Despite the fact that men­tal ill­ness touch­es so many of us, peo­ple often dis­card, abuse, and demean the men­tal­ly ill. It’s okay to break your ankle, but not to grap­ple with men­tal prob­lems. And so, peo­ple are shunned, rather than embraced and sup­port­ed. A ter­ri­ble idea and social practice.