The many faces of.....

Mental Illness.  It comes in the guise of many different faces.  The face of Depression, Alcoholism, OCD, ADHD,Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Eating Disorders, and so many more faces.  So many people hide these faces behind masks.  Masks of shame.

Well I for one, have taken my mask off.  I have said before in an earlier blog, that I suffer from Depression.  I am not ashamed of this.  I live with it, and I have gotten help for it.  Help is out there, for those who suffer with the many faces of Mental Illness, and the key is to take off the mask, own up to your illness, talk about it, and seek help for it.

If more people would show their true face, and talk openly about their diagnosis, then the people out there still hiding behind their masks, wouldn't feel so alone, and they too, could cast off their masks, and get the help they need.

I do not, and I am not suggesting that you declare your mental illness the first time you meet somebody.  However, all of us who suffer with the faces of mental illness, know that there is a time, where we choose whether to tell the truth or hide behind our mask.  In my case, the truth has been much more liberating, and I wish for those of you who suffer, to find the comfort to be able to tell the truth.  Perhaps, just hearing one person tell their story, will help those out there still hiding, to seek the help that is out there.