentally Ill

At this point in my life, I'd have to say it has become clear to me that in order to be friends with someone who is mentally ill, you have to (somewhat) keep your distance while still showing them that you actually do care. That, and you have to have the patience of a saint.

Sometimes I think that the Institutional thing is needed in this country. The problem is that the abuse and degradation that goes along with it is not. It's rough. When your brain is broke, the options are stay in your house and manage the "You look fine" attitudes and "What do you do?" questions of people if you can manage to get out, or go to an asylum where your rights are taken away. Funny, people with broken legs don't have to deal with that. I guess that what it comes down to is that when people say they need help, it should be up to them to say what that help is, and if they don't know, it should (at least) be up to them to say what it isn't. Just because a person is mentally ill doesn't mean that they're an idiot, or an infant. Help should be offered, not inflicted. With the right help, one mentally ill person could be capable of curing Cancer or being your best friend. With "help" that is force fed, mentally ill people often either become statistics or create them.