You don’t often hear of elected officials who are battling mental illness. Social, professional, and political stigma are the problem, yet a quarter of our population has anxiety, depression, or both, and continue to be productive and effective on the job, in their families, and around their communities.

This is a mental health memoir even more than a memoir of a judicial election. Judges, as much as anyone else, carry huge responsibilities. Faith, family, friends, and good medical care are part of the process for addressing mental illness that threatens to interfere with those responsibilities.

If you battle mental illness or know someone who does (and you do, statistics show), others may try to convince you that mental illnesses like depression and anxiety are all in your head. Tell them this: “Of course, mental illness is all in your head. And a heart attack is all in your chest. Go see a doctor either way.”

This book will help you feel better equipped to tell them that yourself.