I cant forget Liz Brown. After Liz died a MIND housing officer looked at her obsessively filled wall storage unit that contained her art and materials and said ‘call that work’. It was probably not an isolated undermining remark. The MIND housing officers wanted to destroy Liz’s diaries. What made people who ere supposed to be helping Liz behave so hatefully? Why was there a lack of respect for Liz’s career choice? Why do people disrespect art as work. 
Time and again if you listen to talk radio you will here the caller who casts scorn on the student of media studies. The talk show host may agree, and tell how he never went to university. At the gallery, in the comment thread, ‘my six year old could do better’. In fact there are a thousand put-downs in the art world, no need to list them. 
Why the contempt?
The ignorant critic may associate art with school and as children are directed to the subjects in which the teacher thinks they show most aptitude, most will be discouraged from pursuing a career in art. Perhaps some critics resent the fact that they were discouraged from following the creative path.
Prejudice is related to ignorance. A solitary experience with art can trigger resentment. Perhaps a relative that everyone agreed was talented had a bad experience in the art world and did not find the success they deserved, so all other artists are to blame in the haters mind . But worse tha that it has become socially acceptable to ridicule art in conversation and in the media.
Sadly the mentally ill may find it hard to cope with this situation.

In the old hospitals the art room was usually sanctuary from the rest of the hospital, but with care in the community that sanctuary has gone.
User led art groups
Therapeutic value
Financial value