Actress Glenn Close was diagnosed with Depression in 2008 and 2010 and told USA Today that the “most powerful tool to breaking the barriers caused by stigma are personal stories.” In addition to Close celebrities like Selena Gomez, Kristin Bell, Demi Lovato, Dwayne Johnson and Darryl McDaniels have shared their stories. By opening up and sharing their experiences it allows for mental illness to be discussed on a larger scale which is evident in the tremendous amounts of social media activity following one of these stories. Glenn Close said “The more stories of those who have been able to start the conversation, get help and achieve a feeling of self-worth, inclusion and purpose — instead of silence, isolation and shame — the more lives will be saved. No one is their illness. Humans are social animals. To be marginalized and made to feel shame and fear can be life-threatening. We need connection. Without it, we die.”
