As I was writing this book, I had the privilege of speaking to people from all over the world, and it helped me to realize just how common mental illness truly is. Mental illness is something that can affect anyone at any time. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from or what you’ve done, mental illness doesn’t discriminate.

Unfortunately, mental illness is something that has remained in the shadows until now, and people have been too afraid to speak up because of the reaction they might receive. Use this book as a guide whenever you’re having doubts or feeling alone to remind yourself that you’re not. Everyone has a voice, and everyone has a right to use that voice. Mental illness affects us all. Now is the time to come together and use our voices to show the world that mental illness is real.

No one need feel ashamed about mental illness ever again. The human mind is capable of many great and amazing things. But it is also capable of enduring a lot of suffering and hardships. Fear, doubt and self-hatred, are all emotions people endure every single day. Pain is a part of life, and it is natural and necessary for personal growth. What is not natural is hiding this pain. It is not right to hide your pain and pretend to yourself that everything’s okay when your mind is giving you a sign that you need help.

Breaking Free addresses these issues in a sensitive compassionate way. It does this through the power of short stories on the following mental health issues and ways to handle them. Self-Harm, Bipolar Disorder, Anxiety, Depression, Anorexia, Phobias, Schizophrenia, Addiction, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Bigorexia, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Bullying, Bulimia, Psychosis, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).