Well, as I said, I think clinical knowlege of mental illness has come a very long way since the late 60s, and that was the tail end of Heyer's career - it's reasonable to suppose she wasn't au courant, and if her attitudes reflect her youth - the 20s - then I can imagine feeling it was a moral issue, and not being aware that there was so much she didn't know about it.
Re: Cousin Kate