I am deeply saddened by the recent event of Robin Williams death. It has inevitably sparked much discussion about mental health and taking care of ourselves and one another. This isn't a bad thing - but I find myself getting really frustrated at some of the things that my friends and colleagues post on Facebook. One of them recently posted a small, but touching tribute to Williams legacy on her wall. We all care when someone famous and charming suffers. But this same colleague of mine, not just two weeks ago, told me a story about how her friend was pretending to have a mental illness just so she could leech off the system and not work. This colleague was so sure she was faking it. This angers me. In my case, my mental illness doesn't just walk up to you and tell you it's here. When I suffered with suicidal thoughts, almost no one in my life knew because I was too afraid people wouldn't believe me, or that people would tell me to get over it.

It's great that you care about Robin Williams, but if you really care about mental illness, start looking at how you can treat those around you differently. You may have to start believing people when they tell you they are suffering.