"We wouldn't be so cruel to somebody with another disease..."

In a poignant op-ed in today’s LA Times, writer Asra Nomani argues that the media needs to leave Britney Spears alone so that she can deal with her illness:

“Mental illness doesn't always elicit compassion; it's hard to see, so it's hard to understand. Perhaps in the wake of Spears' breakdown, California mental health advocates will lobby to change the state's involuntary commitment laws so that those who are sick get treatment, even if they don't realize how badly they need it. In the meantime, all of us should reflect on the fact that we wouldn't be so cruel to somebody diagnosed with another disease. Would we make a sideshow of someone with a brain tumor?”