By Sandhya MenonWhen I first wrote my blogpost on mental illness, all I did was write something for the sake of catharsis. To understand better my own condition. The aim to reach out was only because I am vocal about mental illness, I was so even before I know I lived with a couple of them myself. But it wasn't at the centre of my writing. When I realised the impact it made, however, it opened my eyes up to the need for talking about it in a way that isn't weight down by pity, scorn, or confusion. There is hardly any non-medical information available for those seeking to understand their own condition. And the stigma in most families across classes, states, and religions about mental illness is staggering. Friends and strangers came forward to tell me their stories, and how it was so difficult to find any guidance, to find any source of comfort apart from trusting a doctor blindly. If I was convinced about the need to be more vocal about mental illnesses and how to deal with them in India, the communication from readers strengthened that beyond anything I have known. In this series of tweets, I've tried to tackle the most important and identifiable aspects of mental illnesses from a personal perspective. Nuances are different depending on the illness that people suffer from but I would like to think basic guidelines are the same. Reach out, empathise, talk.Read her tweets below. Sandhya's blog- How crochet saved my life and other stories of mental health