Imagine if I lose a leg, and my friend kicks my stump in the middle of a conversation. I would be indignant, and he would no longer be my friend. My friends, family, and coworkers do not know if some off-hand comment will kick my invisible stump. We tiptoe around mental illness because we do not know if what we say will cause more damage. That is the unique dilemma of mental illness compared to physical illness.