UPDATE: Thank you so much to everyone who has donated, I'm blown away by the generosity and support that has been given to this campaign. If you'd still like to donate, I'm sure Lifeline would really appreciate it.

I'm also really pleased that it's opened up quite a few conversations in places where I wouldn't have expected it, which is just the sort of thing I was hoping to achieve. It's also held me accountable and helped me to be honest about my illness in situations where I could just as easily have hid it, which in the end would just have been to my own detriment.

I'll leave the original campaign info below.....

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Those of you who know me know my hair has been through various phases - straight and plain brown - orange and wavy - red - weird off pink and black. And recently, CURLY. This last has been brought about by a change in my medication to treat bipolar disorder and, while I've grown to embrace these strange curls, I think it's time to do what I've always wanted to do and shave them off in aid of a good cause. In this case, I want to contribute to destigmatising mental illness.

When I first found out I had bipolar disorder or manic depression I was horrified. I didn't know what it meant. The extremes of highs and lows that I'd been experiencing suddenly seemed like they were just "crazy". In the intervening 7 years, I've learned that bipolar is a ride I have to learn to live with and manage, not something I can cure or wish away. This is the same for so many others dealing with often misunderstood mental illnesses.

Mental illness is so common that you have probably either experienced it yourself or known someone who has, and yet communicating about it openly still largely remains a taboo, especially in certain parts of our society - although thankfully that's on the mend - and I'd like to do my bit.

The last time that someone feels like communicating to loved ones or indeed anyone is in the grips of a low. I've lost two good friends to suicide and it still hurts that they didn't reach out somehow. Perhaps in a different world they would have. This is why I've chosen Lifeline as my charity.

Please give generously but, more importantly, if something ain't right with you or those you love, it's not a bad idea to try talking about it with care and honesty. There are plenty of helpful resources around - feel free to get in touch and I'll chase them up :)

And thanks for taking the time to check out my page!