I recently, and when I say recently, I mean yesterday have told all my friends and family. And by all my friends, I mean all my friends I've remained connected do through social media. It was actually liberating. I was inspired to share by several factors. One, I work in the mental health and substance abuse field and I can see how the stigma affects people. Two, a "friend" of mine posted one of these most insensitive things on Facebook about how he has no sympathy for someone who had just committed suicide and they were cowards, etc, and it made me realize too many people, people that I know don't understand mental health or substance abuse at all. I spend 40 hrs a week with people who think like me in regards to MH is real, that I forget about those who really don't understand it. and finally, this past weekend I had a depressive episode. I was crying for no reason. And my boyfriend, who tries his best to understand, stroked my face and said, "I'm here for you, I know you're scared. I'm not going anywhere. I love you." and to just have his unconditional support helped me realize that there may be other people like that as well. And after I shared that I have a mental illness, that sometimes I'm energetic and happy and other times I'm depressed and sad for no apparent reason, that I cant control myself during really bad episodes, that I sometimes avoid people and I dont mean to but that the disorder can sometimes kill my joy and I don't want to kill anyone else's, but I mostly need people to understand it is an illness, but I don't want to feel alone... after I posted that I received messages from friends saying hey I have that too, Or I have borderline etc and commending me on being brave enough to share with my 900 plus facebook friends (and I know everyone of them personally). And then I thought, why should this be something about being brave? Why should we have to feel ashamed about something that isn't our control. People don't shame cancer patients. Now I'm rambling. My point is there needs to be more people like us to educate others on the illness. I don't tell every single person I meet, but I no longer am ashamed of it.