The unfair treatment of people with mental illness is not something most choose to think about, but it is a major problem all over the world. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, “a mental illness is a medical problem that disrupts a person's thinking, feelings, mood, ability to interact with others, and daily functioning” (NAMI). Anyone can develop a mental disorder, regardless of race, age or size. That said, people with mental illness should be treated with respect and should not be denied privileges because of their condition. However, in today's world, these people do not have as much opportunity or power as mentally stable people. They are easily taken advantage of because they are not able to defend themselves like other people would be. The mentally ill have been abused and neglected by caregivers, deprived of jobs, judged by society, and deprived of their rights because of their mental state. The mentally ill, in some cases, are abused (physically and mentally) and neglected on a daily basis by their caretakers. Considering that it is not possible for this type of people to take care of themselves, they are taken to institutions for treatment. Many facilities help and even cure their patients, but others only take advantage of the people in the homes. For example, Human Rights Watch has reported in extreme cases “prisoners with mental illnesses locked in solitary confinement without any treatment; confined in dirty and bestial cells; left for days covered in excrement which they spread on their bodies; taunted, mistreated or ignored by prison staff; they are given so little water during the heatwaves of summer that they drink out of their toilet bowls…. Suicidal prisoners are left naked and unattended while d...... middle of paper ...... judged by society, and have been deprived of their rights due to their mental state. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans suffer from a mental disorder. These cases of discrimination range from minor bipolar disorders to major cases of multiple personality disorders. Anyone suffering from a mental illness should be treated with respect and should not be exploited because of an illness they are unable to control. Even so, people with mental disorders still manage to accomplish great things. For example, “Ludwig van Beethoven, the brilliant composer of 9 symphonies, 5 piano concertos, 32 piano sonatas and 16 spring quartets, suffered from bipolar disorder (Pruchno). Everyone deserves an equal opportunity to succeed in life. Why should people with intellectual disabilities be treated differently ??