One of the most insidious tricks mental illness plays on a person is to convince them they're not really ill, and this is only bolstered by internalised misconceptions of how mental illness should look and feel.

Similarly to the author, I assumed for years that it was normal to feel a constant sense of worry and low level dread, or to fixate upon imagining the worst possible scenario if a friend or loved one couldn't be contacted.

Anxiety doesn't always mean a person appears shy and withdrawn, or suffers from panic attacks. It can manifest in a variety of different ways, all just as real and debilitating for the individual sufferer.