Because I’m exhausted at the prospect of continuing to keep certain realities about myself hermetically sealed in a box and hidden away, as if they were something to be ashamed of

I hear that. There's many of us that suffer similiar things - anxiety, depression - that struggle to explain to people this part of our identity, whilst still asserting ourselves as not only that part. The more people who speak out, the better - it helps us be understood. I appreciate your honesty, and I believe people stigmatise less than you think, especially when they know the fuller picture. You are embraced. @riverflows