Sharing – Stigma Keeps Us From Talking – Even To Each Other
I agree with what George says here about speaking out –
Sometimes, when the others we’re concerned about include employers, spouses and children, it’s OK to exercise your right to just be quiet.
At the end of the day, while we wish dealing with a mental health issue would be met with only love and support, that is not the way the world works. There are consequences to speaking out and being identified, consequences that not everyone can accept.
When I started writing about surviving child abuse, and depression, I chose to use my real name. I knew there would be some consequences for doing that, but in my own situation, I was willing to take that on. I knew it might have some impact on my career later on, but not so much that I couldn’t work. I didn’t have children to be concerned about, I don’t have family members who I would not want to share that information with, and I am willing to accept the occasional coworker, neighbor, friend, who starts a conversation with “So I was reading your blog”, which believe me, is a scary thing to hear sometimes because you don’t know where that conversation is going to go. (For the record, more times than not, they are bringing it up to me because they are also a survivor and have never told anyone, or only told a handful of people, about it before, which is a whole other topic.)
Not everyone is in my situation. They have their own concerns and rightfully so. There are consequences to speaking out. If you aren’t ready to accept those, that’s OK. Just keep living your life, getting help quietly when needed, healing, and supporting others in your life. We need you out there too.
George is right about that. Being public, online, offline, anywhere, is a choice, it shouldn’t be forced on anyone. But, if you are willing, speak loudly for all the folks who aren’t in a position to.
