I've been very open about my mental health, particularly on Facebook. The largest hurdle to dispelling stigmas attached to mental health concerns is the fact that when no one talks about it, everyone thinks everyone is fine. Turns out, most of us are not. So many people struggle for various reasons, and I feel it is important enough that I will make an example of a functioning person with depression.

I have had extremely positive results. The community around me is very supportive and mental illness/depression/etc are quite prevalent in my community. Suicide rates are seriously high, especially in young males and children. I'd like to hope that I've given someone the courage to come forward and talk to someone about what they're feeling. Sometimes that makes me realize that I am valuable as a contributor. It helps me.

People have asked me why I'm so open about it and my answer is always that we shouldn't hide who we are. We should also remember that our courage to speak about these issues might save a life.