Last week, I published the most personal and revealing article I’ve ever penned, and the response was not what I expected.
The Version of Me You Won’t Find on LinkedIn, explored life with bipolar disorder and alcohol dependence, outlining the vastly different places I’ve found myself on the mental health continuum across more than thirty years. Although it’s been decades since crisis, I knew it would be uncomfortable to share so much of my journey publicly, but I hoped it might help someone.
The response was heartening.
The Version of Me You Won’t Find on LinkedIn became my most-shared article, both here on Substack and on LinkedIn. While every writer enjoys knowing many read their work, it wasn’t the numbers that stayed with me; it was the comments, conversations, and private messages that followed.
Countless people took the time to message me privately after reading the article, and the thread that ran through many of these messages was, thank you for sharing so openly, and I could relate. People shared their own experiences with me, a privilege for which I am genuinely grateful. Some talked about depression or anxiety, while others related to their own struggles with dependence. They reflected on difficult periods in their lives, or on someone close to them who had struggled.
I chose to tell my story publicly, but that doesn’t mean anyone else should feel they have to. You don’t need to write an article, make an announcement or tell thousands of people what you’ve been through. Sometimes opening up simply means telling one person you trust.
The response to this article confirmed something I’ve believed for a while; that openness fuels openness. When one person talks honestly about mental health, it can make it a little easier for the next person to do the same. Not because everyone suddenly feels comfortable sharing their story, but because someone else going first can remove a little of the fear, embarrassment, or shame that still needlessly surrounds these conversations.
And we need more of these conversations.
We talk more openly about mental health than we used to, but there is still a worrying gap between talking about mental health and talking honestly about our own mental health. Beyond Blue research in 2024 found that almost half of Australians who sought professional support waited until they were very or extremely distressed before reaching out, while 22% of those not seeking professional support said shame played a significant part in that choice.
More recent Beyond Blue research also found that one in five people experiencing significant mental health challenges still didn’t seek professional support when they needed it. However, it was also revealed that more people are turning to someone they know for support, which feels significant. Perhaps that is part of why the response to my article stayed with me. So many of the messages and comments were people sharing parts of their own stories, sometimes things they had never felt comfortable saying publicly.
Whilst it remains a daily proposition, I have sat on the positive side of the mental health continuum for many years now. However, we never really know where someone else is placed on that same continuum. The colleague who seems to have everything under control, the friend who is always laughing, the person posting holiday photos or the leader standing confidently in front of a room may all carry something we know nothing about.
For long periods of my life, I was one of those people.
Talking openly about mental health won’t fix everything. Conversation isn’t treatment, and it doesn’t replace professional help, but it can open a door. It can make it easier to say, “I’m struggling”. Conversation can make asking for help feel a little less daunting or remind someone that they do not have to work everything out on their own.
That is why I’m pleased last week’s article was shared so widely. Every share took the conversation a little further, and every comment or message reminded me why having these conversations matters.
We don’t all need to tell our mental health stories publicly.
We just need to make it safer for people to tell them somewhere.