If I’m Crazy, Do I Get More Clicks?

Does it ever seem like every blogger on the whole entire internet is suffering from some debilitating form of depression or anxiety; some phobia or addiction? And that these bloggers write about it all the time?

Because, sometimes, it feels that way to me.

Just from my teeny tiny blogroll, the following people have blogged about their struggles with mental illness — Dooce.  Finslippy. The Bloggess.  Hyperbole and a Half.  Little Big.  Mommy Wants Vodka. And Schmutzie.  That’s 7 out of 18 people writing about their debilitating mental health issues.

When I first started blogging, I found it sort of unbelievable.  How could nearly every person be suffering from some form of mental illness?  It certainly didn’t feel like everyone I met in my real life was struggling with the same problems that all of these bloggers were talking about so openly and urgently and repetitively. In fact, it felt like no one was talking about any of those sorts of problems.

I’d be surprised if I could tell you seven people in my real life who would cop to struggling with a mental health issue.

I wondered if it was just a way for bloggers to bump numbers — I’ll call this crappy week a  depression and I’ll blame this stressful month on an anxiety disorder.  Hey, I know!  I’m fat.  I must have a food addiction.

I was just so wrong.

People talk about their mental illnesses on their blogs because that’s the safest place for them to talk about it. There is a stigma attached to having a mental illness. You tell someone over lunch, some new friend that you think you can trust, that you are in the throes of a deep clinical depression or that you keep having panic attacks and you don’t know why or that you can’t stop thinking about food, no not like normal people, like you CAN NOT STOP… ever.  What’s going to happen?  All of the sudden, you see them start thinking, uh-oh — she’s weak, wild, lacks willpower, is lazy, self-centered, needy, irrational, over-emotional, detached, indulgent.  She is crazy.

I am lucky enough that I don’t suffer from a mental illness.  But people that I love do suffer from mental illness.  And I want them, and anyone else who needs to, to be able to talk about their mental health issues with me — openly, urgently, and repetitively — without fear.

That’s why I’m writing today.  Because there is a company who is working really hard to make that possible for people.  Erasing the Distance, a theatre company in Chicago, uses the power of performance to disarm stigma, spark dialogue, educate and promote healing surrounding issues of mental health. The company collects true stories from people whose lives have been affected by mental health issues.  Then, they craft the stories into compelling theatrical pieces which they then perform for schools, faith groups, community organizations, and the general public.

My husband and my dear friend are both company members with ETD, so I’ve had the honor of seeing several of their productions.  And I’ve been hired to direct one in May 2012!  (I’m a pretty big deal.) They are the only theatre company I know of that is doing this important work. And they do one hell of a job.

So, if you know someone who suffers from a mental illness or you love someone who suffers from a mental illness or you suffer from a mental illness yourself, will you please take five seconds right now and vote for them to receive some money through Chase Community Giving?  The top charity will earn $250,000 and the top 100 will earn $25,000.

That money goes a loooooooooooong way.

As I write this, they are only ten votes away from making it into the top 100.  This is a national contest, so to be in spitting distance of the top 100 is a pretty big deal, yo.  The voting ends on November 22 at 11:59 pm. Will you click through and vote for them? Will you tell your friends to do the same?  Will you help Erasing the Distance erase the stigma surrounding mental health issues?

Just a side note, if you’re having trouble, make sure you have “liked” Chase Community Giving’s page. They require it if you want to cast a vote.