Mental Illness Your Views

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I have just replied to a discussion about mental illness and it sparked a question I wanted to ask. Do you think people with mental illness or mad or crazy? Do you still think there is this stereotypical view of what type of people have mental illness? What is your view? I have included my story below for those who want to read it but, the questions above are what I want to ask. I have schizoid affective disorder and it affects me in different ways. I'm a mother of a 2 year old daughter and a wife. I hear things and see things. I have to be on meds probably for the rest of my life. I've come to accept that because if I didn't take them then I would not be as well as I am now. My husband has stood by me. Even the times when I used to self harm. Even the times when I was admitted to mental hospital. Even when I was verbally aggressive to him he stood by me. He has stood by me through thick and thin and is employed as my carer. I am on meds I still have other problems and get my lows and highs. There is no cure for the condition I have its like a double whammy because it is schizophrenia and bipolar rolled into one. I have been in and out of mental hospital. Not for the last 4 years, but I have been sectioned before. I used to try and take my clothes off in the street. I thought people were picking fights with me. I lost touch with reality and didn't know where I was or what was happening. I got so low I tried to take my life on several occassions. I used to cut my arms with razors. I once swallowed hair shampoo because it was the only thing available of the mental ward that would cause me harm. I used to write secret messages on the wall thinking I was solving maths exams. I used to see faces in the chairs and would try to burn myself with a lighter. Needless to say I have trained to level 3 counselling and started level 4, but it was a bit too much. I still have 5 GCSE's and a btec national diploma in performing arts. I also have qualifications in health and social care. I class myself as a very intelligent person with problems. Mental illness is just like any other physical health problems only thing is you cannot see it the same way you can with physical problems and people do not understand the same. Had I not been raped at the age of 8, been bullied all through primary and secondary school when people asked me when the baby was due because I was raped who knows what I might have been like? If I had not had half the things that happened to me like losing my best friend when I was 18 she was only 31. I also started on the slippery slope of alcoholism. I got drawn into spiritualism and witch craft that messed my head up. I was put in a wheel chair due to physical health problems. I have been raped and abused by men most of my life until I found a man who truly loved me for me. I've been mugged a few times too. I cannot go into all the details of everything. Who knows if this hadn't happened would I be ill? I don't know.