Remember when you were a kid, and each night as the lights went out, you were convinced there was a monster in your closet or even under your bed.

Pulling the covers higher and higher over your head, the nightlight only made the shadows in your room even scarier.

You'd finally fall asleep, and the next day, not a single word

mentioned to anyone at breakfast, let alone school, as then all of the kids would think you were just

weird. If you did mention to mom or dad or maybe an older brother or sister, they usually laughed it off dismissively.

There's no monsters in your closet. Stop wanting attention. So you kept it to yourself,

night after night, hoping it would just go away.

This is what mental illness can feel like.

Scared, alone, ashamed to say anything.

Had someone shown you it was okay by checking under the bed before turning out the lights

or going through the closet with a flashlight,

you would have said, oh, thanks. That really helped.

Sure, there would still be nights you'd hear bump and freeze,

but someone showing you the night before it was okay made it a little easier to fall asleep. But just like

monsters under our beds, then, no one is wanting to talk about what keeps us up at night now.

It's time we stop hiding under the covers and talk about mental health. One out of four people in the United States suffers from a mental disorder.

One out of four.

Tonight around the dinner table or next time you hop into an Uber,

one of you is more than likely struggling with something that you or they can't just wish away.

And this is why the month of May is so important for May being Mental Health Awareness Month.

It's time to talk and it's time to be aware, but it's also time to start doing something about it.

This episode is the first of four in a series surrounding the importance of mental health,

...