Not too long ago, people in the U.S. were still being institutionalized and sent to asylums and prisons for mental illnesses. Is this an acceptable treatment for people with mental illness? Mental illness is different for everyone, even in cases where people may have the same diagnosis. There are various treatments and practices that are used to treat people with mental illness.

The media has portrayed mental illness as a trend: as disturbing, weird, and so much more. We see glorified examples of asylums and institutions and some of the extreme practices that used to be used in current movies and T.V. shows (i.e. American Horror Story). Although it makes an eerie and fantastic theme, why are we obsessed with the idea?

There have been times where it has been considered inappropriate and uncomfortable to talk about mental illness or even acknowledge mental illness, but now it seems to be fixated on. It has become somewhat of a trend in some cases. It is a very complicated and personal thing, which makes it a touchy subject. People can become very offended at the smallest jest regarding mental illness, yet we still see companies making merchandise and shows and movies revolving around it.

There are a myriad of mental illnesses and there isn't actually a cure for them, just treatments. How do you know if a person is faking? You don't. There are so many unanswered questions about it, no matter how much we think we know about it, we are still very much in the dark when it comes to mental illness. But haven't you heard? "We're all mad here."