Last year, I attended a wonderful seminar on overcoming self-stigma in bipolar disorder, led by Dr. Andrea Vassilev. It got me thinking about my own subtle tendencies to deny or feel ashamed about my diagnosis, despite the fact that I’m a mental health advocate.

Self-stigma is the internalization of negative social stereotypes—meaning you believe deep down that all the terrible things you’ve ever heard or read or encountered about mental illness and “people like you” are true.

For me, self-stigma always hits hardest when I’m depressed. Shame is my depression’s faithful shadow,........

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