There was a time in my life when I didn’t believe in depression. I was young, maybe sixteen or seventeen, and, like the typical teenager, I thought I knew and understood everything. I know now how absolutely stupid that was, and it’s one of the things I’m most ashamed of. But I just couldn’t fathom how someone could be depressed without a cause–to be honest, I still can’t.

When I first accepted the fact that I was suffering from depression, I thought it was a punishment for being so naïve. I, like most I think, was looking for a “reason,” because society has decided that depression isn’t a real thing. But it is–it’s just a harder to sickness to fight because of the stigma that surrounds it.

I don’t presume to understand all the reasons someone is depressed or why someone considers suicide. The reasons are numerous and varied. But there is one thing they have in common: the shame. The confusion and negative feelings that come with mental health disorders do not need to be exacerbated by feeling embarrassed. This is an added stressor that is unnecessary, and entirely fixable in my opinion. I truly believe that one day there will be enough awareness and acceptance that people don’t feel ashamed.

There’s a lot happening over the next five weeks:

September 10, 2016 is World Suicide Prevention Day

October 5 – 9, 2016 is Mental Illness Awareness Week

And in honor of trying to raise awareness, I will be donating 100% of the proceeds from Unveiling The Sky made between September 5, 2016 – October 10, 2016 to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Amazon US  Amazon CA  Amazon UK  Amazon AU

I hope you’ll consider helping me raise awareness and support for this amazing cause 🙂

Thank you ❤
Jeannine

xoxo