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For the heroic men and women fighting mental illness in this country, www.NoLongerLonely.com is filling a need and offering welcome relief with a safe, secure, and free way to find companionship. The billion-dollar online dating industry is finally reaching those who need it most: the mentally ill.

As a mental health consumer myself, I know that social isolation is a hallmark symptom of people with mental illness. The general public is often indifferent and even hostile to those struggling to reintegrate into society. There is a comfort level in socializing with someone else that understands the struggles of coping with a mental illness. I want to make it easier for my members to find and secure meaningful relationships.

NoLongerLonely offers a broad array of features that the larger dating sites have made standard such as anonymous emailing, photo upload, easy searches, detailed matching criteria, E-mail notifications, a chat room, and soon a section for members to submit original articles, essays, and artwork. The site is open to anyone with a diagnosed mental illness. Users will come from all over the United States.

The site, which was officially launched January 1st, is now adding dozens of users every week. Strong word-of-mouth is critical to the site's success and members are encouraged to help spread the word.

Potential users should rest assured that their privacy and anonymity is my top priority. All contact between members is done using fictitious usernames through an internal mail service. Personal information is revealed only when both parties agree.

Posting a photograph is optional. People concerned about disclosure should also remember that everyone on the site has some form of mental illness.

Signup only takes a few minutes and the site is very easy to navigate. Membership at NoLongerLonely.com is completely free of charge.