Erika, thank you for this. Talking openly is the only way to dispell the myths about mental illness. I wish everyone with mental illness had the courage to be open about it, and that everyone whose family had been touched by it had that courage. Lack of that courage has torn my family apart.

We were blind-sided by my sister's suicide attempt, and by other revelations surrounding mental illness (not hers). We didn't know what to do, what to think, how to react. Unfortunately, my sister chose to accuse us of being prejudiced against people with mental illness, when really, we were trying to understand. Had she talked to us, been honest with us about all of it (not only her own, but the other touching our lives) we would have been able to help more, perhaps. Instead, we scrambled because of her fear of our reactions if she were honest with us.

Had she been honest with us, she would have been surprised at the amount of depression in our family. She would have heard about my own struggles with it, my aunt's, my cousins'. She didn't learn about any of this until after her attempt. Had she been open, she might have been surprised at our reactions to the other mental illness touching our lives. Our family talks about things. We embrace and we try to learn about people before judging them. The whole family talks about things. My sister didn't want the family talking about her depression or the other mental illness. So, she kept it secret, hidden.

Part of the education must be that if people living with mental illness want attitudes to change, they must be open. The public cannot be expected to learn not to fear or be prejudiced if the people living with mental illness lack the courage of their convictions and hide it. That's asking a lot, I know. But it's baby steps, right? Education can be a slow process and not everyone will learn at the same pace.

In the meantime, your courage, your conviction that we must be open, your willingness to talk is wonderful and I know, will help.

Love and hugs,

Kat

A life lived in fear is a life half lived.
"Strictly Ballroom"