And since many mental illnesses are caused by a chemical imbalance, and have been considered diseases like other physical diseases....
That's what people say. Mental illness is not like any other class of disease. It affects behavior and human social interaction.
And, it affects the family.
You are so right....the family is very effected and often become “ill” with exhaustion, stress, or physical problems themselves. Autism and alzheimer’s is are also physical illness that affect the social and family areas.
It is cruel to somehow tell these families that it is their inadequacy that contributes when they are really struggling with a difficult family problem.