Someone afflicted with mental illness can feel like a foreigner wherever they are, trying to assimilate into a cultural set of norms that are constantly changing and being re-evaluated.  Society often lacks the language skills to dialogue fluently with the increasing number of people being diagnosed with a mental illness.  Though we’ve come a long way since the days of Nellie Bly and the Blackwell Island Insane Asylum, there is still a chasm between the way we openly discuss physical illnesses, while stigmatizing mental illness.  Mental illness doesn’t discriminate between ethnicity, race, religion or economic class, making it an issue that goes beyond all borders.  Jennifer Cihi (Broadway/TV) has used her notoriety as a public figure to foster socially conscious dialogue about mental health issues, while Stefanie DeLeo (Published Playwright/Author) has used her writing to tackle this difficult issue. In this presentation, Jennifer and Stefanie will give the history on how perception and social dialogue surrounding mental illness has evolved in America, while comparing that to their experiences living abroad.  They will share their personal and professional experiences with mental illness in how affected them in the US, but also how they experienced it while living abroad.  Jennifer spent two years in Japan, a country with one of the highest suicide rates, but little public dialogue about the underlying cause.  Stefanie spent two and a half years living in South Africa, a country with an economic disparity that affects what treatment and support is available. Jennifer and Stefanie will also share the history and evolution in the vocabulary was use to describe various mental health issues.  Students, teachers, care-givers and parents can better advocate for themselves if they are equipped with the proper terminology.  This presentation mixes music, performance, prose, historical information and personal experiences in an engaging, yet profound discussion on mental illness.