Dear Daniel Radcliffe,
Hi Dan….can I call you Dan? Okay, I think that I will.

First off, let me say that I do not make a habit of writing people that I don’t know so that I can offer them some advice. Unless you count that time that I wrote Tim Burton to tell him that he should make the BFG into a movie. So, apart from that one instance, I haven’t done this before.

I’ll come to the point. Basically, I was wondering if you could tell your other persona, you know, the one who you say does interviews, to keep his mouth shut about mental illness?

What am I talking about? Well, you said that you assume a different persona when you are interviewed or are in public. So, this character, or however you may choose to designate him, had some words to say in this interview about Americans, depression and therapy. Do you remember what you said, Dan?

Here is a summary:
He mentioned (to general amusement), that Americans are treated more by psychiatrists than Brits are, quipping that with Brits that if they were depressed, then they should just “walk it off!”

You were probably just trying to be funny. But, please, no.

You seem like a nice guy. And, you can say whatever you want about anything. I’m not against you having your opinions. Truly, I’m not. What I want you to think about is what your saying something like this could do to a young person who reads your words. It’s not like saying that you don’t favor their favorite music or something trivial like that. You might just be criticizing the problems that someone has. Problems that they did not choose.

How old are you, Dan? Seems like IMDB has you at 19 right now. I remember what it was like to be 19. I remember that at 19 I had no experience whatsoever with mental illness. In fact, I remember the first time I came into direct contact with it in my life. I was in college, helping out with some event on the drill field. A fellow student asked me for directions to a certain part of the festivities. I told him that it was just a little further down the sidewalk, near the statue in the center of the field. And that is when my mental health radar went off. He looked at me, eyes wide, stared down the expanse of sidewalk that he would have to traverse on the way to his destination, and, after heaving a sigh, said, “Well, I’ll try to go there. But it’ll be scary.” I later learned that he had OCD and anxiety, among other things. I remember thinking that the poor guy had a lot to put up with in his life. Ordinary life is hard enough without all the extra problems brought on by mental illness.

That was then. Now I can say that I’ve had quite a bit more experience with mental illness. Someone in my immediate family has it. It is hard. I can’t begin to convey the depth of despair that comes from watching someone you love struggle with these problems. It makes you feel incredibly helpless. It also can make you feel incredibly angry — that some Thing is ruling the life of someone you love. How many times I’ve wished that this Thing was something physical that I could kick out of my house and set the dog on — and that would be how I would act if I was feeling benevolent.

It’s sad, Daniel, but there is still such a stigma against mental illness in this world. Even after study after study shows us how very genetic these things are we still don’t like to talk about it. This makes everyone suffer. Husbands, wives, siblings, all people who love someone with mental illness are affected. Their sufferings are real, too, as caregivers, and yet so many times they can’t even express what is going on to neighbors and friends. It simply isn’t their secret to tell.

So, could you think this over? Thanks. If you’re ever in St. Louis and are in need of some good cookies or if you want to meet some interesting little boys, one of which is a real Harry Potter fan, then give us a call. Of course, we do understand that you’re busy. Being a busy actor and a gazillionaire can really take up your time, I know. But I guess that is your life after you star in a bunch of movies based on J.K. Rowling’s boy wizard. Speaking of Rowling, I guess that it is a good thing that she didn’t just “walk off” her depression, right?

It’s something to think about.

Best Wishes for Your Continued Success,
Ann