November 9, 2015: Researching the Idea of Public Disclosure - Have others done it?
November 9, 2015
In my journal I wrote, “The problem is I do not know anyone who has the experience of going public.” I then looked on the internet for others who had done it.
I found an article about singer Demi Lovato. I had never heard of Demi Lovato before I found the article. She released her first album in 2008 and it debuted at number two (2) on the US Billboard 200. Her sixteenth birthday was in August of that year. In 2009, she released her first album that reached number one in the US. In October of 2010 checked herself into a treatment center for “emotional and physical issues.” In October of 2011, Demi was interviewed by Robin Roberts on the television show “20/20”. There is an article about the interview published on www.abcnews.com written by Janice Johnston titled, “Demi Lovato’s Shocking Diagnosis.” The first two paragraphs of the article state:
After checking into treatment at a residential facility, teenage Disney darling Demi Lovato received a shocking diagnosis: She was bipolar.
"I had no idea that I was even bipolar until I went into treatment," the eighteen-year-old told ABC News' Robin Roberts. "I was actually manic a lot of the times that I would take on workloads, and I would say, yes, I can do this, I can do this, I can do this. I was conquering the world, but then I would come crashing down, and I would be more depressed than ever."
I also found an article published on womenshealthmag.com written by Christina Heiser, titled, “Demi Lovato Speaks Up About Living With Bipolar Disorder.” The article mentioned that Demi is the spokesperson for a new campaign called Be Vocal: Speak Up For Mental Health. and a link to the organization’s website, www.BeVocalSpeakUp.com. The website has a page “Be Vocal Yourself.” The page has tips for how to share your experience with friends and family and in the workplace.
There were not many other people I could find who had publicly disclosed. And no attorneys that I knew of had done it.
The fact that very few people had publicly disclosed made me want to do it. I saw it as an opportunity.
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