Individuals do not just suffer with Psychiatric symptoms.  Instead, they have a complex relationship with their symptoms.  A depressed person may both love and feel intimate and secure with the familiar feeling of melancholy, and a person with occasional bouts of psychosis may strongly believe that the perceptions they have are helpful at
times.

What kind of relationship did Robin Williams have with his illness?

I stumbled across this article from the New York Times in my Newsfeed (Zite).  I really enjoy the way it supposes we are individual in our relation to our symptoms (for example, some might find it helpful to receive a diagnostic label whereas others might find it harmful) and that the window to understanding someone is, of course, through relationship.  I have treated numerous people with symptoms they didn't want to change, which to me, has always seemed to be a morally valid and acceptable choice.  Have a look and let me know what you think:

Redefining Mental Illness