I know it is possible for hackers to discover who I am or for a family member to read my posts, but I only post the truth, so I don’t worry about it. I even put my picture with my posts. I wear my psychcentral t-shirt and when people ask about it—I tell them about the site and what I get out of it. At work I don’t cover up my scars from my past cutting. I consider its all part of who I am.

I believe in making a stand against sexual abuse, incest and related topics. If somebody wants to find out that I am an abuse victim, in recovery or deal with depression, they just have to ask me or go to places where I talk. I put myself out there because I believe my “issues” should not be hidden. If a place of employment would search the net to find out crap about me, then I don’t want to work there. As for insurance, I have a clear health record of my issues—doctors’ visits, pdoc visits, hospitalizations, medications—they can find out enough about me by just getting my medical records or through a typical screening. There is no way I can hide from them.

So, I post what I want, I say what I want…sometimes, people see my scars or hear me and they come to me to explain that they were abused too. I hope in some little way I can help them. If that is true, then I am willing to risk losing a potential job or insurance policy.

Also, I understand that not everybody wants to be “out there” and I respect others decisions to keep these issues confidential.