Actress Glenn Close believes there are too many destructive misconceptions surrounding mental illness and insists most people battling the condition aren't dangerous.
The 68-year-old actress, who co-founded the non-profit Bring Change 2 Mind after her sister Jessie and nephew were diagnosed with bipolar disorder, has blasted the stigma about mentally ill people, reported People magazine.
Speaking at the WebMD Health Hero Awards, the "Fatal Attraction" star said one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding the issue "is that people with mental illness are dangerous."
"There are so many headlines and so many tragedies that have happened because there is no system in our country that will help those people from falling through the net, from becoming isolated," Close said.
"But the number of mentally ill people who commit crimes is a very, very small percentage, but unfortunately it leads to other people getting hurt and it makes our job a little bit more difficult because it can build up the stigma."
But Close hopes attitudes are beginning to change.
