Mental illness is a story, indeed. One in five people in the United States suffers from a mental illness, meaning that nearly everyone knows someone with a mental illness -- even if you, or they, do not know it. Sister, brother, cousin, or a best friend's mother? It's out there, often undiagnosed. Mental illness is bound to stigma so solidly that it can happen that parents will disown their child because he or she is ill. But recovery can be achieved with proper support: loving, constant support, professional care, good self-care, and a variety of treatment modalities. Learn all you can, whoever you are. Join support groups. Love, no matter what.