[yankeedame]

With all due respect the condition of your younger son should be labeled as a medical condition of the brain, and treated as such; as one might treat a medical condition of the liver, the kidney, etc.

Frankly, state hospitals should be reopened and updated to take care of those whose conditions defy current out-patient treatment. Nothing shocking -- or disgraceful -- about this. The same takes place in and with nursing homes for those with more conventional medical disabilities. Again, I emphasis that it should be treated as a medical disability of the brain.

Unfortunately the term "mental illness" is a large, and growing larger, blanket used to cover a multitude of emotion based self DX "conditions". And there lies its greatest venerability -- if you have your gall bladder taken out it can only be claimed against the companies insurance once, but when you can claim a "nervous breakdown" time after time after time then the door to fraud has swung wide open.

[JaguarXKE]

With all due respect the condition of your younger son should be labeled as a medical condition of the brain, and treated as such;

I agree! and that's my point! Many mental illnesses (Bi-Polar, schizophrenia, etc.) are in fact very real physical brain disorders that are called "mental illness" and are not afforded the same consideration as so-called "real" illnesses.

Unfortunately the term "mental illness" is a large, and growing larger, blanket used to cover a multitude of emotion based self DX "conditions".

I agree and that is a problem.