Ok, so I am setting up this whole TheFaceasOfDepression.org idea. I put together a webpage (see previous sentence 🙂
The website has my story and the basic premise of the program, but I have to develop things further in order to get ready to go public. I have spoken with a publicist. He thinks it will take off quickly as a non-profit, but he warned me that I will only have one shot when I get on radio or tv. One shot or it’s a bust!
So, I am putting together the corporation papers and applying for 501 (3) (c) status, and filming some video. (editing video was not easy to learn btw) The videos are both professionals giving their opinions on stigmas attached ,how it affects relationships, and some new treatments available, as well as support people like my wife who will talk about what it’s like to live with and be in a relationship with me. (just he medical part, not the throwing underwear on the floor part) My current website is a DIY kind of thing, so I will need to upgrade that at some point.
I also need to have my message down. So I am writing a speech to figure out how I would present my thoughts. First draft…….not so good. Very informative, but not so encouraging. It would have left people depressed if they weren’t already. I am getting closer with my message, but I need to really end it with a “Call to Action”. My current draft has an “everyone wears masks of some kind so we are in the same boat” message. I don’t think that will work because I am trying to make it so that we DON’T need to wear masks at all.
Any thoughts on what to say? Or how to word it? I think I’m going more towards a “if you have a physical ailment you wouldn’t need a mask or be ashamed” message. That’s going to be difficult without sounding whiny.
Look forward to your thoughts!
Lee
TheFacesOfDepression.org 
Maybe something along the lines of depression feeling like you are trying to remove a mask that was never there. It’s about giving people a real perspective, as opposed to their individual view of it. The “struggle” is that their perspective on their lives is skewed from reality. If they are able to re-direct their vision and understand that there is no mask, they will also build the mentality of being in control again, and not submitting to this mask they feel. Something like that maybe?
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Thanks timehta! I definitely think that message needs to get out to people that already battle depression/anxiety. And that’s a great way to approach it. I will try to work that in somehow. I also need a way to speak to those that don’t suffer, and how they can be more tolerant. You’ve brought up a good point though. It will take effort from both sides. One actively taking off their mask, and the other side understanding that they can make it “OK” to take it off.
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i like your “mask” description as that’s how I have felt at my worst – like I wasn’t the same person I had been before my diagnosis.
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Thanks Julie. I appreciate the kind words. I didn’t realize it until later, but I was in the same boat. It wasn’t until I started to get help that I realized how bad I was. And I was truly putting on a “Face” for the world to see, and then go home and collapse. It’s hard keeping up appearances! Sometimes, too hard
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