Mormon Soprano says:

Rob, Thank you so much for your article. I stumbled across the reprint version on Deseret News, which led me to RealIntent, which then led me here. So, I guess that means I found you through the back-door.

I am always pleased to find a kindred spirit. You wrote everything I wish I could have or should have written about this important subject. So, I want thank you!

I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder at the age of 30. For me, it was the happiest day of my life! After 30 years of suffering every day, agonizing and hating myself and riding an exhausting, unrelenting roller-coaster of emotions and moods I found out that I wasn’t a “bad person” after all. I wasn’t “heeding the wrong spirit” or “not praying enough”. Instead, I simply had a medical condition that could be treated! I was so deliriously excited I wanted to shout it from the rooftops! So, I did. I ran about telling everyone that I knew my “good news” about my illness! I soon learned that my excitement about my diagnoses was not shared by friends and family. I was shocked when some people – including very close friends, coworkers, and even some family members – began avoiding me after learning about my mental illness and treated me differently forever after. A few even cut off all contact. It was baffling to me (still is). Having the illness was bad enough. But, now I was being shunned for talking about it. This caused a deep wound in my heart. During this time I also lost an important business contract which I believe was directly due to disclosing my mental illness. After that, I scaled back my excitement about my illness considerably. I realized it was not being seen as just a “treatable illness” to others, but rather like a curse that could somehow be “contagious by association”. Thankfully, I chose to move forward boldly, albeit quietly, into the next chapter of my life…The New Medicated Me.

That was over 16 years ago. I’ve remained committed to taking ownership of my illness, taking my medications daily and getting regular therapy. Most of the people in my life now do not even know about (or have forgotten) my illness, my diagnoses and my journey into wellness. It is a story that I have not even thought about telling, until tonight. However, your article gives me hope that times have changed. Perhaps it is acceptable, even fashionable (?), to talk about mental illness now, without fear of recrimination. Oh, how I hope so!

Thank you for raising your voice, telling your personal story and opening the door a little wider for all of us.

I am intrigued with your YA books. I can’t wait to read them! I look forward to getting to know more about you and your work. One of the most influential books in my life was “A Brilliant Madness” by Patti Duke. Thanks to her courage to tell her story (during a time when NO ONE talked about mental illness), I resolved to embrace my medical condition and commit to the treatment I needed for the rest of my life. I believe I am alive today and thriving because of that. Her book talks about the hightened sensitivites that come through mental illness – the blessings, if you will, attached to the “curse” of these unique challenges. (It’s a powerful book. I highly recommend it). Like Patti, I am an actress, a performer, an artist, so her story particularly struck a chord with me. I’ve learned to see the great gift of my own “brilliant madness”. I’m also a novel-writer-wannabe. I currently operate under a strong belief and/or delusion that a great book is locked deep inside of me, just waiting to be let out. I’m still looking for the key to unlock the door. Meanwhile, I am an isntant hopeless fan of every successful author I meet!
Congratulations, you have a new Hopeless Fan! – MoSop