At work today one my social worker colleagues told me the she is struggling with adhd and low mood, and she is considering meds but is worried about stigma and side effects. She wanted my opinion on whether there was a med that could address both these issues, because I'm an NP, and she wanted my opinion on if she should take medication. So i made a med suggestion, and talked to her about pros and cons of meds. She was obviously struggling with stigma and feeling that as a social worker she should not have mental health issues. So i told her that i take medications and have bipolar, to challenge the stigma she was feeling. We are friends, and also i don't care anymore if people at work find out because i've been there over a year and people know i'm stable and good at what i do. Anyways, she was like "wow, that's amazing! You are bipolar and a nurse practitioner." So i said "yes, recovery is possible. It's not us and them with the patients, 1 in 4 people have mental health issues at some point." So she thanked me for telling her, and i said it's cool, not a secret. It felt good. I've decided ***** stigma! Things won't change until people start showing that mental illness doesn't mean you fit the stereotypes. I can't expect my patients to accept their illnesses and themselves if i won't do the same. It feels pretty good.