Recently I wrote a very long email to my high school peers and included a recounting of what I thought were mental health / addiction challenges affecting someone in that group who died suddenly. After reaching out to high school peers and receiving a full gamut of responses including both positive and negative, I want to say how much I value this on-line “community” at this blog site where people can talk freely about mental health and addiction full-throttle or head-on.
Over the past few years, I have grown accustomed to talking openly here at this blog and at others’ blogs about mental health challenges I experience that include the full gamut of symptoms including mania, depression, mixed states, sometimes crippling anxiety, body image challenges, hallucinations, hospitalizations and others.
I just want to say thank you to those of you who are in this on-line “community” for helping to provide an atmosphere that allows people with mental health and addiction issues to talk freely without a whole lot of push-back or stigma. Ten to fifteen years or so ago, such an online “community” possibly or probably did not exist? Not sure when people started blogging about mental health? For me, following posts and posting posts is an important part of my self-care. I thank you for your contributions even if you are in the “reader” versus “reply/writer” category. Everyone plays a part.
Finally, thank you again for participating in this “community.” I believe that stigma reduction is a crucial by-product of the collective posts here at these blogs about mental health and addiction. Thanks for being part of the solution!
Mental Health is Health 
I agree, it’s great to have a safe(ish) space where things like mental illness can be discussed openly 💖
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Yes.
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Browsed through your other posts before commenting here. I’d have to say, you’re doing a wonderful service to the mental health community by sharing your struggles with your own mental health through this platform. You’ve shown me, a completely new person to this platform, that it’s okay to be open about mental health here. Can’t wait to read more updates from you. Cheers!
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Thank you so for these words of encouragement. I early on in the blogging process had someone reach out to me to post a guest post and to talk about stigma reduction. It was a highlight of my blogging time to be contacted by this person. My posts I hope are just a “pay it forward” for those similarly who may need to feel there is room for expression and free expression here about mental health.
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