I fear that the conversation about mental illness as it relates to the Connecticut tragedies will cause people who may have been on the verge of reaching out for the support they need to retreat. I fear that people who are struggling on the inside will struggle even more so alone.

At this point, any comment on the psychiatric profile of Adam Lanza, the 20-year-old man responsible for these murders, is complete hearsay. By themselves, these traits do not indicate any diagnosis at all, although we have been quick to dissect them in the search for meaning.

Until we open up the conversation about treating mental illness and take away the shame that comes with it, to many suicide will still seem like the only way out of the pain that they are enduring.

Depression knocked at my door as cancer exited.

Changing the conversation about mental health means making care for mental health as matter of fact as going to get treatment for asthma or a broken leg. What good sense that makes. But even those of us who aren't currently suffering from mental health problems stand to gain.

This Oct. 9, in honor of Mental Health Awareness Week, Active Minds chapters across the country will gather on their campuses for National Day Without Stigma.

When it comes to mental illness, we need more tolerance, empathy and compassion. We need to remove the barriers to help, and remember that if it were our family member or friend who had such problems, we would view things with a lot more compassion.

Being with so many like-minded people and having a sense of camaraderie are clearly important dimensions of the experience for these artists. It's being in a place without stigma, where people believe in themselves and their abilities.

Coworkers occupy peculiar in-between roles in our lives. Most days, we spend at least half of our waking hours with them. Disclosing our personal problems to them can offer advantages, generating social support, or can prompt stigma and discrimination.

Throughout our lives, we travel a health-to-illness continuum, always seeking a return to wellbeing. While we acknowledge the physical realities of this continuum, it's harder to accept the emotional, cognitive and behavioral aspects.

For nearly 25 years, Patty Duke has traveled around the country educating audiences on brain disorders such as hers and speaking out about the stigma that goes along with being diagnosed with a "mental illness."

In our society, we don't ask about mental illness, and we don't tell anyone about mental illness for fear of being thought of as weak or defective.

Many advocates for improved mental health believe that it is wrong to discuss violence and even try to deny that violence exists. They may have worked in a counseling center but probably never a prison, jail or police department.

Instead of focusing on nonexistent stigma, we should focus on eliminating the public policies that discriminate against the mentally ill and are causing so many to become homeless, incarcerated or the victims of suicide.