It’s always hard for me to rate anthologies and collections, since I feel differently about each piece — particularly when each was written by a different author, as is the case here. Naturally some essays were more compelling and/or relatable than others, though to be fair none of them represented my personal experience with mental illness, nor did I expect them to; I was surprised to recognize myself in symptoms and trains of thought attributed to other diagnoses than the ones I received, but overall I felt seen. And that’s the point of sharing such personal experiences, as several authors said explicitly — so that public stigma decreases and individuals realize that they’re not alone.