so many suffer, yet are not heard

Today I was looking through a friend's facebook photos, a friend who I worked with in YCW, a great young person who I'm not overly close to but when I have a chance to see, enjoy spending time with and care for. He posted  a photo back in November of a sign at a hospital and named it 'after 5 years since being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer I have been discharged and given the all clear!'.
A few things struck me:
- 136 people liked the photo. He is a radio dj and so has a huge amount of facebook contacts, but this is still quite a number!
- I had no idea he was diagnosed, although we are not close enough that he would have told me, it appears it's not common knowledge either or I feel I would have known. I wonder how many of those who liked the photo were aware in the first placce.
- but most importantly it highlighted to me that mental health issues are still so taboo. If I posted a photo of a sign of the mental health clinic and put it on facebook and called it 'I have been discharged after 7 years of suffering with depression!' people may think me crazy! it would not get the same response. many would be disgusted that I chose to share it with the world, even though those that I have on facebook are meant to be my friends.
This then got me questioning whether I should do more to make it less of a taboo subject, seeing as it bothers me so much and raise awareness? I support all who do and have much admiration for them. Do I want to make it something I do too? Should I be more vocal and honest about my illness to make people see it is ok to talk about it? the furthest I go is round about referring to it through comments with others on fb/twitter and by writing very honestly on this blog, which I don't think many read.
Maybe I will put this on facebook and twitter.... but in my line of work, is it ok for my colleagues to see? And it frustrates me greatly that I should even have to ask that question.
I often compare mental health issues to cancer and the sad reality is that in some ways they are similar. And that if I was sufferring with cancer, I'm sure my colleagues would know all about it....