In any given year, one in four Americans suffers from a diagnosable mental illness--and yet there is still a significant stigma attached to being labeled as "mentally ill." We hear about worst-case scenarios, but in many--maybe even most--cases, there is much room for hope. These frank, often intimate stories reflect the writers' struggles to overcome--both as professionals and as individuals, as current therapists and as former patients--the challenges presented by depression, bipolar disorder, OCD, and other mental disorders. These dramatic narratives communicate clearly the rewards of helping patients move forward with their lives, often through a combination of medication, talk therapy, and common sense. Collectively, these true stories highlight the need for empathy and compassion between therapist and patient, and argue for a system that encourages human connection rather than diagnosis by checklist.