Looking back on the history of the psychiatric profession (in the office, on the couch approach), one can see that even though we think we have come a long way with this illness treatments have actually digressed or been at a standstill. The treatments of yesteryear consisted of actual talk therapy and then followed with a presciption for meds, if needed. Today it's much easier and less time-consuming for doctors to simply write a prescription as a cure-all. Doctors are busy and operate on an assembly-line type of schedule. "Time is money."

With most other diseases there are prescriptions and operations as well as a myriad of other procedures and treatments. The human brain is a complex organ that still baffles medical science.

With mental illness your friends are required to sit and be a little more patient. Many people back off because they feel they don't have the time or their own patience to give to you. I've often heard this from people suffering with depression and bipolar illnesses. They lack friends. This makes a person feel even more alone and makes them question why this is so. It is our "busy" society that makes people impatient. Every time someone brushes you off it isn't because you repel them. It's the fast-paced society we live in that tells them they don't have the time to invest. That's sad but it's another hurdle for people suffering with mental illness to have to deal with. They become isolated. People all need someone to pour out their hearts to from time to time. It's what helps us cope, someone who can say, "I've been there, I know what you're going through."

Unfortunately, that's what much of society doesn't grasp in dealing with mental illness. People simply need someone to talk to.