Sharing my Truth About Mental Illness, Helping Others

Recently, I had to go to the doctor's for a checkup. They asked me to check in at the nearby window, give my name and then sit and wait.

The woman helping to check me in was somewhere between 30 and 40 years old, I believe. There was no one in line behind me, so we didn't have to hurry the process. When I looked at her, I immediately wanted to ask her a question: Are you happy? She nodded her head yes.

I told her that I just recently wrote a book to help people with depression and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Then I asked her again: Are you living a happy life? This time, she said no. Because I shared with her things about me, she decided to share her burden with me. She told me that she suffered from OCD. And that the medical providers weren't helping her much. So I told her that I'd written in my book about how to be successful at living with OCD and managing it. She wanted to buy my book right away and took one of my flyers. She thanked me. It made me feel good that I was doing something helpful.

My next encounter that day was with a different medical provider, who wanted to improve her life, and was quite interested in finding out about my book. I don't know whether she suffered from OCD or depression. But when I told her about my book, something I said made her feel like it could help her.

Finally, I met a man, maybe in his 50s, and I talked with him about my disability. To my surprise he said he had also had a learning disability when he was young, and had gone to a special school to help him. He finally got his high school degree, and now has a very good job. Of course, he had graduated 30 years later than I did. I'm glad to hear the testimony of someone who has been helped by the school system. When I was in school in the 50s, the school administrators didn't know what to do with me.

I believe my book will help anybody who reads it and considers the 34 things suggestions I make on how to improve one's life - especially if you have anxiety, depression, or other mental concerns.

I am almost 82 years old. It is my goal in these last years of my life to help others by sharing my stories.

- Chuck Burroughs

You can order Chuck's book by clicking this link.