Thanks, Dotsie. Mental illness is like any other chronic disease--it's simply a challenge to take responsibility for ourselves and to be as well and whole as possible.

Brain diseases--depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar illness, schizophrenia, and even ADHD--are physical differences in the way the brain is wired. Families can support and encourage us (as they can with physiological illnesses like heart disease)--but family members can't take responsibility for their loved ones' behavior or their health.

For those with a family member struggling with mental illness, I suggest a book by Rebecca Woolis: When Someone You Love Has a Mental Illness. It's a great guide to understanding the particulars of different disorders, and a handbook for setting boundaries and establishing a family life in which isn't defined by any disease.

When someone has heart disease, they don't usually say, "I'm a heart-diseased person." They say, "I'm a person with a health challenge."

It's really that way, too, with people with mental illness and their families. We don't let the illness define who we are.