What is the general view of society about people with mental illnesses and/or disabilities?

I think it’s very different. It’s hard to have for example a child with mental illnesses. And I think that even if many people support this human and even if there is more acception then in earlier times it is really hard. There are still many people that do not accept people who are different.

In many parts of the society espcially in my country people are not ready to accept the mentally challenged which makes others look at them in a different way. The relatives or family just abandon them in mental hospitals and don’t even bother to visit them. They keep such people hidden away from society. There is a general human tendency of looking down on those with mental illnesses and using their problems as insults.
Campaigns need to be oragnised to educate the public that people with mental illness are people just like them and that mental illness can be treated just like any disease.

I don’t think that there is one single a societal view. It’s a whole rainbow of views, starting with “dump them in a home and lock them in” all the way to “mainstream everyone everywhere”, with a thousand shades of different in between.

One’s view on mental illness and disabilities is largely based on the exposure one has had (family, friends, etc.) and the familiarity one has with the diseases.

As a rule, over the last several years, the budget-tightening party in the US has had minimal interest in helping the mentally ill, using their “cut government no matter what” excuse. But there are some caring republicans. Not too many, but they do exist.

I do not think that there is a single view that can be labelled society’s view.

I do not think we support those with mental illness enough.

I think those with disabilities are too isolated from everyday society.

I agree with @marinelife however, while I have compassion I also feel that one needs to take appropriate measures to protect themselves from damaging personalities.
It is one thing to understand and have empathy for mental disorders, but, there is no excuse for abuse and abuse is often the cookie that goes that with the milk of mental illness in many cases. I think that we need to have as much, if not more, compassion for the victims of the mentally and emotionally unwell.

I have a friend right now whose adult ( 30 yr; old ) daughter is suffering from some undiagnosed condition, I surmise perhaps bi-polar or borderline personality disorder and the verbal abuse this woman slings around to family members is appalling, everyone has pretty much disowned her at this point, and while it is sad, there is nothing anyone can do except set serious boundaries to protect themselves.

There is no single answer. I grew up in a family that had family members who had mental illness so I did not grow up with a negative view. These were people we loved and wanted them to be well and they were good people. My father worked in the mental health field, so in my world people wanted to help those with mental illness. Generally, I don’t think we do enough for the mentally ill, and I think we need as a society to have a better understanding for people with mental illness and not stigmatize it as much as it is. I think lately, the last 5–10 years we have actually backslid with our empathy of mental illness as a society. All talk in the media is so negative. The reporting of mass shooting always coming back to discussions of the perpertrator being mentally ill with no balance in the media to educate the average person about mental illnesses in general.

I agree with those who have said there is no single societal view of people with disabilities. I do think that people view mental and physical disabilities very, very differently.

It is a lot easier to feel like one is doing right by a person with a physical disability by holding open a door or avoiding the handicapped spots than it is to be patient with someone who is hearing voices telling them to do horrible things.

People living with mental illness not only have to deal with all the anxiety, stress, and pain that comes with it, but with the ubiquitous ignorance of people who lack either the ability or the willingness to understand their condition much less advocate for better treatment options.

I also think that a lot depends on how severe the mental illness is. I have some disorders which are usually described as mental illness such as BiPolar, OCD, and ADD, but I also am medicated and know how to deal with the symptoms.

I think it is more of an individual view. Societies differ in how they assist the mentally disabled other than that we are subjected to how the people in our world (which may be just a street) see us and treat us.

An example would be when I was so severely depressed I could not even bath or get dressed for an extended period. I used to pay someone to go to the shop for me once a week. Non of my neighbors asked if I needed anything or went out of their way to help. I believe they thought I had suddenly gotten lazy as prior to that I was a high energy bomb that ran a successful business and was very career orientated. (I had known them by that time 16 years).

For me my world had become the street I lived in and the block of flats I resided in.

I don’t agree with it, because unless you have had a mental illness, then you can’t possibly even begin to understand it

A much improved one. In the 19th century people were seen as crazy. Today they suffer from an illness. That’s a huge progress.