Where is the line between being able to "recover" (or cope?) on one's own and needing help/medication/supervision to manage to survive?
To compare mental illness (again - this is such a vague term) to diabetes -
For a while, and for some, changing diet and lifestyle can keep the disease under control. No one can see it from the outside. But help is usually easy to get and many people are willing to admit they are diabetics. For some, it's a straight line from being diagnosed to insulin dependency. Many people realize that they need the insulin to keep going and if they stop taking it, they will be in trouble. Also, there are tests to determine where one is at in keeping one's diabetes under control.
Why is there such a leap to comprehending that some forms of depression, for example, may operate a bit like diabetes? there is something operating wrong in the person's system that needs assistance to be stabilized.
"Snapping out of it" - "Get a grip on yourself" - "What do you have to be depressed about?" do not address the problem or do a thing to make it better for those that are in need of more help.
I agree that "personal life styles" can and do affect whatever other conditions we may have - which includes our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual being.