# Dear Facebook Friends... By [Lexie Strasser](https://paragraph.com/@lexie-strasser) · 2024-08-21 --- A chatbot situation recently (don’t ask) reminded me that Facebook is a social media platform that rests a bit on speech suppression, and I don’t mesh with that vibe. In today’s heated political and social climate, it can be tempting to sit back and shut up, but I have actively refused to do so because social media is the ideal platform with which to advocate for myself and others. I tell it how it is because it feels like the compassionate thing to do. I was raised to tell the truth, even if it's unsavory. I choose to wear my life on my sleeve to be an advocate for myself and others. There are times I embarrass myself with one too many exclamation points, or personal revelations, but, I know that someone who is going through something similar will notice my post and feel seen and heard. I guarantee this because it is helpful when I see others’ vulnerability expressed openly. For the sake of good practice, let me be honest with you (Facebook asks: what’s on your mind? as if that’s a good question to ask an autistic introvert…): I don’t always know how to properly convey what is going on personally with me because I don’t understand boundaries in that sense. Because of my neurodivergence, I believe it is appropriate to tell others about my distress if I feel it would help another person. You and I can be part of the solution to end the stigma of mental illness. Secrets keep us sick, and I don’t want to be sick anymore. I am a human being and I have had experiences that have warped me irreparably due to my sensitivities. I have autism and bipolar and I am not afraid to say it publicly. I also have retinitis pigmentosa which is an eye disease similar to macular degeneration. These conditions can degrade over time if not addressed with proper stressor modification. Being open about your personal life on social media isn’t always wise, but my wisdom is suspended for not only your amusement and personal viewing pleasure, but also for education and to advocate for other people who may have autism, bipolar, legal blindness, or something else, and can relate to and feel seen and heard by what I am saying. May I suggest first to be a little more vigilant of yourself if you’re prone to negative criticism of disabled, differently abled, or mentally ill people. Words impact people, actions matter. My goal is to advocate, educate, and include. Sometimes, I may exclude one inadvertently; to err is to be human. Let’s have a conversation whether it’s behind closed doors or chat publicly about the societal impact of untreated mental illness. Let’s discuss the factors and implications. For example, if you struggle with tactile and visual hallucinations of fantastical beasts (say, you Imagine Dragons…I’ll let myself out…) I would like to know when your symptoms flare and what correlations you’ve drawn about how much coffee you drink and how colorful and intimidating the dragon becomes. Your data may be helpful to someone else who is also experiencing the imagining of dragons! My only caveat would be that we need a different approach to suicide prevention measures as well as substance abuse screening than the ones seen currently online. We see 1-800 numbers pop up when mental illness symptoms are Googled, but the connection to resources is often lost in translation. Social media is a net that can catch us at our worst, but it is simply dangerous and must be used with caution when it comes to worsening mental health issues and addictions. Can we find an appropriate way to channel our frustrations together, publicly, in real life, and on social media, and end the stigma of mental illness once and for all? I believe that we can if we approach the conversations with mindfulness, patience, and other virtues (I’m personally working on patience at the moment…are you ready yet??), we can gracefully tackle the factors that drag mental illness, drug addiction, and homelessness behind us like a dark cloud balloon on American society. Here’s my bid to start the conversation. I believe that with the right tools, we can have a harmonious melding of ideas in public channels to end the stigma, or at the very least, end the stigma of ending the stigma, for the time being. --- *Originally published on [Lexie Strasser](https://paragraph.com/@lexie-strasser/dear-facebook-friends)*