I was fired from a job I was at for over 4 years because of mental health problems. I had to learn to start all over again because my employer wasn’t understanding about what was happening to me. I am tired of the stigma and others talking behind my back saying I was taking “ happy pills.” I’ve had

enough. Having mental illness is hard. People have sympathy for someone who has a physical illness but have contempt for someone who is mentally ill. I have suffered with mental illness since I was 13 and I am 46. If you have mental illness, you lose everything. Your job, your friends. I want people to know that it hurts and it takes a really strong person to battle mental illness. Mental illness does not mean you are weak. And mental illness can happen to anyone. One day you may wake up and see something has changed. And don’t be fooled. Lots of people have mental health problems. They just hide it better.