What I would like to add is that mental illness and behavioral disorders are largely misunderstood in the United States. Personally, mental illness is to me the same as any other disease. It can be treated and it can be controlled It requires not only the intervention of a skilled mental health professional, but also the willingness of the patient to admit that there is, in fact, a problem, and it requires that the patient has a support group of family and friends who are there to offer love and support during treatment and throughout life.
Mood disorders, behavioral disorders, mental illness, and other types of disorders that affect decision making, attention, social interaction, and intimate relationships are becoming more commonplace in our society. To say that autism and ad/hd will have an affect on a marriage is an understatement. This truth can be applied to any of the other disorders/illnesses aforementioned. Problems can and will occur if the disorder or illness is never diagnosed or acknowledged, if the non-afflicted spouse refuses to accept that there is a problem that needs to be addressed or is impatient and refuses to understand, or if the spouse who suffers from it refuses to take responsibility for treatment and continued care.
In the United States, our prisons and our streets our filled with people who suffer from mental illness in one form or another. Schizophrenics are especially vulnerable because the illness affects perception and executive functioning. It's difficult to convince someone they need help if they're already suspicious of you from the get-go. Solving the mental health crisis in America begins at home. It involves recognition, acceptance, and action. It means that families have a responsibility to work together to deal with the situation, and that the individual who has the disorder is not alone on their journey to a healthier life.
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