More than 48 million people in this country have some form of mental illness. Yet only around half of those people get treatment.

Why?

For many, the stigma associated with mental illness creates and/or compounds feelings of shame, isolation and fear of exposure.

You see, stigma is caused by either the wrong information (misperception), or no information at all (ignorance). Either one of which can cause a tremendous amount of fear, which is really what stigma is. Stigma = fear.

The good news is - stigma can be conquered. How? By those with a mental illness sharing their stories.  And by those without an illness - listening and learning.

When did you know you had a mental illness? How did you feel after you were diagnosed? Did you tell people about your illness? How did they respond? How do you cope with stigma? How has treatment helped you? What is your message of hope for people like you?

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BarbaraBear  - No T-shirt label Sep 02, 2010, 01:05 am   I have been bipolar since Lithium was an experimental drug. Have been hospitalized too many times to remember. Alienated family members and friends. Stable now and open about my illness. I will talk to anyone who will listen. And although the statistics say 1 out of 6, practically everyone I talk to knows someone with a mental illness or has one themselves. I just read the Glenn Close article in Guideposts, I felt I had to respond to her : I realize you are focused on enlightening everyone about mental illness. However, I feel the shirt campaign may not have been completely thought through. T-shirts that proclaim “bipolar” and other illnesses, may be getting the word out but at whose expense. Your sister is not her illness as you say in the article but here she is with that on her shirt. While you on the other hand, wear a shirt that says benignly 'sister'. How about a shirt that says 'My sister is bipolar’ (or has bipolar illness) and one for her that says 'I’m that sister'? A little more diplomatic and not as offensive. Humorous even… As someone suffering from bipolar illness for 45+ years, trying to eliminate 'I'm bipolar' from my vocabulary is difficult. It takes concentration to say instead, I have a mental illness, it’s called bipolar. You say you are combating that stigma but then ask your sister to wear the label that I can’t imagine isn’t uncomfortable. Although, I’m sure she did it for you. That disturbs me. If I have a choice of ‘I’m bipolar’, just ‘bipolar’ or ‘I have bipolar illness’, I prefer the latter to a brand on my chest. And as hateful I have been to my sisters in my manic episodes, I don’t think any of the six of them would have ever humiliated me that way. I’m sure she says it doesn’t bother her. I’m sorry I feel the need to rant. Nevertheless, seeing those shirts hit a huge nerve in me. I would have to be manic and out of my mind to wear a shirt with just ‘bipolar’ on it with my sisters wearing their ‘sister’ ones. I like “who needs a therapist when they have six sisters”. I thought that writing this would lessen my distaste but no, I still feel the same. I may be in the minority on this because I see lots of people on the web site wearing the shirts. Maybe it is the next new trend. I do know that you and this organization are doing a great service with the educational information and help resources. Kudos for that!

jenscott  - Eyes Uopn Waking Aug 31, 2010, 02:24 pm   10 years ago I tried taking my life twice within one week,I wanted dead. I am no longer in that place now, but realize that having this disease will be a lifelong thing. I have learned to live with it and want others to know that they also can. After doing much research I started crying because there are still many people out there going through what I have 10 years ago. The majority of depressed people are very intelligent, creative, loving people. I wrote a screen play to bring the awareness of this disease. It started out as my story but soon became the story of all that did not survive. I want the family members who lost a loved one to this disease to have some closure and understanding of what a severely depressed person feels and goes through. God willing, if I can raise the funds needed to get this made, then this story will be told. By making this film, I want to also bring awareness of how the treatment out there is not working and that we need to redirect this and realize there is a huge problem. People that are depressed are not crazy, just in a deep dark place. There are many cries for help; enough cries eventually succeed in taking their own life. Let's help stop this.

Tara Aug 30, 2010, 03:28 am   I believe our emptiness is a spiritual vacuum wanting God. And God is gentle and willing to give us the grace to forgive ourselves and others and reconcile us to Himself by His own suffering on a cross when He came in the form of a man and we abused and killed Him. He overcame even death and brings us healing. Scripture gives us everything we need to know about how to live, to have joy and peace in our lives, and how to be mentally and emotionally healthy. That is where I have found healing. And I have found the social support I need in a loving church and beautiful Christian friends who love me. I wish this healing on the valiant and courageous people who shared their stories here-- the college student who keeps getting a worse diagnosis, the mother and wife whose father abused her, and the dear lady who endured years of medications and loneliness. This is for you..."For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave to fear again, but you received the spirit of adoption. And by him we cry, "Daddy, God!" May you cry out to our Creator now who hears and heals you, even in the most painful places. I dare you to read Scripture and see if it won't absolutely transform your life! Scripture and crying out to God has given me hope and made all the difference! He has given us a prescription for mental health if we choose to accept it. All we have to do is ask Him into our lives, to teach and lead us. He is a gentleman and will not come where he is not invited. With tears and prayers for your healing and life most abundant, peace beyond understanding, and filled up with joy! God gives it to anyone who asks and keeps asking by the name that saves us, Jesus The Way, The Truth, and The Life. I would so want to introduce you to Him today. He loves you. If you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you. May God increase your faith to truly live! "... And if the Son sets you free, you are really free!" It's because of faith and obedience to Him through my trust in the saving power of Jesus Christ I am fully alive. I don't believe the limitations and labels others put on me. God's promises can be just as true for you as anyone else because they are true for anyone who wants to embrace, accept, and experience them. God is as real as gravity and His Spirit as present as the wind. He is my sanity. If you want to learn more, you can look up words in the Bible at biblica.com or feel free to email me personally at tara@live.com. Don't let others' lack of faith rob you of yours. What do you have to lose? TRY GOD!

Tara  - A Change in Thinking No One is Talking About Aug 30, 2010, 12:30 am   Do we not find it strange that after centuries we are suddenly diagnosing so many people with "mental illness"? Is it because we've become so smart to recognize it? Rather, I believe we are creating much of our own mental illnesses. I was an abused wife by a man who was probably mentally ill, but never diagnosed. Instead of listening to me that I and my children were being abused and getting us to a safe place, professionals believed my pathologically lying husband who very conveniently set me up to be hospitalized and drugged for something I didn't have. Without any testing or any proof of the behaviors or any documentation of the supposed history he was giving, he convinced doctors I could not be believed. This meant I could not protect my children, I could not testify against him in court, and I was denied actual physical medical treatment for real conditions that could have led to my death. This led to years of continued mistreatment, several attempts on my life from my husband, and years of his abusing my kids. I was labeled and discounted. Even when tests showed later I had no mental illness, the perception had already been created. And in the meantime, I had been drugged and sedated with chemicals that we don't even know how they will affect people in the long-run, except that I know they taxed my kidneys trying to rid the body of them and impaired my memory from that point on. I had to beg the doctor who misdiagnosed me to get me off the drugs so I could think clearly enough to return to school and eventually get enough financial ability to get away from the man hurting me and my children. I had to do it without anyone's help because no one believed someone who, as my estranged husband put it, "had been in a psyche hospital". Anything I said after that was not believed except by some veteran homicide detectives who'd been in the business awhile and told me to get out before the husband doctors were relying on to “treat” me successfully killed the children and me. (Thinking someone is trying to kill you can be interpreted as a "symptom" of mental illness. So can a lot of circumstantial realities such as being followed, fearing for your life, being afraid of going crazy, etc. which are also signs of being in true danger.) While in the hospital, "professionals" (kids with a couple months of training) tried to get me to believe I had a condition I knew I did not have, and more seasoned professionals tried to get me addicted to drugs I knew were hurting me. (Since we don't know the long-term effects of many of the drugs, how do we know they do not cause conditions such as Alzheimer’s later in life? And most of the drugs actually cause the symptoms we look for in mental illness that we simply treat with more drugs.) Furthermore, there is nothing healthy about the way patients are treated in these hospitals-- drugged so you cannot talk anything out, or cry, or think enough to process solutions and treated worse than I have ever treated an animal. And caged like one. And you don't even have to be violent to be tied to a bed or locked in a room without food or social interaction. Would this make anyone feel better? Shocked into convulsions cannot be healthy for our brains. And just because we’re drugged like a teenager on weed so we don’t care anymore does not make us feel any better about our lives than weed helps a teenager. Just because it's legally prescribed doesn't make it any better for us. I called some organizations that supposedly look out for patient rights but was told they would not investigate a doctor by talking to patients without his approval or speak to anyone no longer on staff (think about it). The way I was talked to like an idiot or a child or someone who didn't know what they were talking about, and the medications themselves, would be enough to make someone have a mental illness if they did not already have one. The medications were pretty good at erasing memories, so I think most patients are convinced the way they are treated in these "hospitals" didn't happen or that they somehow behaved in a way to deserve the mistreatment. I happened to have started the process with an incredible memory, even for someone experiencing trauma. We need to distinguish between what is individual normal behavior to a crazy circumstance from a crazy reaction to normal circumstances. And I think we should listen to the patient and not just take the word of family members who may want others to believe they are “normal” and it’s the person hurting who is not. I think we too easily explain things away by labeling with a mental illness (bi-polar seems as popular now as co-dependent was for awhile), instead of looking at the person's life in context. I was dealing very normally with trauma. And perhaps others have really horrible experiences, that while it makes everyone involved more comfortable to medicate one person so they don't care anymore and we don't have to feel like we're a part of the problem that's causing them to suffer, a more natural approach to lessen pain might be to put into these people’s lives everything that’s missing like a healthy support system. Perhaps we don't like the uncomfortable fact that our “professionals” are amateurs at best, as the practice of psychology hasn’t even been around that long,they don't understand the brain, and they don't know how these chemicals they're prescribing actually "work", assuming that they do. We are all its genie pigs. What chemical, or chemicals, exactly is/are out of balance? That needs to be known in order to be an actual science rather than a philosophy. "A chemical imbalance" we medicate and sedate instead of dealing with the unhealthy dynamics in a family that is encouraging depression and other means of dealing with hurtful behaviors-- we band-aid an individual rather than address a complicated unhealthy system that's more difficult for us. Many of the doctors themselves deal with issues of control and power. Instead of helping the weak become strong and empowered, we lock them away where we don't have to deal with it, because we want to believe someone else is taking care of these people and "fixing their problem". I still deal with the very real trauma and pain of betrayal; sometimes I succeed despite it, while other moments, I let myself feel sad over it. That doesn't mean I'm bi-polar; it means I'm human. In a society that prizes lack of emotion and powerful, beautiful people, we have simply lost our capacity to accept people on the broader spectrum of our humanness. It is not a disease to feel weak or emotional pain at times. In a perfect world, maybe. But the kinds of environments and misfunctions some people are trying to endure through mild depression (the body’s way of healing itself), might put other people over a cliff who have simply never had those experiences. Some people feel more deeply than others, some people handle dysfunctional families better than others, and I think we've become too quick to let an elite few define for us what they think is "normal". A few years back homosexuals were considered mentally ill. Our definitions fluctuate way too much to give these intellectual, but emotionally constipated, humans who all read the same textbook opinions to take over our lives. We need to allow ourselves to be human, to grieve, to feel the pain of personal injustices, and to help each other along the way. These man-made chemicals may help some, but they are not the one-size-fits-all they are prescribed to be. We are going to be a medicated society that can't think anymore for ourselves. And if you look at the history of psychology, the basic principals are flawed, as evidenced by Freud's daughter committing suicide after her father treated her. And I won't even go into the forced sterilization that still happens. When you look at modern psyche hospitals, notice how many ethnic, women, disadvantaged and children occupy them-- we are being prey to a field engineered based on men's opinions of emotion who are trying to make a living and who need mental illness to continue so they can make a living in their occupation. The counselors get people to talk on an inappropriate level about matters we are incapable of processing with a stranger, and then when the inevitable emergency happens, we lock these same people in hospitals where we torture them in ways we ourselves would never want to be treated. We are locking people away without trials (denying freedoms without due process), and worse, we are raping them of their minds and the emotions to which they are perfectly entitled. We find what we are looking for. Each of us could be arguably mentally ill on a bad day or in a rough time in our lives, given enough stressors and our unpredictable, individualized responses to them. We can probablly even find a pattern looking back in our lives of how we've coped, for better or worse. You are right, there should not be a stigma for what other people call us. Nor, should there be labels for being human. Where are the labels for normalcy? If most of our creative and artistic people are being labeled--past and present-- with some form of mental illness, I think we've got our criteria wrong. Perhaps the creative people would like to diagnose those analyzing everybody else. I think much of our "mental illnesses" are all in our collective head.

lwarberg  - My Bipolar Son Aug 29, 2010, 02:48 pm   Fourteen years ago I began searching for a reason for my son's "provocative" behavior, dragging him to endless doctor's appointments because he told us at six years old, "I want to die", most medical and school professionals stated to me that my insufficient skills as a parent were causing my child to act out. These same professionals misdiagnosed and treated my son causing his condition to worsen. My lengthy documentary project, "My Bipolar Son" grew out of a need to share our experience to dispel the stigma and fear our society places on a diagnosis of mental illness especially in children. I originally made the photographs to document our life. That is who I am, a photographer, long before I became a Mother. The photographs have now taken on a deeper meaning. They identify the symptoms/behaviors that led to my son’s diagnosis. At age 11, suffering needlessly for years my son was finally diagnosed and treated by Dr.Demitri Papolos. His book, The Bipolar Child, co-authored with his wife, Janice, saved our life. The Juvenile Bipolar Research Foundation,www.jbrf.org, is the first charitable organization solely dedicated to the support of research for the study of early-onset bipolar disorder. As JBRF's Director of Research, Dr. Papolos has granted permission so I may use his diagnostic screening criteria to identify and caption my son's symptoms/behaviors in my photographs. Please consider donating $10 or more to my project. The details are here:http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/357709199/equipment-needed-to -self-publish-memoir-my-bipolar. Your contribution will enable me to produce an ebook. If there is additional funding available I will produce a paperback trade book and exhibition prints. I am committed to promoting the book worldwide for mental health advocacy. If you know of someone that may be interested in my project or would like to donate a "reward" on Kickstarter please forward this email to them. Together we can create awareness and help dispel the stigma families of bipolar children are experiencing. Thank you in advance for your consideration. Sincerely, Lynne Warberg www.mybipolarson.com http://bipolarsamiam.blogspot.com/

lisa1512  - Fatal Attraction Aug 28, 2010, 11:01 am   Cooterkeep, I just read your msg about that movie. I haven't seen it in yrs but am wondering what HER diagnosis would be! Also I think the man had some serious problems being a compulsive liar, etc Both of them almost deserved each other )

cooterkeep Aug 28, 2010, 09:11 am   Last year, before I knew about this site, I had two T-Shirts made: "Tripolar" - meaning "Sometimes up, sometimes down, but most of the time right smack dab in the middle!" "Omnipolar" (for my son) - meaning "Polar all the way around." We wear them to make ourselves and others smile and know that we not only have no shame, we want to be open about our illness (Bipolar Disorder). I have also written a book which I am self-publishing "How Mental Illness Can Enhance Your Life". I hope that Ms. Close can somehow find a role about a wonderful, non-violent, intelligent, loving person (like her sister) who has a serious mental illness. "Fatal Attraction" unfortunately painted such a negative portrait of such an evil person who was mentally ill. A recent study which I will attempt to send to Ms. Close shows that as a result of film and the media most people stigmatize anyone with a mental illness because 60% of "us" are shown to be violent and people to be avoided or even incarcerated without treatment. (promoteacceptance@samhsa.hhs.gov) The opposite is true. Most of "us" are in no way violent and, with treatment, many of us can lead productive and rewarding lives. I welcome anyone's response. skhollyhill@hotmail.com.

dogtezza Aug 26, 2010, 10:15 pm   LIVING WITH OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER Hello to all, I am writing this to let people know that having a mental condition does not make us less of a person as a matter of fact my mum has always told me that I am quite unique..(that’s a mothers unconditional love for her child) thanks mum ...... without the love and the support of my family it would have been an extremely hard road to travel alone in which I did for some 15 years or more until I couldn't cope with it any more. I was totally ashamed at the thought that I was not as normal as others, I was a nervous child I had my reasons for this, I was extremely temperamental and extremely soft (which I am still) they say people with obsessive compulsive disorder become the world’s best actors because we are so worried about what people might think or that people might not want to associate with you because people think you are nuts so we hide it we keep it so well hidden from people that it totally exhaust you, it can make you become your own prisoner and you are the only one that holds the key to your freedom ...well I still have the key I just have to find the strength to unlock it . Every-day is a battle , one I will never give in to even though it is with me constantly (except when I sleep) but even then I have had it in my dreams occasionally (that’s a bummer) I am 46 years old and it wasn’t until I was 22 years of age that I finally couldn’t cope with it by myself any more I called my mum into a room by this time I was sobbing like I have never before and told my mum please don't hate me, maybe that was because I hated myself at the time, I was ashamed scared of not knowing what was wrong with me... so in between my sobs I finally told my mum .I didn’t realise just how lonely I had felt until I shared my secret. I was so scared that I would be hated for it but of course I wasn't, my mum was wonderful as was my dad the only thing they were worried about was me not letting them know sooner so I could of got help much earlier( I am writing this so if you know of or suspect that you have this condition the earlier you seek professional help the easier It will become to deal with ,don't wait like I did and let it manifest and rule your life there is good help and support out there DON'T BE SCARED). I was taken to the Richmond clinic by my parents, this was one of the most stressful days that I had ever experience.. in my mind I thought they were going to lock me up because I thought I was the only person on the planet to have this horrible strange way of thinking I thought for sure that I wouldn't be aloud home with my family.... So there we were no appointment we just went in and hoped for the best and that’s when one of the doctors spotted us I was still crying ,he approached my mum and asked what was wrong ,she explained to him in brief then he came over to me and asked us to follow him to his room ( I was extremely lucky to have been able to see Doctor Grounds as he was on his way home but after hearing a little of my problems he took it upon himself to help me as later I found he had a great interest in the disorder that he was about to diagnose me with. We sat and talked about everything that had been going on in my head and as we got more and more into the conversation this complete stranger who I had never met before started telling me what I was actually thinking, he knew exactly what was going on in my mind.... I couldn't believe it I thought that I was the only person who was suffering from whatever it was that I had been suffering and to my surprise there was actually a name for it...... I can't begin to tell you how this made me feel. I wasn't crazy AND I WASN'T ALONE for the first time in a long time I felt like a great weight had been lifted off my shoulders I still get teary when I think about this as there are no words to describe just how by putting a name to this illness made me feel. Overwhelmed with all emotions I think I cried for all the 15 years that I had secretly bottled it all up. It was time for me to set my head for the road to recovery, for some it is a short journey for others like myself it is a long road which constantly has its hurdles. Having any kind of mental condition plays a lot on what is happening in your life at that moment, it is like a crack on the pavement , the crack doesn't get any the worse if you don't put pressure on it but as soon as the pressure increases causing stress all other little cracks appear... and so the same with obsessive compulsive disorder. Being with someone who has this disorder is hard for this persons partner some people don't cope with the thought of a person with an illness like this, at first my relationships didn’t work but I cannot blame them, nor myself, and then you meet someone that totally excepts you for all your qualities good and bad and helps you live and enjoy life, shares with you every little hiccup that you encounter, laughs with you not at you and gives you unconditional love and support which I am so thankful for everyday ..... This is not to read and feel sorry for any one this is for you to read in hope that if any one does suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder that it might help them, for if we keep focused and like who we are and never give up on our endeavours to get well.... then I am glad that I have shared this with you I am who I am , without it I wouldn't be me and I am a loving wife and mum and I ain't given up...... NEVER EVER EVER So even if reading this helps only one person or hopefully more... then I am glad to be able to share this little bit of an insight and let them know that they are not on their own and if people don't like you for who and what you are then these people aren’t the people to surround yourself with. Once I learned about the treatments available it was up to me... at first the medications made me ill.... the secret is finding one that it suitable for you. As a ocd sufferer anxiety played a large part as well in the disorder, there were times that I really hated leaving my house because I didn't know when a panic attack would present itself and after the first attack you are constantly on the alert for a new one which is known as the second fear which is the fear of the fear itself . My days were very ritual I went to work I had a great job which my bosses were aware of my condition any other place would of sacked me, but I had great support from my co workers, I would force myself daily to go to work Darren my husband would take me and my mother in law would take me home, as long as I had a routine I was fine anything outside this would make me extremely anxious, I stayed at my job for 10 years realising that I needed to be out in the real world. I had time off on the occasions when I was not the best but I loved my job and was happy to always get back to it ....so instead of making myself a prisoner in my own home I fought this battle and worked and made some wonderful friends . There are a lot of people that can misinterpret a person with obsessive compulsive disorder as being a snob or unsociable but we are not this at all, it is just that sometimes it is hard for us to go out as a normal person wouldn't give it a second thought, as soon as I am asked out I constantly worry about the drive there and back will I have a panic attack and so on, ridiculous I know but I just can't help it I COULD EASILY STAY HOME AND NOT EVER WANT TO GO OUT.... but then you realise it’s not all about you there are other people in the household they shouldn't be made to miss out don't punish them they are not the ones who have this so why should they not be able to go and enjoy themselves, so that gives me the incentive to try that bit harder and enjoy being out with my family. My biggest decision in life was to have my children knowing that I was a constant worry wart yes it was a big decision but it has been my best ever decision, I adore them.... through them they give me the strength to love life, live life and be thankful that I am mother , they know I have what I have but they love me regardless of what I can and can't do for them but they know that I love them more than I could ever tell you. I still suffer with Anxiety attacks I never know when one is going to present itself, I try to stay calm but it doesn't matter how many times I have had a anxiety attack they always scare me, I can feel them coming on but I just can't stop them from happening, the best thing is to try not to fight it, I have learned the more you do this the worse it becomes, logically I know this but at the time WHOA it ain't easy. Optimist or pessimist for me these two words have a great meaning , I have always thought of myself as a optimist.... Okay yes I do have a illness..... yes I have had it for most of my life, it can make me feel anxious sad tired frustrated and miserable but.... there are so many different diseases and disorders out there that many people have to cope with so I try to stay focused on getting well so I can help others like myself... I have been extremely lucky to have such a wonderful understanding husband, we have a happy loving marriage, two beautiful sons I have great support from my family and friends so for me this makes my life with ocd so much better to try and deal with and also as part of my optimistic outlook I have always refused to give in to this disorder and in such have always held on to a dream that being to write and sings songs and after watching something that helped me to realise that it is never to late to achieve something that you feel is of great importance my dream has now become a reality but not without the help of a very special person, his name is Harry Jon Nanos. Harry is a musical producer and a musical artist in his own right, through his professionalism and kindness he gave me the confidence to achieve my aspirations. At my first meeting with Harry I was so nervous, here I was, no musical background, no singing lessons, only a dream. Harry sat me down and ask me what inspired me and what I hoped to achieve, I shared with him my disorder and my hope to bring more awareness and understanding for those like myself suffering this condition or any other mental condition thus my song Silhouette came to life. The passion I felt for writing helped channel all my energies into creating something more positive instead of negative thinking, I was totally obsessed about something healthy and meaningful. I feel that finding Harry was like finding the perfect therapy.....I was extremely comfortable, I could be myself and he genuinely took a personal interest in my dream of music for mental awareness, Harry is so passionate about his music and I felt that passion when he played Silhouette for me for the first time. Yes I cried, it was an emotional moment for me, I had written my song, sang my song. And now I was standing there listening to my song, Harry helped me take a step outside my comfort zone and it has been one of the most exciting and challenging experience I have ever done, Harry holds a special place in my heart, I hope one day others will get the chance to hear my beautiful music and in doing so I hope that it will inspire others to never give up on their own aspirations No matter who you are and if we believe in ourselves anything is possible. The power of music can be extremely healing and for me it has opened a new and exciting door one that has laid dormant within me and it is only now I realise that my purpose is to try and help others like myself through the healing of music as it has an ability to touch our heart and soothe ones soul My name is terri staggard.... I have obsessive compulsive disorder..... and I like being me Thank you With kindest regards Terri .... from my heart thankyou to all that have inspired me and helped me if you would like to hear my beautiful music please go to www.myspace.com/dagzntezza and follow the link i hope to one day raise enough money so I can then record an album to which then i can give to a foundation that would like to have it to raise money for mental awareness once agin thankyou Terri I would also like to say that it is wonderful to see the support Ms Close is giving her family,I myself have a brother Dallas he is 37 and has Down syndrome so I have many reasons of why I am trying to bring mental awareness through music, I have written to many places but as I am an unkown person my journey has been for most part a very large hill but I will never give up as I feel so passionate about what I'm trying to achieve and will never give up on myself to get well, for me the two go together my aspirations and my health ,there is so much hope love and support but most important we must believe in our self then others will believe in us to

xoiwaslikeox Aug 26, 2010, 04:05 pm   I had stomach problems since the 8th grade, and at the start of my senior year, I was taken to the emergency room when I had a really bad panic attack; turns out I had been making myself sick from anxiety all these years. I was diagnosed with social anxiety and occasional depression, influenced from PTSD. Usually if close friends inquire, I just say I have problems with anxiety. Only the closest friends know about all the depression stuff. It was exactly 1 year ago today that I was in the ER, and I have been seeking physical, psychological, and medical treatment for my condition. It's a tough battle, but I am blessed to have such a supportive family and close group of friends.

BringChange2Mind  - re: Hate putting my wife through this with me Aug 25, 2010, 12:14 am   My name is Chris and I am a volunteer with BringChnage2Mind. I too have a bipolar diagnosis and felt the same way you do; placing much pain on my wife and family due to my behavior. Although I do not know your story or struggles, I thought that I would recommend a book for you and your wife to read. The book was written by BringChange2Mind volunteer Tom Smith and is titled "A Balanced Life: 9 Strategies for Coping with the Mental Health Problems of a Loved One." It was written after Tom lost his daughter to suicide. I wish you all the best and thank you so much for the kind words about Glenn Close and BringChange2Mind. jpickett wrote: I know I am not supposed to feel this way but I can not help it. She has been so supportive and takes care of me as I struggle with bipolar. I am sometimes like an infant when I am having episodes and I know that it hurts her. This hurts me even more to see her pain in hurting for me. It's hard to explain and I'm not sure these words do justice. Some of my family has never tried to understand what it is that I suffer with which is hard as well. I read everything I can find on my illness and research in the area of mental illness. I can not afford to see a physcologist due to the cost. I feel I can talk through anything with my wife and she understands because she lives with me. I just wish she did not have to hurt because of me. I have told her this before and she tries to reassure me that we are married for better or for worse. I do not know what I would do without her. I would probably have already committed suicide. I saw Glenn's commercial and it gave me a ray of hope that maybe someday we will not be looked upon as second class citizens because of our illness. Thanks Glenn for being a champion for us.

jpickett  - Hate putting my wife through this with me Aug 24, 2010, 10:16 pm   I know I am not supposed to feel this way but I can not help it. She has been so supportive and takes care of me as I struggle with bipolar. I am sometimes like an infant when I am having episodes and I know that it hurts her. This hurts me even more to see her pain in hurting for me. It's hard to explain and I'm not sure these words do justice. Some of my family has never tried to understand what it is that I suffer with which is hard as well. I read everything I can find on my illness and research in the area of mental illness. I can not afford to see a physcologist due to the cost. I feel I can talk through anything with my wife and she understands because she lives with me. I just wish she did not have to hurt because of me. I have told her this before and she tries to reassure me that we are married for better or for worse. I do not know what I would do without her. I would probably have already committed suicide. I saw Glenn's commercial and it gave me a ray of hope that maybe someday we will not be looked upon as second class citizens because of our illness. Thanks Glenn for being a champion for us.

DogsHelpKids  - Psychiatric Service Dogs Aug 24, 2010, 10:14 am   Hello from south Georgia, Our two brothers are 45+ years old, and one has worked through his manic depressive diagnosis and the other his diagnosis of schizophrenia. My husband became a nurse at 40 years old because he saw that he could better support his brothers if he had a bit more knowledge MIXED WITH the love and respect we have always had for these men. I have recently turned my Great Pyrenees breeding program into a non-profit charity for children with mental disabilities. I have donated a puppy recently to a family and am working with this fellow teacher whose 6 year old daughter is on the autism spectrum. I have found it so true that dogs help kids and adults to stabilize in a number of ways with their disability. I support the www.psychdog.org and encourage the people and my donated pups to become members of this organization.

carestia  - Reaching out Aug 23, 2010, 09:31 am   Hi My name is Susan & I have a 31 year old son who has schizo-affective disorder since age 12. It has been a long difficult road for him andn our family. I realize it is chronic and will never be over so I am just know realizing that to reach out for support from a group can only be helpful. I have seeked help out on a personal level all this time. I now know is my/our time to share our story and hope that I can give and receive insght and guidance as to a stronger and higher quailty of life and living.

thkugod6273  - Servant's Heart Ministries Aug 21, 2010, 05:49 pm   I have just finished reading the article by Ms. Close in GUIDEPOST MAGAZINE. I suffered from depression for over twenty years and am now recovering.I have a website I think might be helpful to this population. Please log on to thkugod.com. It is primarily geared towards Christians as it weaves encouragement with bible history. Please visit me. Agape, Wini J.

angelenna Aug 20, 2010, 02:49 pm   Hi My name is Angelenna I have a beautiful daughter Kelsey who was diagnosed with bipolar and manic depression about 3 years ago, when I saw that things with her were not normmal and she was always so angry one min. and then nice the next. I saught so many Dr.s help and facilities that could not help her I was at my wits end when one day she came to me and told me she wanted me dead and how she was going to see that came true and she hit me 3 times. I called the police of my home town and they did nothing I had to call CPS to get help for her and protection from her and they took her away. For 1 year I did not hear from her nor did I see her now I have seen her and been able to get her for a visit, but she will have to remail in their care till she ages out, at times she calls me and wants to come home and she has out burst of anger and she tries to hurt herself. All I can tell her is that I love her and that I believe in her. It is nice to know that others out there besides CPS r case workers that dont do their job really cares about others with mental illness. Thank You from me and my daughter Kelsey who is only 17 and has along road ahead of her. If you have any advice that will help me understand what this is it would be so greatful.

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