The actor Joe Tracini has shared why he said yes to returning to Norwich to speak at an event designed to get more people talking about mental health.
Mr Tracini, 31, recently entertained hundreds of panto fans when he appeared in Norwich Theatre Royal's 2019 production of Cinderella.
But on March 6 he will be returning to Norwich for a very different reason, to speak at Open Up at Open, an all-day event focusing on mental health in Norfolk.
The free to attend event will cover everything from where to seek mental health advice to standards of care and real-life stories.
And among those sharing personal experiences will be Mr Tracini, who lives with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).
Mr Tracini said although he frequently talks about his experiences online, March 6 will be the first time he has spoken about his diagnosis in public.
"I have become very good at talking about my brain so I can say things on the internet that I wouldn't say anywhere else.
"Something I really want to do is talk to actual people more," he said.
Mr Tracini said before he started sharing his own experiences he struggled to identify with a lot of coverage of mental health conditions in the media. He said: "I personally never saw someone talk on a level at which I live with, I never felt somebody was saying what I was going through from the point I was going through it."
Mr Tracini said high profile incidents involving celebrities could often highlight issues, but it was important to remember people from all walks of life struggled on a daily basis.
"It's one of those things, it's never going to go away but what we can do is talk our way through it," he said.
Encouraging people to attend Open Up at Open, he said: "Just come along and talk to someone or stand at the back. If there's going to be a safe place to attend a mental health event, then Norwich is going to be the safest in the world."
For more information on the event, head to the Open Up at Open Facebook page.
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